What day is it?/Initial Thoughts

Quick explanation of title: I wrote for my school newspaper, the Criterion, and "Incessant Rambling" was the name of my title. That is what you're sure to find. I must admit my writing prowess is much inferior to that of Emily haha but bear with me, I'll try to make it interesting!

Day 1, here goes nothing

Flight: Nothing is odder than flying away from the sun and meeting it again 7 hours later, not to mention being served breakfast 3 hours after dinner. I was ecstatic upon finding my seat in the aisle (personal space!), and the girl next to me didn't get up the entire length of the flight, what a champ. 

Madrid: Madrid is huge. Five million people, I do believe. There is an astronomical difference between the architecture and feel of the outskirts of the city versus the interior. The outskirts are not necessarily "slums", but definitely not the Europe you picture. Lots of tall, brick buildings and even more graffiti, very American-urban feeling. The centro is gorgeous, as I expected. Fountains, government buildings, museums, apartments in shades of beige with the same tall windows and same tiny iron balconies. No skyscrapers. 

Hotel: It felt wonderful to finally settle into our (petite) room at Hotel Regina. The room is, well, quaint. The decor is straight out of the 70s, with gold tapestry-like comforters and silky sage green curtains. The bathroom, strangely enough, feels super modern until you note that there's no screen on the window. The window overlooks a "courtyard," which is comparable in size to an elevator shaft and resonates sound like mad, making everyone's conversation heard. 6 inch voices, people!