It’s a new day and another continent! My original plan was to chase down Budapest and Vienna, but with my fat fingers syndrome (FFS) still raging since the New Year’s Eve dinner in Belgium, I detour to warmer climates in the hopes that the inflammation will subside if I can avoid the really cold parts of Europe. So Madrid it is.

Barajas International Airport is not sparkling new like the one in Barcelona, but it is just as efficient. In fact, as I will come to realize in the next few days, Spain’s public transportation is quite fabulous. Especially by train.

From the airport I hop a few metro stops then walk a couple of blocks to my hotel, a large business hotel located by the famed Retiro Park:

The sun is out, and it is definitely warmer than Belgium. I’m going to see if I can grab a bocadillo somewhere for a quick late lunch, and then let’s go check out Madrid!