Madrid Day One

We made it to Madrid! Kelsey and I ended up sitting next to each other on both flights, so we talked quite a bit. Then we had wine, popped some cold medicine, and knocked ourselves out for the overnight flight. It was a little less than 7 hours, so not bad. After we landed, we went through customs and got on the bus with the rest of the group. We came to our hotel, the Florida Norte, and checked in. We ran to the grocery store for snacks and shopped in the mall across the street before coming back for a much needed nap! I got a watch and a purse so far, but I plan to do some damage shopping in the weeks to come. It's pretty hot here, and no A/C in our rooms, so it gets really stuffy. Otherwise things are remarkably similar to the U.S. Of course we have to speak Spanish, which is actually going really well. We asked for directions, took the metro for Japanese food, shopped, and exchanged currency, all in Spanish with not too much difficulty. It takes a lot of concentration though to listen and interpret, so it tires me out. I'm sure it will get easier the longer I am immersed in it. Tomorrow we take a bus tour and explore Madrid a little more. I am on the hotel computer because wireless isn't working, but hopefully it will be fixed so I can use my own computer and set up Skype. I will keep you posted!

Love and miss you lots,

Becca