Estaba en España

In search for a real adventure, I opted to spend my latest weekend in España's capital, Madrid. It sure was an adventure.

The plane ride was quick and short--a mere 90 minutes from gate to gate. Customs was a breeze and I received my first stamp in my passport (although one of my fellow travelers apparently got yelled at while proceeding through customs). After advancing through the aeropuerto to the metro, I diligently asked the information desk where my hotel was--she gave us excellent directions.

After precisely following said directions to Hotel Villagarcia and failing to find it, I realized I asked her for directions to Hotel Villagarcia, not Hostal Villagarcia. The adventure began.

The starting point was the North East side of the city. The end point was a long walk aways--notwithstanding the lack of directions. One hour later, success. Hostal Villagarcia was within grasp. We rang the bell and I politely told the owner (in Spanish) that I made a reservation. In response, he politely told me "Full occupancy".

"Where can I find another Hostal? Can you, perchance, suggest one?"

"Right down the street is another one, try there. If not, I have no clue. Everyone is booked."

"Gracias." We left and ventured on. Luckily, the second Hostal (Hostal Palacios) did have a room for 60E per night. We thought it was a good deal so we say sure.

We ventured through the city for the day--drinking sangria (for those sangria-virgins, find out how to make it and do it), eating paella (same for this) and snacking on Tapas. We saw the sights (including Puerto del Sol, Plaza Mayor [with dancing horses], Palacio Real, and Museo del Prado). Siesta came early then it was out to the bars.

We went to bed late, but for Madrileños, it was quite early. We woke up around 11 and got some coffee from Starbucks. Yes, that's right, I'm American. We hopped on the Metro towards some tourism fair--it sucked.

For now I feel neither the motivation, inspiration, or dedication to continue on. It's been a pretty rough week. Enjoy my first half of Madrid. The rest is yet to come.

Hasta Luego