chocolate solves a host of problems

What do you do when you can't get money out of your account because the ATM says something in Spanish about your institution is not permitting the withdrawal, the kids are fighting, and feet are getting tired? Have some chocolate of course! San Ginés is a very famous local place in Madrid to get "Churros con chocolate". They give you a cup of almost pudding thick chocolate and some churros (sitck like donuts) for dipping, and pretty soon kids are getting along and ATM cards are working again (actually we had just run into a 24-hr lockout).
We are looking forward to tomorrow, when we hope to visit the Spanish Royal Palace in Madrid. Also coming up in the week: Spain vs. Denmark (national teams) at the local fútbol stadium and Chris & Isabelle go to the bullfights.

siesta is the besta

We managed to discover Continental Airlines has a secret time machine that will transport you 9 hours into the future and only takes 19 hours to accomplish. We agreed to be human trial subjects on this time machine, but we did not realize that when we came out we would have the same bodies, except a lot more tired. Thank goodness for the Spanish siesta, the afternoon nap which runs from about 3-5 in the afternoon. Imagine if we in the United States adopted such a lifestyle of actually taking an afternoon nap, kind of like during kindergarten. We might even have lower stress levels!
Speaking of stress, we are having a little technical difficulty navigating la vida Madreileño, primarily not having any money. Not to worry, we are working it out, asking our landlady for patience while we wire the money, being very good at looking for a "VISA" sticker on store and restaurant windows. So many years ago, you could just take traveler's checks with you, but now, you just need a valid (keyword) piece of plastic to get cash.
Guess what! We made a record! Coldest March 21st on record in Madrid! Actually, it was a little windy, but the sun was shining and our apartment is nice and warm.
More pictures to come. Chris, Heidi, Lydia, Isabelle, Liam