Fall in Madrid

---

After a long night with frequent delays due to weather up and down the US East Coast, we arrived safely in Madrid about 2 hours behind schedule. Our plane was probably the smallest plane we have ever flown on an international flight a 757 configured 3 & 3. However, we all had aisle seats and after a quick dinner we all fell asleep for 4 or 5 hours before awakening at noon Spain time which is 6 AM East Coast time. We landed around 1:30 and went straight to our hotel. Hotel Europa is a beautiful small hotel right on one of the busiest squares in Madrid. Right outside the door our lots of sidewalk cafes, shops and restaurants. The weather is beautiful ... about 70 by day and in the 50´s at night but near 40 by morning. We went for a long walk to an Eqyptian Temple built in 1909 in a park overlooking much of Madrid. Then we walked to the Royal Palace which is surrounded by beautiful gardens filled with unique scupltures. I will try and post a few pictures for you to see. We walked all over the grounds, watched some street performers and then went out for dinner. After finding the Mediteranean restaurant we wanted to go to hopelessly booked, we did what most people do in Madrid for dinner .. we went to an Italian restaurant. The food was very good and we alleviated our guilt by vowing to find a spanish restaurant to eat in when we get to Italy. After the obligatory Ice Cream stop at that wonderful Spanish institution .. Ben and Jerrys, we came back to the hotel to turn in at an unbelievable 12:00 midnight. At least we are assured of being time adjusted tomorrow.

Our impressions of Madrid so far ... it is a very nice city. We found it clean, vibrant and filled with people. The stores and sidewalks were as crowded as the week before Christmas. Wide streets and beautiful buildings are all over the place. It is amazingly alive. The streets are filled with people outside the hotel lobby where I am sitting and it is coming up on 1 am. Definitely a late night partying kind of place. We went into or past alot of stores Lindsey would love filled with every one of her favorite labels. I forgot a sweatshirt and ended up buying a Bomerang brand but Renee pointed out as we walked through the store that there were lots of LaCoste sweatshirts that Robbie would have purchased in a second.

Well, I´m going to sign off in a minute and check the Florida and Florida State scores once more before bed. Florida was ahead and FSU tied when last I looked. Till tommorrow from Madrid .......Larry

---