4th FIRST

This is the final in my first series of blogs. These were just 4 of many of the things I've done for the first time in my life, the final being one of the best experiences: Hostels... well its the best 50% of the time. Only the first of 2 hostels I've staid in, is worth talking about, the second was just like staying at my grandma's house, except without my nice little grandma being there. Anyways, the entire trip to Madrid was incredible-- I especially liked the innovation of the caixa forum, spatial morphing of the escalators, and overall presence of the guggenheim. Aside from the architectural visits however, the San Jordi hostel was one of the highlights of the trip, especially considering the terrible weather in Madrid. 12 males were sent to one hostel (what a mistake) on the 3rd floor (4th in the U.S. because the ground floor counts as 0) in the center of Madrid with many interesting, funny, fun, and overall nice people who were all traveling the world. The hostel was set out on a square plan with a courtyard that opened inward. Our rooms were to the perimeter of the space, so our room had a nice balcony. The circulation would be a sort of elipse through the rectangle with a comunal living room, kitchen, showers, and computer room. The best part was however, the communication and friendliness of so many people that had met each other less than 2 days ago. The first night, the people that ran the hostel, Annika and MY MAN BRUNO, invited everyone out for tapas and drinks, and of course we couldn't turn down the invitation. Overall, our four nights there were amazing, we met a lot of cool people, and definitely had a lot of fun, but at the same time, we woke up by 8 or 9 every morning to go see architecture... no wonder I was exhausted after that trip. I just hope our hostels in the netherlands are this good. Oh yea, we met with one of the aussie guys, Alan, that we met in Madrid back here in Barcelona since he was travelling this way. I think were starting to branch out into our global community...I like it.