Day 1: June 13 (San Luis Obispo)-June 14 (Madrid)

I'm on the plane to Germany

We were late leaving San Luis Obispo.  We arrived at LAX fifteen minutes late.  John Stenger, Neil’s windsurfing friend, was our pilot.  By the time we checked in with Lufthansa (which was in a far terminal) they had given our tickets to standby passengers.  They got them back for us, however.  We boarded right away. We sat next to a family going to Turkey.  The son had just graduated from UCLA.  His younger brother was about to start at Cal Poly.

Lufthansa in Frankfurt

The flight from LAX to Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) was uneventful.  The connection at the airport was not.  There was a big mix up at the airport.  The connection gates were far apart and the path was blocked due to a bomb scare.  We had to go through EU customs.  Airport workers at information were

surly, but Lufthansa workers were very nice.  They kept the gate open until we got there, apparently having been told at the security check that we were on our way.  We were the last people on the plane before it left for Madrid.

On arrival in Madrid, we took the airporter bus to the train station at Atocha.  The hotel was only a block away, but we wandered a little until we found it.  Neil asked for (in baby Spanish) and got directions from several people.  The hotel, HUSA Paseo del Arte, was across the street from the Reina Sofia Museum.  The key card had to be inserted into a slot in the room in order for the lights to work.  Our first task was to get SIM cards for the cell phones we brought with us to stay in contact in case of separation.  We went to several nearby stores where the front doors were locked and you needed to be buzzed in!  Eventually, we succeeded in figuring out correct phone plan after lots of hand gestures with a non-English speaking clerk.  Trying to deal with jet lag by staying awake, we went to walk in the Park El Retiro next to the Prado museum.  Lots of activity and beautiful structures and landscaping.

Neil in el Retiro Park

We walked back to the square across from our hotel, which fronts the Reina Sofia museum. We had an empanada and beer with ice cream for dessert.  Walking through the square, Neil got attacked by a soccer ball that got away from a group of playing children.

Here is a photo slideshow from today's activities.