Day 2: Church and Madrid City Center

Just a side note, our hotel has the tiniest elevator I have ever seen. It says the capacity is 4 people, but with the two of us and our backpacks, we were SQUISHING big time to fit in.

I don't think we could have packed more into one day that we did today. Last night, Rodd found out where our LDS ward would meet and we mapped out our trek via the Metro. We left just before 9 am to be there by 9:30 am, but got a little lost along the way and ended up being a little late. We found the building because a few other church members were late too (nearly half of the small branch) and waiting outside of the locked gates to be let in. Their church building is located on the bottom floor of an apartment complex. We buzzed to be let in but ended up having to wait a few minutes. One of the families we met while waiting to get in was trilled to meet a family from Utah because their daughter had just returned from a proselyting mission in Salt Lake four weeks earlier! It was fun to speak with her and see her excitement for the Gospel and her love for Utah! Her mother was also excited to have us there so her daughter could practice her English. :)

The meeting was really good. We love attending church in Spanish because the spirit is always so strong. It is great to meet and share with members of other cultures our wonderful Gospel. What a wonderful blessing to come to a strange place and instantly have 30 new friends. We felt so loved and so welcome.

Rodd outside of the Madrid Barrio 4th ward building after church.

We headed back to our hotel to change our clothes and find some food. We hadn't eaten since yesterday morning on the plane! We were able to get some delicious grub up the street at a restaurant called Cafetería Con Duende. Our waiter just so happened to be Dominican, which was fun. The food was delightful.

Appetizer

Seafood Paella and Bistek with papas (fries)

Flan for dessert. :)

                                       

Waiting for the Metro, map in hand...

Metro de Madrid

After lunch, we headed to the downtown neighborhood of Sol. Here we saw some wonderful architecture and beautiful buildings!

This was one of our favorites! We stood outside for a few minutes wondering what it could be. We later found out it was for El Banco de España... not what we expected.

Metro entrance by el Banco de España.

Auntamiento de Madrid. (capital building)

Calle de Acalá

Statue of Oso y El Madroño in Sol (city center)

We were able to find the statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza!! 

Rodd's favorite and the highlight of our day!!

We tried some candy that ended up being sour and this is face Rodd gave me... classic Rodd face. :)

 Jardines Del Campo Del Moro... Rodd is excited!

  Jardines Del Campo Del Moro. Surrounds the Palacio Real (Royal Palace).

   Jardines Del Campo Del Moro... Peacock included.

 Palacio Real

 Cathedral across from the Palacio Real.

 Apartments across from the Palacio Real.

 Downtown Streets of Madrid.

 H&M!! (This one is for you, Mom! :)

We stopped at this restaurant to eat before heading back to our hotel for the night and I ordered french fries with blue cheese... They came and were awful! Rodd hates blue cheese as it is, but I love it. 

NOTE: Blue cheese in Spain is NOT the same as in the U.S. (Yes, it looks gray...)

We both left still feeling hungry, so we tried a Turkish restaurant up the street from our hotel. It was good! I liked it more than Rodd did, but it was a good ending to a great day. Not to mention Pistachio Baklava for dessert! 

All-in-all it was a wonderful day, filled with lots of sightseeing and exploring the city!! Tomorrow we meet up with our study abroad group and head to Salamanca!