First Impressions of Madrid

It took some time, but I'm finally feeling like myself again. There were a number of days that I felt an almost overwhelming urge to go to bed at 4 in the afternoon - which in Madrid, is barely after lunch! The city seems to run on a late schedule. More than once we have heard 7 or 8 pm referred to as 'afternoon'. We were also asked at 10:30 pm one night what our dinner plans were.
Besides the daily schedule, Madrid is quite different from Sydney. The language barrier is obviously a challenge. I've been doing a lot of pointing and gesturing, which has generally been getting the job done. Madrid is a very lively city, even more so than Sydney. Drinks out are much cheaper, which is great - and probably explains why people seem to go out every night of the week! The old buildings are interesting and really pretty. However, the city is not as neat and polished as Sydney or what we're used to in Canada. We went for a walk today past the Royal Palace: it was enormous and incredibly grand, but also grimy. There are lots of dogs around, but 'Madrilenos' seem to have the same attitude about picking up after them as the French, which is that many don't! Jenn