Madrid

We successfully arrived in Madrid via high-speed train last night. It was a pretty sweet ride. We took a high-speed train from Paris to Nice, but this one was nicer and faster. They checked our tickets before we could get on the platform and again before we got on train. It was nice to not question whether or not we were in the right place for once. Our luggage was run through a metal detector, but we weren't harassed about its weight or the quantity of our liquids and gels. We covered the distance in 2.5 hours (the regular trains take 5+), and it only cost 50 euro. They even passed out headphones and showed Water for Elephants in English. (dumb movie, but it passed the time.)

Our hostel in Madrid is one of the highest-reviewed hostels here -- not sure why. It is generally adequate, but I wouldn't call it the best hostel I've ever stayed in. Maybe it is just a shock to our systems because we've spent the last week in a beautiful Spanish Villa in Sevilla, and now we're back to broken-down ikea furniture and cheap frosted flakes. Those 100K priority club points are burning a hole in my pocket.

Oh, and here's another good conversation:

Me: Wow, look at the moon, it's really cool tonight.

T: Yeah, it is.

Me: Moons are weird.

T: Moons? You mean the moon.

Me: No, I mean all moons, but ours too.

T: What other moons have you seen?

Me: Y'know, jupiter...saturn. I've seen those moons.

T: No you didn't. How?

Me: I've seen them through a looking glass.

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