our hotel was in

a great location.  It was on Gran Via which reminded me of New York's Time Square.  After we booked the hotel and started researching more, I found out it's actually a Best Western hotel.  I'll admit I got a little scared but that was gone once we got there.  We liked the hotel.  Anyway, we finally got there, settled in and cleaned up.  We decided it was too late to stick with the original plan of going to the bull fight for a bit and then on to the stadium so we made the decision to skip the bull fight.  (I mean it does happen every Sunday while Spain doesn't always go to the soccer final... well, possibly yearly but not weekly.  I looked at it like this, would I go to something that happens once a week or to a massive Superbowl party at Cowboys Stadium.)  Anyway, we decided to go to the stadium.  We talked to the lady at the front desk and she gave us a map for the Metro.  (From here on I'll just refer to the Metro as the subway because that's what it is.)  Anyway, she gave us a map and showed us a direct route to the stadium.  We stopped for a quick bite and pitcher of sangria at The Drunken Duck.  I had a really good sandwich.  I don't remember what it was called but it was pastrami, cheese, lettuce, boiled eggs, asparagus and mayonnaise.  After the meal, we headed for the stadium.  (And I made note of a bakery we passed before we got to The Drunken Duck.)

Sure there were taxis and buses but the subway is just so fast, cheap and easy.  We found the correct stop, which was just a few blocks down from our hotel on Gran Via.  Unfortunately, the escalators weren't on but that didn't really matter getting down to our stop.  People started making their way down to catch the subway.  They were dressed up in jerseys with their faces painted and wearing Spanish flags as capes while chanting.  It was pretty exciting.  Then we got to the stadium's subway stop.  OMG.  I thought I was going to pass out and die right there while working my way back up to the street.  It started off well but on the second set of stairs which had to have equaled four regular flights, I had to stop for a break.  When we finally got out to the street, the party wasn't hard to find.  People were everywhere.  This was more like Bourbon Street.

We already posted most of those pics on Facebook so I won't repeat.  I will show you my team spirit though.  Red shoes were all I had.  Thank goodness I wore them because they were perfect for all the walking and stair climbing I faced.  The crowd was rowdy and drunk so we decided we could just as easily, and probably more comfortably, find a bar to sit in and watch the game.  So then it was back to the subway to catch a ride back to Gran Via.  We got up to the street and came across a bar where people were gathered.  We walked up to watch the tv and just a few minutes later, the game was over.  Spain won.  That's when the real partying started.  I'll stop here because this celebration might take a few posts.