My mom, aunt and I set off at 6 this morning from my place in Abu Dhabi to start our travels. We made it to the airport without incident and all was surprisingly smooth for our flight to Amman on Royal Jordanian.
After a short flight, we arrived in Jordan for a short layover. As soon as we stepped out of the plane I was loving the weather’s lack of humidity and a light breeze! We finished our flight to Madrid without a single story to tell.
Getting through the airport in Madrid was the easiest I’ve ever had so far in my travels. The only part that took time was exchanging money from dirhams to euros, especially since I am packed for the next six weeks in a carry-on size backpack.
Out of the airport and no customs check, we headed for the taxi stand and were on our way to the city. My Spanish skills were slow to kick in when the cabbie started explaining that there was going to be a lot of traffic in that area. Still, we managed alright and easily found our hotel – Best Western Carlos V.
Once settled I inquired about getting a SIM card for my iPhone so I could call an acquaintance whom I was introduced to by someone I met briefly in the Lima airport a couple of years ago. We went to the shopping area near us – Puerta del Sol – where I got a Mas Movil card for 20€ that comes with a 20€ charge using my language skills to the fullest! While my mom and aunt shopped I called Claudia and we agreed to meet an hour later.
Of course in typical Peruvian style (perhaps also Spanish style), she and her 3 friends were 40 minutes late. But, we went to dinner and explored the city a bit together. They speak enough English to communicate with my family and I got to use my Spanish. We will meet them again in the evening tomorrow.
This is Zero Kilometre – equidistant point in Spain. Pretty cool!
Some famous statue in the city to remember what the place was like before civilization took over.
So far I’m loving the city and looking forward to seeing more!
More pics to follow and more to come tomorrow.
– T
Sent from my iPhone
