After 2h48 minutes to Toronto, 1h30 to Halifax, 5h30 to Gatwick 2h5 to Madrid and layover time, I arrived! The worst airport was Toronto - I had to walk 15 minutes to find something besides Tim Horton's to eat. I eventually had the best fries too - once cooked they were tossed in olive oil, rosemary and sea salt! Gatwick seemed like the most fun - the beer was flowing and the bar was packed at 10 am!
I had excellent bus directions from the hostel so after landing and collecting my luggage, in 20 minutes I was unpacking at the hostel. After, I wandered a bit and saw the Plaza de la Cibeles which is a conglomeration of neo-classical buildings including the Bank of Spain, Palacio de Buenavista, Palacio de Recoletos, the Palacio de Prado and City Hall. With its fountains, this building has become the symbolic image of Madrid-
Eventually I found a small square where I enjoyed a glass of Rioja, which is from a wine region in Spain as well as a tapa of jamón ibérica and cheese. It was delicious but that little piece of dried up bread and salted ham so thin it only had one side cost $12-
Across the street was a jabón ibérica shop-
The front or hind leg of the pig is kept in salt water for 10 days, then hung to dry for 3 or 4 years. It's really prosciutto but that's an Italian word so you won't be seeing that here.
I'm a bit tired - there's an 8 hour time difference so I'm off to bed. Nico and Andi were super excited to welcome Dad home from Hanley. They really miss him when he's away-
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