Adios Barcelona and Hola Madrid

This morning we got up and got packing. We caught the 11:00 high speed train to Madrid. Everything went surprisingly well! You never really know how a travel day is going to go. We’ve had some very smooth ones, and we’ve had a few rocky ones.

We had to take 2 cabs to the airport. Between the luggage and the people, there was no way we were fitting in one. James, Justin, and I rode together, and mom and Sam took a separate cab. My mom kept saying, “I don’t know how y’all did this with just the 2 of y’all!” Maybe I’m just used to it. We are very organized. We consolidate everything to make it as easy as possible, and we just do it. We are used to the haul, but there is definitely a method to the madness. If you are to used to it, it can be a little bit overwhelming.

James did unbelievable well in the train. I was afraid that he was going to freak out like he did in the plane. He even got upset in a cab the other day. We didn’t even tell him that he was going on a train. I didn’t want to set him off.

We got the “first class seats,” which were very nice. There was a table with 4 seats around them. James sat on my lap, and we had plenty of room. The seats came with drinks and a snack. Justin and Sam had Cava, and my mom had a liquor that seemed like the Spanish version of Bailey’s. We played many rounds of the card game “fan tan” thanks to Nanny Sam who always seems to have everything that we need. Of course Justin won the majority of the games, which drove my mom nuts.

James fell asleep in the baby carried as we were getting off the train and slept during the cab ride to the apartment. Our apartment is in a great area of Madrid (or so Justin told me). There is a grocery and market directly across the street. Convenience is so important when traveling with a baby and can make all the difference.

The apartment itself is fantastic. There are 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The kitchen is very well equipped and there is a big living/dining room.

One thing that I have been very pleased about is that James has adapted very well to all the new places and sleeping situations. That’s always something that I’m worried about. I would think that some kids would have a hard time with that. James runs into each new apartment and says, “we’re home!”

We went to the market across the street and picked up some meats and cheeses to snack on and drank some wine.

Later that afternoon, we wet to the enormous park that they have in Madrid. It’s great. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the apartment. As soon as we got in, we saw the children’s play area. James ran around and had the best time. Sam really enjoyed the playground, too!