EEC Tour Day 0 - Madrid

Somehow I didn't get to Madrid as fast as I thought I should. I walked out my door at 5:24am with bike and walked down to the car in the city parking lot. I thought I should have been at the airport by 9:30 but after stopping for gas twice it was just after 10am when I pulled up to the rental return. Mike and Bob had been messaging me for an hour. Fortunately I have done the drive to the airport enough times listening and replying to messages on the car UI doesn't make me miss turns any longer.

I crossed the street in to the terminal and as soon as I found an open door I saw them at a restaurant table. I left my bike and ran off to pee. Long drive.

We are all short of sleep even though Mike claims to have slept the entire way in his business class upgrade.

After a walk from T1 to T2, it was one stop Metro to a few blocks from the hotel. They happily checked us in before 11am. Screw you Quality Inn in Fallon, Nevada for making me sit in Taco Bell for 2 hours because checkin is at 3pm. Like the maids finish all the rooms between 2:59 and 3:00.

Will the guys assembled their bikes, I walked the neighborhood. I came around a corner and realized I knew the street. I had stayed at a hotel there before my Camino in 2022.

The plan for the day was fancy lunch. Bob booked us a table at El Paraguas in the posh area of downtown Madrid. The area was nice and the restaurant was excellent. We had the Iberico jamon, a bean stew, some amazing bread - which we ate too much of - and different meats each. Bob consulted with the wine dude so we had a bottle with food and dessert wine with cheesecake.

Back at the hotel we napped.

Later we did venture out into the neighborhood for some beers and sardines. I liked them a lot more than I thought I would.