The Skinner Family Adventures

We arrived in Madrid late at night, trying to find our hostel.
Luckily, the guy working there came out to the metro station to help us find our way.
As we entered the stairwell to the hostel, we quickly realized the mistake we made in booking a room there. The whole place smelled like fish (!) because it was next to a fish market.
I'll let the video describe the rest:

We got out of the fish hostel as fast as we could and found a Starbucks to relax in while waiting for our hotel room to open up.
My parents wanted to help us get back to the states so they hooked us up with two nights in this awesome hotel in Madrid.
Slight upgrade.
Then we went shopping!
After walking for a few ours we found a park to relax in.
Please note the Starbucks cup. Yes this is the 2nd one of the day.
He had to make up for lost time.


After a long nap in the room, we met up with our family friends the Heck's who were in Madrid on their way back from Israel.
Haley and Jesse, playing with their food.

The Paella crawdad wanted a drink.
Mr. Heck, keeping us on our toes.
Jesse and I decided to find our way home by foot. Always a fun idea.

The next morning we set out in search of San Miguel Market,
recommended to us by the Heck's.
Found it!
YUM!
Hmmm...breakfast, breakfast, what do I want for breakfast?

Bingo!
We shared this yummy creation that was kind of like a thick custardy piece of french toast with a creamy "tres leches" thing goin on.
And I had a banana, too, to even it out.
Further exploration lead us to this movie theater that served Haagen-Dazs instead of movies.
The concessions stand.
Inside was like an old school ice cream parlor.
Next stop: Retiro Park
The amphitheater in the background created great acoustics for drum-cirlers.
Sadly the hippie's weren't out that day.



We decided to rent a rowboat for 4 Euros.
Hahaha. O, honey, you're sooo funny.
Jesse got tired of rowing,
so I took over.


Nothing like a nap in a boat.





Plaza MayorWe loved the tapas at San Miguel so much we came back for lunch.
I found a new found love for wine and cheese. Heaven!Inside the market.
Later that night we met up with Jesse's friends from WA, Mike and his girlfriend Azure, who also just happened to be in Madrid on their way home from a 3 month journey.
Their friend Margit took us to this awesome little tapas bar and schooled us on each type of food, where the meat and cheese comes from, etc..

Drinking wine out of these little saucer cups is a Spanish tradition.
Best greasy food ever!

We had a great time philosophizing about God and the origin of love and peace in this wonderfully LOUD and smoke-filled bar.

We always have the best time sharing life with friends.
Great way to end our European tour.
The next day at the airport, we had some fun waiting in a line at the AeroMexico check-in.
We had to fly through Mexico City to get home.
Second leg of the journey and feeling sleep deprived,
happy to be almost home.

And so concludes this backpacking adventure.
We hope you enjoyed the ride!