Tuesday in Madrid (Originally Posted 3/10/09)

Well, the kids are off to Paris for today and tomorrow and I'm here in Madrid with my aunt. We're laying low today because her knee has been bothering her.

We got up pretty late so by the time we left the hotel, it was time for lunch. We stopped at a small local restaurante and the food was pretty good.

My aunt can't seem to get used to the fact that bread and butter aren't free with the purchase of the meal! They even charge you for the butter!

Anyway, we walked down some of the major streets and stopped in some of the shops. I've noticed that almost all of the streets not only have street signs on them, there are pictures to describe the signs. Apparently, they were placed on the streets so the illiterates could find there way around. My plan is to take pictures of as many of these signs as I can and make an album of them.

We found a little voo-doo place on one of the streets. I did buy a little saint something or other for my mom. We walked on and back towards the hotel and stopped so I could get some money from the ATM. The lady smoking outside the bank told my aunt and I we should get our money from the ATM inside as there were young boys lurking about (and I had seen a few of them as we walked up to the bank) who were hitting people on the head and running off with their money. We took her advice.

As we were walking towards the Puerta del Sol, another commotion!!! A demonstration against something, we're not sure what but all the news stations were there with tons of police...how exciting!!! We're back at the hotel now so my aunt can rest a bit and tomorrow we plan on traveling to Toledo. Adios a todos mis amigos! Hasta Manana. (Goodbye to all my friends! Until tomorrow.)