Madrid part 1 of day 1 all on jetlag.

Since we had been in an airplane and underground on the metro, as we surfaced with our heavy maletas in tow, we saw Madrid for the first time even we had been in the city for quite some time already. I just stood and gapped.

 The city is beautiful! Almost all of the buildings are old and seem to be built for both ascetics as well as function. There are small shops lining the streets which are very narrow and mostly one lane – no SUVs here. Even the police cars are small.

  We found our hotel, marked by a very inconspicuous sign, and enjoyed the quaint elevator on the way up to the first floor (in Spain, the ground floor is floor 0).

     We were early, so we dropped off our luggage a the hotel and went exploring. First things first, we wanted food. There is a lovely little tapas place about half a block away that was both friendly and cheap. I ordered una tostada con anchoas y un café con leche (a toasted baguette with smoked anchovies and coffee with milk akin to a JPs Hayworth). Delightful and only £2! I went out on a limb with the anchovies but they were very delicious if not a bit salty. Chalking up new experiences today! I'm sure new experiences with be very frequent during my stay. There are so many new things going on here.

After some more shop exploring, jet lag was hitting us hard. We hadn't rested fully in quite some time. I was ready for a nap and a shower – both great things no matter where in the world you are.