The first two days in Spain

We arrived to Madrid Bajaras Airport after 6 hours in the hands of first SAS and then Lufthansa connecting via Dïusseldorf. We arrived to clear skies and 35° C.
After being hustled by a very local taxi driver we got accommodation at a very central hotel. So central in fact that we were neighbour to the main activities of the annual Euro Pride (gay parade). We felt suddenly very alone…
After grabbing a bite to eat we escaped through the crowded streets of Madrid to our hotel and tried to get a couple of hours of sleep before we had to catch our flight this morning at 8 o’clock.

We got up at 5.30 and took a cab to the airport, which surprisingly cost half of what we paid the night before (for all you considering going Madrid, a cab ride from the airport to ‘El Centro de Madrid’ shouldn’t cost more than 35€). Arriving at the airport we had our first encounter with Spanish efficiency… Absolute chaos. The terminal was overly crowded with people waiting to check-in. It took us 75 minutes to get to the check-in counter, which left us with 20 minutes for boarding. We ran, and after Jakob had to strip down in security we arrived at the gate 5 minutes before closing. From this we concluded that Jakob is actually pretty good at stripping. Or fast anyways.

We landed in Malaga at 9.30 and took the shuttle bus to the main bus station. After a small meal we boarded the bus for Granada where we arrived at 2 o’clock. The bus ride from Malaga to Granada led us along farms with endless rows of olive trees, mustard fields and over the outskirts of the impressive Sierra Nevada mountains. From the bus station in Granada we headed off towards the centre of the city to collect the keys for our apartment. No problems there. Arriving at our final destination, we were quartered in a private apartment with two Spanish guys. To our big surprise not in separate rooms as agreed with the agency, but together sharing one room (with single beds). ‘Euro Pride’ was suddenly very close again… We will discuss this with the agency tomorrow.

After unpacking we decided to get view of the city, and a bit of sun on the pale white skin. First stop was a ‘Café con Leche’ (Coffee with milk) at one of the city many plaza’s. Studying the map supplied to us by the agency, we found a public swimming pool, and decided that the app. 40° C called for an investigation of this finding. Without much ado we quickly decided to buy a 10-trip punch card to the pool, and headed back onto the small streets saving the experience of the refreshing pool water to another day. On our way to dinner, we stopped by a catholic church and were lucky to participate in the afternoon mass. Quite an interesting experience.

By the way: The big summer sale apparently began today lasting July out - Bad for the economy, but good for the wardrobe.

We are heading off to bed in a couple of minutes. We have our first lessons tomorrow morning at 8.40. Two days filled with travelling, homosexuals, cab drivers and flat-sharing have passed and we are now looking forward to learning some Spanish.

Jakob|Kasper