Madrid?

So its been a little while since I have been able to update. I flew from Hartsfield Jackson to Frankfurt, Germany. We had a 2 hour layover to explore Frankfurt and flew from Frankfurt to Madrid, Spain. Although the plane ride was somewhat uncomfortable for a taller guy like myself, I can't complain when I am ending up in a foreign country.

We stayed in Madrid from Wednesday until Saturday morning/afternoon. I have been to Europe before, but a Spanish county isn't anything like I have seen before. You always have the idea in the back of your mind that everything will be different but until you get there, really its not. Everything is in Spanish (obviously). Everyone speaks almost exclusively Spanish which is sometimes difficult. I can see how the G.I. (story on that later) easily could have gotten frustrated with the language barrier of a German soldier.

The city of Madrid itself is beautiful. There are hundreds of people on the sidewalks and in the plazas. During the day the Plaza del Sol contains a few street performers. They range from Dulcimer players, to headless cowboys. My favorite were the statue people. As an unexperienced American traveler I made the mistake of taking a picture of a G.I. Joe. He was a human statue and posed for me. After I took the picture I walked off and got harassed by a G.I. Joe that couldn't have been bigger than 5'5". You're supposed to give them money. "No Tengo Moneda"

The nightlife in Spain is completely different than the United States. Discotecas stay open until 6 in the morning. There are a few really exclusive dance clubs in Spain including one called Joi. The professional attire wearing bouncers were not letting people in if they had tennis shoes on. We were given free passes by a man we met in line to go but cover normally is 16 euro which is around 20 to 22 American. If you get hot from dancing "una cervesa es nueve euros." 9 Euro's for a Single beer. The place was actually pretty cool, there was a VIP area that served champagne with fireworks shooting out of it. It's a converted Theatre so it has 3 levels to dance on.

I decided to adventure by myself one of the days to go visit the enormous parks they have. I took the Metro for the first time in Spain. I've taken the metro in Austria but not in Spain. I made it there fine but coming back I got lost. I walked around Madrid for an hour and a half (after I had walked for 3 hours around the parks and museums and parks) to find my way home. My Spanish improved after that day because of asking for directions.

We took a bus to Valencia yesterday and met a few of the Spanish students. It's a bit intimidating right now, not only because of being in a different country but the language barrier is the most intimidating part. If I didn't have the American's (which are among the best people to travel with bar-none) on the program I think I would be completely lost. For the most part we are all on the same level and can have a basic Spanish conversation.

We have orientation for school tomorrow and we have to meet in the lobby at 7:30 tomorrow morning. If you're up at 1:30 tonight in the States, I will be on my way to school. I have no idea what to expect but hope my classes are top notch.

We toured the city this morning and because it is Sunday most of the shops are closed. I ventured around the dorms and found a small weight room. They actually have a few decent spin bikes which makes me more than happy to be able to train for the summer. I am able to run and bike through the city.

- Sean