New things and things I forgot

Well I just got back from a three hour walk around Madrid with Robin. We first simply tried to get used to the area we´re living in, and then took a long walk through El Parque de Madrid. The park is pretty big, and despite the fact that it´s not quite as big as Forrest Park I like it more. First of all, there isn´t a golf course, and second, it just feels more... natural in a way. There is a pretty big pond/lake in the middle where we sat for awhile and watched the sunset with some guys playing drums in the background. I am attempting to take some fun pictures while I am here, and I plan to return on my own at some point with just myself and a camera and see what happens. That was basically the day today, with other random things like seeing Winnie the Pooh on the street and all the artistic cows (for those of you from Chicago, yes, the same ones).

In other news, after going to the bar last night, four people decided to go clubbing afterwards and I decided to come along. What I didn´t realize was that this excursion would keep us out until 7:30 in the morning. I had fun for most of the time, when I wasn´t tearing up from the cigarette smoke. It was amusing to watch the Spanish guys keep coming over to try and pick up the American girls. Some of them had more success than others, and at least one clearly did not understand the word no (it´s the same in Spanish and English, so no excuses). Despite that, we had a good time. Afterwards, we went to a little cafe in Sol that is open for 24 hrs a day and serves only churros and melted chocolate, which was excellent. If any of you visit Spain, I highly recommend it. It puts the churros in the High School cafeteria to shame (not hard to do I admit, but it´s my only point of reference).

All right, it´s time to go pack for tomorrow´s train ride to Barcelona. More updates to come afterwards.