Day Numero Uno

Thanks, Sarah, for the pics!! Plaza de Cervantes

Train Station to Madrid

Walk to Civilization

Our First Restaurant (I think adorable pretty much sums up the experience)

Yesterday we got a lot done. We walked to the grocery store and Jenna and I made two trips. We stocked up on food and bought cleaning supplies and a traditional food called roscon. It's kind of like a croissant with fruit and sugar on top. Some are made with a creme filling in the middle, but we opted for the plain Jane. There's a king and a bean in the middle. If you find the king you'll be the richest and the bean means the poorest. I didn't get either so I was relieved. The middle class has always been a favorite of mine.

After the grocery store we headed to el Centro to buy cell phones at a Best Buy-esque store and then to the mall where I bought sheets. It was quite an adventure. Looking back on it I have no idea how we figured it out. There are some random maps with graffiti here and there, but I can't say they're much help. We're kind of in the middle of this open area with a lot of concrete, but downtown Alcala is a happenin' place and el Centro is packed.

We went downton Alcala for the parade for Dia de los Tres Reyes. We caught the end of it. Then we wandered around aimlessly for some time, and ended up bar hopping. The last bar, La Cerveceria, was a lot of fun. We danced - or at least Sarah, Jenna, and I danced. We met a man finishing up his doctorate here named Gustavo. He's from Colombia, but lived in London and speaks English. He walked us to the bus stop, discussed politics with us, and then called to make sure we made it home safely. He also lives on the same street as La Cerveceria and I can only hope we'll be seeing that precious little man again.

When we got home some of the group came and chilled in our room and ate el roscon. Around 4am-ish we were sound asleep.