Arriving in Madrid and visiting the Botanical Gardens

We flew direct to Madrid, a relatively short flight (under 7 hours), and then hopped off the plane and weren't able to collect our luggage for an hour. Everyone who doesn't check luggage is probably laughing gleefully right now. It's ok--whenever I manage to not check, I am smug, too.

Another issue with the airport--it reeks of cigarette smoke. Their concept of a smoking area is a few glass walls with an open doorway and an open ceiling. Be prepared for these limitations should you have the pleasure of visiting the Madrid-Barajas airport. Otherwise, our experience was pleasant.

After our single bag rolled around the luggage mobile and jumped into B's capable hands, we exited the secure area and tried to decide how to get to our hotel. We had two options: Airport bus and Metro. (We knew we'd be cabbing it back to the airport to catch our flight to Barcelona, and we didn't want to spend a small fortune on taxis.)

Because we would have had to take a bus to another terminal to get to the airport bus, we opted for the subway. It was cheaper, and we didn't have to wait long for a train to arrive. However, we neglected to remember the copious stairs that characterize European subway systems.

It was an epic journey with lots of ups and downs (and ups and downs) that dropped us off about a half mile from our hotel. We walked the distance while toting luggage. It's moments like these that make me feel like I am truly roughing it.

Until I check into my five-star hotel.

Unfortunately, our suite (more photos and maybe even a video tour still to come--it was pretty pimptastic, considering it cost us $60 USD per night) was not ready, so we dropped our bags and dragged our disheveled selves outside. The nearby botanical garden seemed like a lowkey destination that we could handle on minimal sleep, so we walked over.

There's something about being outside on a beautiful, sunny day amid exotic plants and a cloudless sky that makes a botanical garden almost magical. We walked around for an hour or so, admiring their flora and fauna, and here are a few pics from our experience.