toto, i don't think we're in kansas anymore...

So, first things first. We've all arrived safely in Madrid, and after some interesting maneuvering of the streets of Madrid, we finally got to our hotel. I say, some interesting maneuvering because we were given some incorrect directions by the people making our hotel reservations. The hotel building WAS NOT right across the street from a metro station bearing the same name. Rather, it was a couple of blocks down. And by down , mean slightly uphill. with three girls with two huge suitcases each plus carry ons and an electric violin (just to liven things up...). So to get there, we asked a nun who then argued with another older lady who then asked the metro police who pointed around a corner and laughed as we tried to get our 6 bags, 3 carry ons, and electric violin up 2 flights of stairs. From there, we walked and chose to ignore the drivers laughing at us from their cars, and ask a newspaper stand owner how to get there. Well, we crossed the street at the wrong crosswalk, and so we missed the hotel, and received advice from a young woman, an old man, and a taxi driver to tell us to cross again and go back half a block. 

So, long story short, we are now in a land where our hotel door keys turn on lights, and you have to open elevator doors with handles. 

no, toto, we're not in kansas anymore. (no, christina, that was really not meant to be a kansas joke at all.)