Today has been a super busy day… once we got our lazy butts out of bed. I slept for a glorious 12 hours last night, which was much needed, but meant that we didn't even leave the hotel until 11:30 this morning. First we headed to the Plaza de Cibeles with the plan of a nice Spanish brunch on the way. It seems as though breakfast here mostly consists of pastries, and that just did not sound good on an empty stomach. So instead we opted for good ole Starbucks w...

After our quick freshing up, we hit the ground running. The itinerary for the morning was to head to Atocha station to schedule our departure for Barcelona Sunday and then trek to Retiro Park, or so we thought. Today Jayne and I learned that contrary to popular opinion, not all roads lead to Retiro Park. Despite numerous map checkings and consultations from the locals, we ended up walking the wrong way multiple times. Upon realizing we had headed the exa...

We have made it safely to Madrid! Our flight landed on time, despite some delays taking off (apparently the airline WAAAAY overbooked). Each of us had our own personal entertainment system which I plan to use much more on the way home. After taking my Tylenol PM before we even taxied away from the gate, I easily slept on and off through The Princess and the Frog, a movie I have seen far too many times to count. There were two options for dinner: the first was a...

We have officially finished Phase 1 of our journey to Spain! Together again at Dulles International Airport, this dynamic duo now has a deep understanding of the airport layout and "shuttle" system. We have been fed, our thirst has been quenched, and our legs have been adequately stretched in preparation for the hop across the pond. As is typical Sam and Jayne fashion, half of Gate D21 has been turned into our own personal office space as we prepare to turn mon...

Tomorrow morning I am leaving for Spain. It would be nice to say that I spent my day preparing for the big trip, but that would be a lie. Most of my packing has been done since Friday, and the little that was left I finished last night. What can I say? I'm a nerd. Instead, today was spent getting my toenails painted and eyebrows waxed, going to the gym and watching movies. Just now, as I was getting ready for bed, I put some last minute items together to cram i...