Madrid...

at 3:30 am.

It probably isn't the best idea to be writing a blog post at this hour, but I must do as my mother asks! She just returned home from a few days in Stowe to find that neither of us had posted anything. Whoops! Well, Mom, this one is for you!

I have just returned home from an exciting night with many Spanish drinks, dances and men, and now is the perfect time for a post!

Madrid is wonderful. After Vienna, Budapest and Prague I skipped across the continent to Madrid. The word skipping, however, does not do the trip justice. I spent over 33 hours on trains followed by another 2 hours being lost on the metro, before finally putting down my backpack in Madrid. I know the route seems a little crazy, but my friend happened to be in Madrid. Jen, my friend from high school, is visiting a friend from college who is teaching English in Madrid. When I found out she was in Europe I knew I had to meet her. Well, let me tell you, it has definitely be worth the trip!

The first hostel I stayed at was, well, frightening. I emailed my mom to tell her I was safe, but then I locked myself into my room and cried. It was the first place I had ever felt uncomfortable along the trip. Thankfully, I had a room to myself and I knew that I didn't have to leave until the next morning. The instant I checked in I didn't like the place, so I cancelled my other nights and booked a new place. I knew I could get through one night. Luckily for me, Jen called about 20 minutes later and told me to get ready for a night out. Everything is later in Spain. When dinner doesn't begin until 10 pm, the nights are bound to be late. This night was no different. I didn't arrive back to my sketchy hostel until after 7:30 the next morning, just in time to check out!

The weather has been blazing hot and the drinks have been flowing. During the day we tour the city, eat the local food and enjoy the local hangouts. Yesterday we went to the public pool. When Jen mentioned a public pool, the only thing I could imagine was a super chlorinated pool surrounded by a cement slab and a chain link fence. Well, this is not the case in Madrid. The pool is absolutely beautiful. It is surrounded by grass and bathing beauties. Our pool also happened to be the destination for the local homosexual population. It was wonderful! Most of the people in Madrid speak English, so they all loved listening to our conversations, mocking us and chatting about the US. Then, when my Kindle appeared, it was like a steak in a lion's den. They could not get over it! For the number of Kindle's I have sold for Amazon.com throughout this trip, it's amazing they don't hire me!