Friday night at 730pm, I left New York for Madrid. Unfortunately, I was traveling without Marianne. She was feeling under the weather and could not travel. So I took on the streets of Madrid, all by myself.

The plane to Madrid was a different type of 777. This time I was on a 777-200. It holds 37 passengers in Business Class and 236 passengers in Economy. Nine flight attendants work this flight. This aircraft has 4 crew bunk beds. It felt like they put bunk beds in a closet. I must admit even though I felt like I was in a closet, I sure had a great 2 hour nap.

We arrived in Madrid around 830am. Our bus ride from the airport to our hotel was only 20 minutes. The concierge at the hotel helped me come up with a game plan to venture out and see the cultural and historical treasures of Madrid.

Madrid is the capital of Spain and also the largest City of Spain. It has amazing architecture that I enjoyed seeing.

PUERTA DEL SOL

I spent the day at Puerto del Sol. One of the city’s most famous sites. It is a bustling square located in the center of Madrid. I had to walk down this hill to get into the heart of Puerta del Sol.

Lots of people walking around and sitting in cafes. An interesting fact is the square has 10 important streets that converge here. It was fun to walk up and down the different streets.

THE BEAR AND THE STRAWBERRY BUSH

The statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Bush is in the center of Puerta del Sol. This sweet toothed bear searching for snacks has been a symbol for Madrid for decades. The female bear symbolized the fertile soil of Madrid and the tree symbolized the aristocracy.

After many hours of exploring Puerta del Sol, I had to head back to my hotel early because they were blocking off the streets in front of my hotel. For all you soccer fans, my hotel was 2 blocks for the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium , which is home of the Real Madrid soccer team. Real Madrid was playing that night against their local competition Atletico Madrid. You can just imagine the excitement in the air. The stadium holds 80,000 people and I think most of them stopped in at our hotel to have a cocktail before the game.

So much more to do and see in Madrid! Next layover will definitely be with my partner. Traveling is not the same without Marianne. She was missed tremendously.

VIVA LA VIDA

( LONG LIVE LIFE)

I will be flying my next trip on Saturday, March 4 to Buenos Aires, Argentina.