Day 1: December 25 ... Ho Ho Ho ... I'm so jetlagged

After arriving in Madrid around 1:30 pm, and having only slept 2 hours during the transatlantic flight (if that!), I was in serious need of sleep.  I remember being conscious enough to know that my mental capacities and ability to think quickly were compromised ... at a time when I most needed to pay attention to my bags, where to extract euros, the details of which trains and transfers would most efficiently get me to .... a bed!

At the airport I purchased a 5-day tourist pass that enables me to use all public transport networks in Madrid; this will indeed come in handy.

Then, I navigated my way using the trains (RENFE) from the airport (Barajas) to the location of my first accommodation:  Calle del Casino 16, 3A.

It bears mentioning that, as is so often the case in older buildings, this one is a walk-up.  If there was any question regarding my battery depletion prior to arrival at my new, albeit temporary, home, there was certainly little doubt after I laboriously dragged my heavy bag and backpack up 4 steep flights of stairs like a pack mule.  And, there must have been a light switch that one activates somehow, but it was a mystery to me, so I climbed in relative darkness.

Time to catch my breath.

The property manager, all smiles and accommodating, was here to greet me and to provide a quick run-through of house rules and services, among them, how to turn on the hot water and the heat, where to find extra sheets and towels, etc.

Here's the kitchen with a washing machine that will come in handy before I embark on the next leg of this journey on Dec-30 (destination Granada).

And the bedroom.

Not a bad airbnb choice!

As I was not sure whether there would be many restaurants open here on Christmas Day, I planned ahead and packed some provisions.  I prepared a quick pasta and then .... I crashed for 4 hours.

And that's how I spent my first day in Spain.

Tomorrow, I will strike out to find a tapas restaurant for lunch in a nearby neighbourhood called La Latina, and I booked a flamenco event/dinner in the evening.  Stay tuned.