Madrid, 19 years after

Last time I was here was about 19 years ago and I must admit that the only thing I remember is Gran Via, Chamartin and Plaza de Espana. So, yesterday I took the train and headed towards the city. I had no idea where I'd have to step out so as soon as I saw something familiar, Madrid-Chamartin, I jumped off the train. It turned out that the train station which I remembered from our inter-rail trip was not located exactly in the city centre but actually quite far from it.
So, I continued with metro to the Gran Via station.
Today, I took the train to Atocha station and it was located much closer to the action. It is actually quite difficult to find a decent dinner around here if you want to eat something more than tapas or french fries and a lousy steak. However, jamon is plenty and always available. It's quite expensive, though. Everything (except the train ticket) is actually quite expensive. Thailand has taken over Spain as a cheap holiday destination.

Treinta in Tres Cantos

There is 30 degrees Celsius in Tres Cantos. But "it's not the heat, it's the hotness"... The air is very dry here so the heat doesn't bother at all. Tres Cantos seems to be a middle-class suburbia which is very neat and clean on any standards. It is about 20 km north of Madrid and there's a convenient train connection which takes only 25 minutes and costs amazing 1.85 euros. Also, a metro ticket inside Madrid is only 1 euro. Maybe this is what it should cost in Helsinki also, if they want people to use mass transit.
I am staying in Hotel Foxa Tres Cantos and, surprisingly, one movie comes to my mind when I walk the corridors... A better option would've been Que Fierro which is located next to the railway station but the station is only a 5-minute walk away from here as well.