Madrid - day 1

For about 2 weeks i will be reporting to you from Spain. Whoever is interested, can keep track of my travel here. I´d also appreciate if you told me in comments how life is going in your lives and respective countries.

What do you suggest was the first thing I noticed yesterday in Barcelona airport, going from one terminal to the other? It was a lonely palm tree, peeking around the corner of the building. There was no more nature, just this one tree, but it was pretty meaningful as palm trees have always symbolised warm countries and pleasant travels for me. Lingered in Barna airport for several hours and flew on to Madrid, where R took me under her protective wing and into the comfort of her home, which is luckily enough not far from the city center. The only sad thing so far is that Nk couldn´t join us:(

Madrid welcomed me with summer heat (33 degrees), dusty roads and lots of construction works. The city is really big but not entirely incomprehensible and not quite as touristic as I feared. As I was walking down some of the smaller and quieter calles of Madrid, sneaking a peek into little cafes where only the locals of that street go, smelling the coffee and something sweet being baked, I remembered why I keep doing this, the travelling. It´s all about variety. However much I love the homey and familiar places, it´s the new emotions and images and people and smells and tastes that tingle my brain and fully re-energize me.

And on a more earthly topic… I don´t know what it is about being abroad but I always really feel like buying stuff. I wanna buy shoes and bags and clothes etc. I´ll be coming back home with a hole in my wallet…and in my credit card. I just hope some of the things will be gifts to my beloved ones and not just new things for my humble self:)

Edit: The night was salsa night. Went to a club where they first teach some salsa and later on everybody just shows off what they can do on the dance floor. Imagine me, three-ways crippled: a beginner in salsa, not understanding Spanish (expect for un, dos tres…) and one arm in cast. But don´t you worry, I wasn´t sobbing in the corner. Spanish guys don´t really care if you don´t understand or if you´ve got a broken arm (un brazo roto)…the legs are fine, that means, you can dance:)