Here We Go

by annie

We were standing at the counter in JFK airport, staring blankly at the Swiss Air rep. "We´re closed" she said. "You´re too late to board." Our flight to Madrid was scheduled to leave at 9:55pm and we had arrived at 9. Apparently the subway ride was twice as long as we thought.

"They´re boarding your flight now, you´re too late" she repeated.

A few shocking seconds passed before she told us that she was joking. "You should have seen your faces" she said. We weren´t laughing.

The next lady at the kiosk made sure we understood exactly how late we were, treating us as if we were much younger than we actually are. She succeeded in significantly raising my anxiety level, repeating that the counter was closing and that the plane had already started boarding. We rushed through security, only to find that boarding hadn´t actually started. The plane itself was also late.

We arrived in Madrid, pleasantly surprised by the ease in which we could navigate the subway system (especially compared to our time in NY). We met our friend, Ben, in Lavapies and walked through the cobbled streets to his apartment, where we joyfully unloaded our heavy packs.

We ate wonderful Indian food and walked around Madrid for a few hours, stopping at the Plaza Mayor and the Palacio Real. Ben took us to a word-of-mouth hang-out, an illegitimate business tucked on a cobled street, behind a partially closed gate and a knowing knock on the door. It´s a community of young people, who jam together, sing flamenco and monitor the curtained bathroom to make sure nobody walks in on somebody else (like I did, unaware of the warning yells- "occupado! occupado!"). It was an amazing place, and we heard fantastic music while drinking fresh mint tea and beer.

By this point we had stayed up long enough to sleep during the Spanish night, and so we did. Today in the streets of Spain, we relish in the warm sun and our freedom.


Palacio Real

Lavapies

Brooklyn and Manhattan

by Brian

We only had 2.5 days to spend in New York. Our quick trip consisted largely trying to see a few of the sites while running errands and seeing old friends and relatives. We were very lucky to have a generous and cordial host for our first couch surfing experience. Lenny had a comfortable (though squeaky) airmattress set up for us and ready to crash into once we arrived at his Brooklyn apartment. We really liked his neighborhood and quickly found a nearby cafe where we ate breakfast both mornings.

A friend of Annie´s- Brian- showed us around a little and took us out to eat at a great Thai restaurant then out for frozen yogurt. Evidently, no matter what the temperature in New York, people enjoy cold deserts.

We bundled up everyday and night as the temp. hovered around 0 degrees Celsius for the duration of our stay.

A few of the highlights were an afternoon walk through Central Park wherein Annie couldn´t resist a ride on the carousel

Later we had really great Indian take out with Annie´s cousin Anna, and her husband David who lived on the east side of Manhattan. They were kind enough to give us a subway map that showed the quickest way to the airport for our flight out the next day.

Before flying out we were able to get down to ground zero and the waterfront before meeting up with Annie´s high school friend Katie and her partner Eleanor for lunch near NYU. I suppose the wait staff had heard about Annie and Katie´s raucous friendship because they stuck us in our own little room right next to the kitchen so the cooks could keep an eye on us.

We had lots of fun in New York and especially in artsy Brooklyn.

New York, New York! by brian

We've made it safely to New York and are now indulging in a lazy morning in Brooklyn. We'll write more later and tell of our time in Central Park, Harlem and other adventures.