I arrived in Madrid yesterday, the first stop on my month-long adventure. Most of my first day was spent wandering aimlessly, delirious from jet lag, nibbling on warm chestnuts from a street vendor, and then catching up with old friends, Jaime and Fabiola, over a Mexican dinner (I definitely thought I was going to be without Mexican food for a month!!).

Today was all about the art at Museo del Prado and the Reina Sofia. The Prado was celebrating an anniversary, so the 14 euro fee was waived…what luck!! My art history classes from college came flooding back to me as I was surrounded by the Velazquez and Goya paintings at the Prado, and Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sofia. Walking the halls of these two massive museums helped me to work up an appetite! When in Spain, Tortilla, Bocadillo de calamares, and delicious pastries are not to be missed!

And to top off an already productive day, tonight I found myself at a funny club called La Riviera dancing as Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings played. I always enjoy trying to see a concert if possible when I’m traveling – if you haven’t treated yourself to a concert outside of the US, I highly recommend it.

And, in conclusion, before I succumb to the struggle that is jet lag on night 2, I will leave you with just a little something I’ve learned while wandering around this city for the past two days…Navy is the new black! All of the chic Spaniards that I’m passing on the street are wearing Navy Blue suits, outerwear, etc. So happy now in hindsight that I went with the navy down jacket at Uniqlo…who knew I’d be so on trend?!