Madrid

Day 1

So technically today is day two, but I’ve only had one hour of sleep, so we’re not gonna care. hah Quite a lot has happened in the last 10 hours. Let’s start with the airport….

So we arrive at the airport around 9ish. We wanted to have plenty of time to get through security and anything else that came our way. We (my sister and I) called my dad to tell him what was up, etc. So we’re talking to him and discussing this feeling in our bones that something was going to go terribly wrong. Mom wanted to get through security quickly, so we told dad that we would call him back. Well, what do you know, [my sister] beeps going through the scanner. So she gets rid of her hair clips. Then she beeps again. Well, this irritated the keepers of safety and they had to take out the “wand”. Yes, my sister was wand-ed! And the part that makes me crack up is that it was her hair that caused all the trouble, yes, her hair. You see, [my sister] is a fan of fake hair which requires a metal fastener. So her hair made her beep….maybe you had to be there and know [my sister].

Anyway, the flights went pretty smoothly. The flight to Boston was quick, and I got to hear my first authentic Boston accent. The flight to Madrid was killer, though. I’m still feeling the effects. It’s 2pm here and I’m attempting to function on 1 hour of sleep. I’m in danger of falling on the keyboards in the cyber cafe I’m in right now. I’m feeling pretty light headed. But I need to tell you about the rest of the trip so far before I forget and it’s lost forever!!

So on the flight to Madrid, my mom happened to sit next to a native French woman and they began talking about who knows what and having a grand old time.Then my little sister began talking to these three little girls around her age and eventually got their info and they’re gonna be in touch later. And on top of it all, I met…..no one. I was a bit dissapointed. I mean, the stats were in my favor with 2 out of 3 [of us] making new friends, but no, something is fundamentally wrong with something about me. But that mystery will be solved another day! On with the trip!

We landed and we got on these beautifully designed Metro trains. They’re very sleek and white and the interior is well designed as well. But there isn’t much seating. Otherwise well put togerther. I was impressed. Oh, and everything was extremely clean. And the airport was filled with glass. I wish I had gotten a pic of that. Sorry.

So we get to our final stop after a few minutes and walk a block or two through these tiny streets. But first, I just want to note that I find it a bit ironic that the first thing we all saw of Madrid once we got off the Metro was a Starbucks of all things! SO, anyway, it still hasn’t quite hit me where I am (even now). But we walked a while, got to Maripaz’s apt. (she was my mom’s roommate light years ago) and got settled down.

Once we had napped a bit and had eaten, we took a tour of Madrid with our own native Madridian (is that a word?).  We saw many key touristy places which I can’t possibly name right now.

Now we’re on our way back to her place. What other notable things have happened? I saw some gypsies, all females holding babies wearing Indian type garbs. A guy randomly took a pic of my….well, it was awkward, let’s put it that way. We passed by the Real Madrid museum!!!!!! I hope very much to visit it since it’s soccer off season. :,(((( Oh, and there’s an outdoor mall-like area called the  Calle Preciados y Calle Del Carmen, which are the names of the two main roads. The area is made up of several streets lined with shopping alone and few if any cars. It´s really quite neat.

Well, that’s all for now. Until next time.
PS I’ll add links later, when I have more time. Internet use is costing me 1 euro per 16 min! it might be relatively cheap, but it’s my money i’m spending here!! 🙂

*added Friday 7/27*

It didn’t save anything I just wrote!!!! So I’ll have to give you the short version….

So after I wrote my last entry, [my sister] and ate, of all things, a squid sandwich, totally unbeknownst  to us until afterward. But we only had one bite each. It is a traditional Spanish dish and considered a delicacy, so I think it might have been worth it.

Later, we all walked through a park across the street from Maripaz’s apartment which happens to be the home of an Egyptian temple- a gift to the Spanish after aiding the Egyptians to build a dam.

Around 9 we met up with some STL friends who by coincidence were in Madrid at the same time as us. I gave all their backgrounds in my previous attempt at adding to this entry, so ask me about it later if you really want to know. Once we found each other, we went for some tapas (which I learned are like appetizers). We decided to share a common Spanish dish whose name escapes me. It’s basically an omellete mixed with hash browns. I loved it, as apposed to the squid.

We finally returned to Maripaz’s and got ready to sleep. [My sister] immediately picked up her HP book (#7) and I proceded to yell at her because I was exhausted. It worked out though because she’s nearly finished (about 10 pgs).

So that was day one/two of our trip!