There is now Here.

Filled to the brim with anticipation! Of course there's always time for kissing.

I feel that we traveled for 2 full days but it's less than 24 hours.  All of the many kiddies on the flight slept like the babes they are and I recommend British Airways to everyone. We are happily ensconced in Hostal Santa Barbara, Madrid.

The restaurant food we have had is delicious, the Pilsner style beer flows and flows, it's near midnight and the cafe tables are full, it's comfortably warm and our floor to ceiling window in our room is wide open.
Locating an inexpensive phone has been an interesting task.  It turns out that, at least in Spain, we should have stopped at a kiosk which is located somewhere in the Metro (subway) at the airport.  I'm inclined to not have a phone at all at this point.

 

madrid fashion

It was easy to buy a 3-day metro pass at the airport and make our way to the correct plaza.  Then the fun began as street addresses are not in sequential order and the few people we asked hadn't heard of this place.  I've overheard only a very small amount of English while we walked around and the part of Madrid we are in is clean and well kept.
Breakfast was a delicious multi-layered sandwich of fried egg, tomatoes, lettuce, and ham that was so large we shared.  With 2 coffees and a water the price was all of 7.25€.

sándwich de huevos

Blue skies, 26 C, and I'm drinking water like crazy.  Today we found the Library Museum which had exhibits on the history of writing implements, books, presses.  Items included feather pens, old typewriters, to an early Apple.  The range of book examples included scratched metal pages.  My crude translations gave me an overview if not the exact detail of what I was 'reading'.
Another exhibit was La Transicíon de Tinta China and had plenty of political cartoons from the Spanish Civil War to late 20th century.  The majority of these took only a knowledge of history to understand.  Political satire is universal.

recatadas damas