Showing posts with label Madrid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madrid. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Madrid Dia Uno

Lessons learned:

Do not, after spending an entire day moving all your worldly possessions TWICE, do NOT try and save money on a hotel by picking one an hour walk from the metro.

Do not attempt to use a wheely suitcase...without wheels.

Do not, after getting a better suitcase, throw out the broken suitcase without checking that you've taken everything out of it.  You might be missing something important.  Like your goddamn passport.

Sitting in the middle of the middle row of seats on a 7 hour flight SUCKS.

Related: If you find yourself in that situation, take TWO tylenol PMs.  Because unconsciousness makes everything better.

But I'm here.  I'm jetlagged, a little sick and a lot confused, but I'm here.  It's a really beautiful city.  Things that surprised me were how different the city looks from anything I've encountered before.  It definitely has an old feel, with narrow streets and cobblestones and all that retro crap.  Also, people in Madrid either don't speak English or don't want to speak English, so you either gesture frantically or spout broken Spanish at them.  Or both.  It's both for me.

I ordered something called a tosta which I can't even really describe.  It's essentially toast, smeared with sauce and covered with something.  In this case, a big heaping slab of cured ham.

Oh, one more lesson: Asking for tylenol will get you a confused look.  Asking for "Tee-len-ol" will get you what you want.  

Work with me, Spain, come on.

Esta cambiando

I'm still bad at blogging.  But this time I have an excuse.  Well, four excuses.

Number one: My job ended.  Well, I guess I ended my job.  I hate to say "I quit my job" because that implies a sort of romanticism that just isn't there.  I'm not riding off into the sunset.  Unless that sun in setting in Baltimore and involves a $60,000 debt.

Number two: I moved out of my house.  Nothing too exciting there, just kind of weird to think how quickly everything moves in life.

Number three: I signed a lease on a house in Baltimore.  It's not great.  I might even have been able to do better, but honestly, having everything set up and just being able to move in and start school...kind of worth it to me.

Number four: I'm in Madrid.

Que sopresa, eh? Aqui estas, leyendo mi blog y BAM! Este esta escrito en Espana!

So, for the next month or so I'm going to be updating about my trip.  Because, honestly, there aren't enough travel blogs in the world.  For that matter, there's not enough writer blogs in the world.  For that matter, there's not enough politically motivated soapboxy exhortation blogs in the world.

I'm like a pioneer of cliche.

Hasta luego!