First week in Spain

It is very hot! The kids are doing well but very confused about how it can be hot when they wake up, all day, and at night! Luckily we found a pool nearby that is lovely and provides a little relief. We have been busy setting up our lives here. Cell phones, bank account, school visit – check! We just have to find a place to live and we will be ready for the year ahead! The metro system here is a public transit loving family’s dream! We can take the metro to every corner of the city! It’s so fast and clean and most importantly, is air conditioned (I’m looking at you NYC).

Our lovely friends, David Buckley and Iñigo Martínez-Solano, have been wonderful to us. They picked us up at the airport and provided a Spanish welcome meal of tortilla, manchego cheese, and salami. David has even given us his house to stay in while we look for a flat. Who does that?? He is staying with his mom so that we can have his whole place. Amazing!

While we haven’t had time to take in the sights yet, looking for housing has brought us to some different neighborhoods in town and it has been fun to see the classic homes in Madrid’s Centro district including the party scene in Chueca, the high end shops in Salamanca, and the small cobblestone streets and literary history of Cortes. The kids have been troopers and their enthusiasm for apartments is highly correlated with the effectiveness of the AC system in each place. Yesterday, after a long day, we got very expensive ice cream at the Palace hotel to escape the heat and relax for a bit. Jett declared it the best ice cream ever and wants to live nearby so he can go every day. He’ll need to get a job if that’s is his plan!