Stop Numero Uno: Spain

It was the layover of a life time in the beautiful city of Madrid. The two girls I was traveling with (from my CSU program) and I spent a jam packed 17 hours in the streets, snapping photos and smiling upwards. The delerium of spending a full day and night with out fresh air filled us as we wandered the skinny cobble stone streets and sipped cafe con leche in the afternoon sun to keep our blod shot eyes open. The street signs were painted on porcelain plaques at every corner, adding to the ambiance of century-old facades, ranging from rustic pink to a refreshing white, all decorated with beautiful black iron detail. I hate to say it, but Madrid makes San Fransisco look shabby. The one way streets were immaculate and free of homeless...at least in Sol, where we roamed for the first few hours. It is also home to the absolutely and positively most posh palace I've ever seen. It as well worth the 3 Euros and epic dressing room alone. I strained my neck for 45 minutes to stare at the ceiling that had been molded to replicate some gorgeous foreign jungle. The entire room was alive with intricate designs on everything from the swirling marble floor, up the flowery wall paper to the by far most incredibly alive ceiling I've ever seen. I wanted to take pictures but the stern security carried a gun and I wasn't interested in testing his patience. We continued our adventures with a long walk through the park, visiting the conservatory for the King's birds and the only statue of Diablo himself. And I must say, that guy's got nice thighs.
As the sun set, we stumbled in to the train station that housed a steamy botanical garden and finished the night with beers in lucsious little bar. At this point I hadn't slept but I had visited 3 airports, took 2 trains and had my first glorious experience with with Europe. I guess the city developed a crush on me because the customs officer almost didn't let me leave. We both agreed afterwards that taking your picture two days after you get your wisdom teeth pulled is not a good idea. We laughed and I passed through the-5th-element-meets-little-mermaid-airport once more with the knowledge that my feet would soon be on South African soil...