Viva Espana!!!

Family,

And a good evening to you from across the Pond! Greetings from Espana, where I’m currently settled into the Westin Palace in Madrid (or Mad City, as they say here). This hotel is beautiful (I’ll take some pics to post this weekend, but the next 5 days will be sans photos, as I’m gonna have to blog off my work PC), and the location is unbeatable. It’s on the same street as the office, and it’s wedged between the Prado and the Thyssen art museums (with the other big one – Reina Sofia – just down the street. It’s also right beside Retiro Park, where I MIGHT try to go for a jog.

There’s good news on that front – I ran for 20 minutes without stopping on Friday! I ran 3 times last week and biked once, and I had virtually ZERO foot pain the entire time. I’m still going to make an appointment when I go home, but it honestly appears that, the faster I run, the more it’s like an “actual stride” and therefore hurts little to none. So fingers crossed! Miller – we might have to give it a dance at some point this week.

Last night was a BLAST. After the blog, Dann and Karin taught us a new card game – Hand and Foot. Bob and Jan – prepare yourselves! This is going to give “Oh Hell!” a run for it’s money as to the most played game come Christmas week. And don’t worry pumpkin – I promise we’ll be on the same team next time. No more peeking from me!

For those of you who don’t know the game (as I didn’t until last night) – it’s HILARIOUS. Point swings are in the thousands, it’s played with 4 decks, the red 3’s are worth NEGATIVE 1 thousand points…it’s GREAT. Every couple who comes to visit us – this is now on your itinerary. Consider this fair notice.

Today was a great (even if short) day with Dann, Karin, and Muffin Puffin. We hit this new placed called Hummus Brothers, and it was AMAZING. Hummus is used as the base of the dish, and then they fill it with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and other spices. You talk about QUALITY – I was a HUGE fan.

After that, Dann and Karin introduced us to Clark’s (a shoe manufacturer), and we’re now FANS FOR LIFE! Jenny got a cute leather purse (so I’ve now finally made good on her 3 year anniversary present), and we saw some really nice (and comfy) shoes that were recently priced. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound exciting. However, I might actually buy some “cool, smart casual” sneakers for a change (not that the Brooks and Saucony’s don’t currently rock the party that rocks the piñata).

After that it was off to Paddington Station, where I said buy to everyone and hopped the Heathrow Express to the airport. Honestly, it’s ALWAYS tough to leave Jenny, but this was the worst episode ever. I did NOT want to get on that train. But I’ll be home soon!

Okay, tomorrow starts two weeks worth of meetings, most of which this week will be largely in Spanish. My brain will hurt by the time I get on that plane Friday! Time to get a quick bite to eat and then hit the sack.

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. Or, as I should say in Espana: “Esta todas las noticias y annuncios que estan disponible para imprimir”. Hablamos manana!

Love,

(A very lonely) Sam and Jenny