Hola from Madrid!

We´re here! And everything worked out with the flights and baggage. We arrived safe and sound and gave a little cheer when our backpacks plopped down on the luggage belt unscathed. Our hostel is nice and quiet, and the people are friendly. We´ve already met folks from Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, and northen Spain. Last night after we checked into our hostel we walked around the main square (Plaza Mayor) near our hostel and sat outside at a cafe and enjoyed some local fare. We tried paella, a local rice/stew dish. It was quite yummy!

Today we walked around all of the historic sites in the city. We got to see the Palace Real (Royal Palace) and the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena. The cathedral was cool because the tilework and stained glass was definitely more Spanish looking than a lot of the cathedrals we are used to seeing. We also walked through the gardens next to the palace, and stopped at an Egyptian temple that is set up on a hill looking out over the city. It was donated to the city by Egypt as a gift. After grabbing a quick lunch, we walked through a market full of street vendors selling jewelry, hand crafted nicknacks, clothes, scarves, and our new favorite- genie pants! They are actually really popular hear and you see girls wearing them around the city.

We are taking a little siesta before heading out tonight. Madrid stays up late! Last night we were so tired from our travels we crashed early, but tonight we are excited to try some ''tapas'' and sangria!

We love you all and miss home, but are so excited to finally be here. I don´t think it has quite hit us yet. Madrid is definitely a European city and the architecture of the old buildings is beautiful, but there are times when it can feel a little like America. It´ll be fun to see some more cities in the next few days.

Next we head to Lisbon, Portugal. Hasta luego!

Christie, Tricia & Nicole