Spain - Madrid - We Actually Made It!

Arrived. Despite missing our first SEPTA train, despite Vee being picked for a random bag check at PHL, despite the airplane check-in agents pulling Vee aside to further scrutinize her Passport and ID, and despite our being seated in the last row of the plane, two feet from the lavatory, we made it to Madrid. Exhausted, and now both of us sick with head and chest colds, we are here, and so very happy to have made it. The flight, USAirways #12, direct from PHL to MAD was bumpy at times, but otherwise fine. Of course our seats were impossible to sleep in, but luckily, at 6 hours, the flight wasn't terribly long. And anyway, having paid just $250+/- for each ticket on SkyAuction.com, we had no room to complain.

Flying over Spain revealed a very diverse geography, including a long sandy coast, vast mountain ranges, some peaks were snow-capped, others looked dry and desert-like. There were vast patchworks of perfectly delineated farmlands. I wondered aloud what kind of trees were planted so perfectly in line, absolutely equidistant to each surrounding tree; that'll be something we find out eventually. There were plenty of the orange-red colors that I expected to see in the land, and building rooftops. Once on the ground at the airport, the "Control - Policia" didn't raise any issues, and within moments we were officially IN. We wandered the airport for a while looking for the Metro, and asked their information desk to clarify how the ticket purchasing and metro riding process worked. We got a 10-ride pass for 6 Euros, and after 2 changes, popped out above ground at Puerta del Sol, which is where our hostale is located. The time difference is 6 hours, check-in is 1pm, it was about 11am local time, and we were getting hungry, so we got some tastey falafels and "papas flamencas" at a street-side open-air stand. The weather is chilly, but beautiful. And actually, as the day wore on, the sun really warmed things up. It took us a while to figure out where we actually were, as the street names aren't immediately evident, and to describe the street pattern as weblike would give the wrong impression of the streets being at least somewhat organized. One street we crossed, "Calle de Alcala" has special significance because it is Vee's family name on her Mom's side, revealing her deep Spanish heritage. The architecture is exactly as I had envisioned, and it is beautiful. Lots of cobblestone streets, very narrow streets, small cars, lots of mopeds and motorcycles, and very very busy with pedestrian traffic. The people are fairly diverse, but most are of a darker complexion than me.

We found our hostale, on Calle de la Cruz, called "Hostale Adriano", and it is a fantastic little place on the 4th floor of a typical medium-rise building. The hostale-keeper was very friendly and helpful, speaking Spanish and even English for my benefit. We were provided all the information we needed, some good tips, our keys, and some brochures about things to do in the area. Our room is small, but very cute and comfy, with our own clean bathroom, fridge, cable tv, electronic safe, and a queen-size bed with clean sheets and fluffy comforter. We peeled off, and slept.

Waking up around 6pm, we tried the wireless Internet access, but it is encrypted, and the person at the front desk doesn't know the key. Interesting. So, we'll read some, and plan out our days ahead.