Running in the Prado

I say running, but it was actually jogging. Okay, maybe more like slightly more than speed walking. Regardless of the speed, I woke up this morning feeling refreshed and ready to go. Unfortunately it was a little before 7 am, which is great for watching the sun rise over the buildings (BEAUTIFUL!!) but everything else is closed. I decided to go for a jog down to the Prado, a large street that is home to many of the prominent museums here. I made it to the Museo del Prado and back. It was a great way to start the day minus the cigarette smoke and car fumes.

I tried to stop at a grocery store on the way back, but everthing, except a few restaurants (including Starbucks and McDonalds), was closed. So I'm back at my hostel planning my day. I am going to stay at this hostel at least one more night. It's clean, safe, and centrally located. Plus, I'm not quite ready for dorm living yet. :)

I am going to hit up some museums, contact my Mom's friend Pedro who has graciously agreed to meet with me, and try my hand at ordering something other than patatas today. I'm also going to try to take a siesta so I can experience the nightlife instead of turning in early again.

Random observations: lime green is the color of choice for uniforms. Police, city santitaion workers, constrution workers all have lime green in their uniforms with some sort of silver reflective strips.
Also, scooters are every where here. They zip around cars and have their own lanes to beat morning traffic. I would love to go rent one but might wait for another city. Oh yeah, they drive on the right side of the street just like in the US so I haven't looked
dumb checking the wrong direction for oncoming traffic as I cross the street. :)

Please feel free to forward these messages to anyone who might be interested. The blog only allowed me to send it to 10 emails. My apologies to anyone I may have missed.