I HAVE MADEEE ITTTTTT My flight began pretty well. I successfully put my luggage in the overhead bin BY MYSELF. No tall person had to assist me, no luggage Tetris was played. #winning

I landed this morning around 9, which is about 3am Miami time. Madrid is 6 hours ahead. It was an 8 and a half hour flight, with one weird in flight movie and another one starring Joseph Gordon Levitt as a bike messenger. So it was 8 and a half hours of going in and out of sleep, listening to music, and watching Joseph Gordon Levitt. Not bad.

I was awake for both in-flight meals which surprised me a bit. The flight attendant handing them out got flustered and forgot the Spanish word for beef. Our choices were beef or pasta, I had the pasta and it actually wasn’t so bad. I still ate half of my Publix sub though. Anyway, she forgot how to say carne and a passenger helped her. Then she continued to go around saying carne as if she was saying car and neigh (the horse sound). But hey, kudos to her for trying.

The man who picked me up from the airport and took me to my apartment was very nice. His name is Pedro Moreno. He told me that I’m in the center of Madrid, in downtown, and that the street I live on is pedestrian only. I met the property manager, she’s also in the apartment with us. Technically it’s an apartment but a better way to grasp this is to think of this apartment as a dorm floor. Each room is rented individually and there is a shared bathroom, kitchen, and living area. My apartment mates arrive tomorrow. There’s a 5th! He comes tomorrow with one other, and the other three arrive on the first. 

After unpacking and napping (hey, I have to adapt to the siesta lifestyle), I wandered around the area for a bit to get a grasp for my surroundings and to locate a supermarket. The street over is a HUGE shopping street and also pedestrian only, comparable to Lincoln Road but smaller in size. It took me a good 45 minutes to find a supermarket. It’s in the basement level of this department store, El Corte Ingles. That’s like placing a Publix in Macy’s! I never would’ve found it so I’m happy I asked a receptionist at a nearby hotel.

Things I found before locating the supermarket:

~ 3 Starbucks

~ the chocolate/churro/yummy dessert place down the street

~ 2 record stores, shout out to those nostalgic for vinyl

~ a frozen yogurt place, AND a gelato place

~ Zara, Mango, H&M (the motherland), and Desigual

~ A movie theater

Things I stumbled upon after locating the supermarket:

~ Topshop

~ Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol translates to Gate of the Sun and it’s a popular square in the center of Madrid. The name comes from the gates that used to enclose the city. I didn’t wander around it too much as this whole day was a little overwhelming. But it’s literally a 10 minute simple walk from the apartment. I truly am living in the heart of Madrid.

Tomorrow two of my apartment mates arrive. Maybe they’ll want to check out the square a little more. Plaza Mayor is a little further past it and I’m excited to see what it looks like in real life!