First impressions

Madrid has the most complex street plan I've ever seen, with no grid and no two streets seemingly meeting at perpendicular junctures in the ancient city center where I'm staying. Getting from Point A to B is like "tacking" in a sailboat ― diagonal right, diagonal left, diagonal right, diagonal left ... until you reach your destination. It's easy to get lost, but the confusion is rich and memorable.

Siesta is a real thing. At 2 p.m. you can hear corrugated shutters being pulled down all over town. (Extraordinary tile work on this Lavapies neighborhood hair salon.) Many restaurant kitchens will remain closed until 8:30, but it's never hard to get a bite.

A fried squid sandwich (bocadillo calamares) in the Cortes neighborhood. I've had my mind set on one of these ever since I decided to come to Madrid. I may lose my boyish figure on this trip.

The days have been warm, flirting with 80. People are wearing jackets in the mornings though.

Looking east on the stately Calle de Alcala near dusk.

Some spirited ornamentation on the Casa de Allende, a former bank building in Plaza Canalejas.

Scrolled pilasters on an office building across the square from the Allende.

The bars are doing great business, but few people are sitting inside. I've only been here three days but haven't seen a crowded bar or restaurant anywhere. Just about everyone eating and drinking is doing so on the sidewalk. [Editor's note: Several days later, I have come to realize this is not true at all.]

There's a kindergarten on the corner outside my window. It must be a great school because the kids are positively joyous. It's a nice way to wake up.