Day One Culmination

Once again, Hola de Madrid!

Last time I wrote I was just chillen, took a siesta. I was really tired. Damn Jetlag that I've never experienced. I decided to go outside for a walk by myself while my Senora was having a therapy session (she's a therapist, and uses floral essence and fragrance to relax her patients as they discuss their issues). She actually just finished her Masters thesis on the scientific relationship between the smell of certain flowers and the mitigation of PTSD. I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous, but who am I to judge?

The city is really pretty. Lots of little kids around, small streets, packed mini-cars, all that one would expect in the center of a European city. I managed, due to hunger, to find a Burger King (and trust me, I was looking for something a tad more authentic) to grab a bite. 1.70 E for a burger is like 2.50 in the US...damn exchange rate, but it satisfied my hunger.

Upon coming back, we went out again to the Supermercado. Much like peapod, this supermarket delivers groceries after you buy them. Pretty cool. Their bread is much smaller than ours, as is their milk. In fact, milk comes in these tiny containers that have tiny little spouts, like hershey's chocolate bottles. Oh growing food shortages...

We walked back, she told my Spanish was pretty good, which is a good thing. She also speaks English fluently, which is both a plus and a minus. The plus is that she helps me figure out new ways to say things. The minus is that she's originally from Argentina, an english section of Buenos Aires, and has a diverse family, so everybody speaks English, and frankly, I think she prefers it. We got back and I decided to take a jog. Down about 3 blocks is the Calle de la castellana, a long turnpike. Picture Queens Blvd, just cleaner. The city looked gorgeous, really clean, so I ran up and down this granite path and I made sure not to stretch in public. For those of you that don't know, stretching in Spain is a sort of benign taboo, much like sneezing without covering your mouth in the US or anywhere in fact. It's strange. But when in rome...
I got tired after about 20 minutes, head back, took a shower, and am waiting for dinner. More updates tomorrow.