Conclusions of a first day in Madrid

Wed, March 15 - Since I don't have a permanent internet connection, I am doing most of my blogging offline, hoping to connect at some point and upload everything in one shot. I'll add at the beginning the actual time I wrote for any off-line entry.

I spent most of the afternoon recovering from jet lag (i.e. I slept). In the evening I met with Angelitush and her son, and we went to dinner. Funny thing is, this is the same place she took me to eat when I visited 3 years ago! And her plans for this weekend were also very similar to what I remember from my last outing in this city... lol.

Angela's apartment is within walking distance of the Prado Museum and many cool spots. I guess it's the equivalent of living in the Village in NYC. Tiny little place, but very picturesque. I can soon start to visit all the museums and local flavor. Although traveling alone definitely gives things less flavor, I find myself to be less willing to try new things. Ah well.

I finally started to take some pictures.

First impressions: it's a big city, Spain's capital. There is a feeling from the locals that they are not quite part of Europe; they are a southern country, sister in culture to Italy, and with all the quirks that come with it: long days (work hours are easily 9am through 6pm or past that) with late nights (nightlife doesn't *start* until 12am, some clubs won't even open before 2am! Dinner is often around 9pm.) and a general messiness with politics and bureaucracy. Although this seems to be particular to the southern side. A friend of Angela's is from northern Spain, and was exasperated by the driving conditions and the lack of culture in this city. And yet, everything is pretty clean. Narrow streets, lots of traffic, but also lots of gorgeous monuments and buildings. Every corner is fascinating.

I still need to hunt for a wi-fi spot. Paying €1.20 for 40 mins of internet connection in a basement nearby is silly. jiwire.com and wi-fihotspotlist.com had some listings, but actually finding the place is a whole other thing!