Travel Day / Night

We booked this trip on February 5th after the difficult decision of where to go was solved by literally spinning the globe lol! First it was Algiers -nope- then Toronto - nope- and finally Portugal! So when booking the flights, we realized that it was a 13 hour layover in Madrid. The airline would not allow an extended layover for a couple days, so we decided to just go to Madrid and figure out the rest from there. So we booked the flights with American Airline miles. This gives us extra legroom and access to the airline lounge in Dallas.

Two days before our flight, we get an email from American that they expect a really bad storm to interfere with flights on Tuesday and Wednesday. So Monday morning we decided to call and change our flight from 12:38 pm to 6:20 am ugh! We didn’t think our 12:38 flight would make it if de-icing all day delayed flights. As it turned out, we either would have been very close or missed the Madrid flight. I got a notice front the airline at 4:54- welcome to DFW when boarding for our Madrid flight started at 4:30!!

Great seats! Not the pods but preferred which at the bulk head was the best! Seats also reclined an extra couple of inches. We both slept 4-5 hours.

Taxi has a standard set rate of 33euros from airport to the city. The boutique hotel we chose is wonderful!

Wonderful little boutique hotel that we booked, is right in the center of all museums, plazas, cathedrals and many, many tourist and local restaurants and shops. We can pretty much walk to all attractions within 2-30 minutes.

We had lunch at our hotel which was really our breakfast after a nap and shower at around 2:30. Jillian called at her regular time (7:45 am EST) and woke us up. Good thing because sleep really felt good at that time. Nice little restaurant with a glass floor. Beneath our chairs you can see the remains of an old city wall from the 12th century! The building was built in mid-late 1800’s.

For brunch, I had eggs and ham (prosciutto) over potatoes which turned out to be fries. Really tasty! Rod had ham croquettes which are very popular here. With a little mustard, he really enjoyed them.

We headed outside to walk the streets around us. No streets are straight but that is to be expected when heading up to Plaza Mayor, a central and very large square. At the center is a large statue of horse and rider. We didn’t take an up close look but will another day. Surrounding the plaza under all the columns are little shops and restaurants….even a shop dedicated to the little ducks jeep owners gift each other!!

Heading back to the hotel we had passed an Irish pub earlier that we decided to stop in for a beer. A young couple from England invited up to sit and visit with them and another young traveler they had just met also from England. Lydia was from Spain so was our temporary translator with the bartender. Josh and Lydia had been classical ballerinas from age 3 and lived away from their families from age 11. They met in Bulgaria while dancing and after several injuries decided to quit and both went to school to become nurses. Both work in the ER. They were in Madrid to meet her brother and celebrate her 30th birthday. It was a very nice little encounter!

We meandered back down our street but decided to have one more bite to eat. It’s 7:15 pm by now. So tapas are the popular thing here and a must do. We had artichoke with ham, shrimp in garlic butter, battered and fried calamari, mixed croquettes-so smooth and creamy! And a spinach omelet with eel. All are very small plates so although it sounds like a lot, it was a good sampling.

It’s been a great first day! Weather is in the 40’s with a slight breeze. So I’m glad I we brought appropriate clothing. Also we have decided to stay her until Sunday. Then head off to Toledo and maybe rent a car and go the coast or take the train somewhere else.

Love to all💕Läs mer