Off we go into the wild blue yonder!

It was good getting on the plane at LAX Sunday morning and leaving the financial meltdown, the heated battle of the presidential campaigns and the relentless 24 hour news cycle of the USA far behind. For the next 8 days I’ll be somewhere else thanks to American miles and Sheraton points and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s good to get away.

''Madrid is a mountain city with a mountain climate. It has the high cloudless Spanish sky that makes the Italian sky seem sentimental and it has air that is actively pleasurable to breathe.'' Hemingway wrote that and he could have been describing the view out of my airplane window as we landed this morning. It reminded me of landing in Denver actually…a city on a flat, dry plane. It’s actually warmer in Madrid in the winter and you don’t have the Rocky Mountains to the West but the look, upon landing, was similar. We had a delay in Florida because of weather so I had been traveling for almost 24 hours when we landed at 10:30 AM Madrid time. I’m excited to be here even though I’m a little groggy after the 8 ½ hour overnight flight from Miami. It’s good to know I can still do a red eye, seated in coach and still get off the plane under my own power (just walking with a slight limp at this point).

First, the fact and figures about Madrid…

Madrid, the capital and largest city in Spain, has a population of around 3.2 million people (5M with the surrounding suburbs) and is located in the interior of the country on the Meseta, a sparsely populated tableland which makes up 40% of the country. Its the plain of Spain that Professor Higgins goes on about in My Fair Lady. By the way, the rain in Spain doesn’t stay mainly in the plain. The wettest part of the country is actually the northern coast. The elevation of Madrid is 2,100 feet and the climate is continental…hot summers…fairly cold winters and it’s dry.

According to the Lonely Planet, “Madrid’s charm revolves around two extremes. This is a refined city known for it’s cultural life. Where else in the world could you find three of the world’s best art galleries – the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen – within a stone’s throw of each other? At the same time, Madrid has become synonymous with having a good time and carousing until all hours.” Now I know why my daughter is here...she’s always been interested in art.

Speaking of Heather, she met me at the airport and it was great to see her again. I haven’t seen here since January and she looks great. When I tell people that I have a daughter that’s teaching English in Spain they get that far away look in their eye and say something like “Wow, wouldn’t that be great”. For those of you who like to live vicariously through others, I’ll be telling you all about the lifestyle of a young English teacher in Spain as we go along.

I’m staying at the Westin Palace Hotel (thank you Starwood) and it’s a beautiful place in the heart of old Madrid close to the Opera House, Retiro Park and not far from Plaza Mayor. The Thyssen is across the street and the Prado and Riena Sofia are right down the block...not a bad location. You can check it out right here (and make sure to click on the photos of the local area): http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=79

After checking in and catching a quick shower, we headed for one of Heather’s private English classes with Laura, a woman at an internet advertising agency called “The 101”. They specialize in website design for companies all over the world and Laura is constantly being called upon to present to and deal with English speaking clients. Laura, like so many people here in Spain is on a crash course to become fluent in the language that is spoken in business meetings and conference calls around the world. Heather is really good at what she does. We did roll playing, dialogs and word exercises. She made it fun and the hour flew by. This private teaching thing looks like a great way to make a living.

I’m now back at the hotel, posting this blog and getting ready for dinner at Botin, http://www.botin.es/, the oldest restaurant in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records and one of Ernest Hemingway’s favorites. In the last pages of ''The Sun Also Rises'', Hemingway said ''Botin is one of the best restaurants in the world''. Sounds good to me. Our reservations are for 10:00. Check back Wednesday for…

o Our dinner with Ernesto.

o A look at where the bulls and matadors play.

o And, just another day at the world’s great art museums.

Hasta la vista!