The Send-Off

We've arrived in Spain. We're on a two-week scouting trip, during which we'll learn the lay of the land and make plans for our permanent return in early Spring.

This will be Amy's first trip to Madrid, and my third over the last year. We're staying in a little flat on Paseo Pintor de Rosales with a fellow we met through Air BNB, and we'll spend some very full days seeing the sights, meeting with business associates, researching health insurance, applying for foreigner registration cards, and searching for an flat where we'll live for the next several years. We're on a huge adventure, and we know it every day. We're having a great time.

The region we're traversing is small right now, with our forays extending only as far as the neighborhoods where we hope to find a flat. But we got a real eyeful of the rolling Iberian plateau -- and imagined some rambling walks across the countryside -- on the approach into Madrid Barajas Airport. We'll reach out into the provinces soon enough, but first we have to find a place to live.

-- Chris