10 Things I've learnt in Madrid ( which I have taken upon myself to pass on to the world)

1. Do not put a baguette in a bag full of other groceries. This would cause the said baguette to split into two and fall on the ground mid-way between the grocery store and your apartment.
-First Occurrence: Day 2 of stay
-Frequency of baguette drops till date: 3

2. Do not leave the house with promises of returning early. This almost never happens.
-First Occurrence: Day 1 of Stay
-Frequency of broken promises till date: 3456

3. Ask for directions and prepared to be surprised. Every time. For the uninitiated, the warmth with which the Spanish people direct you to your destination is just short of a hug.:)
-First Occurrence: Day 1 of Stay
-Frequency of being directed by happy passersby till date: 50

4.Do not say no to Sangria. That's Sacrilege.( Not for cultural reasons , but you'd be a fool not to have it)
-First Occurrence: Day 7 of stay
-Frequency of saying no to sangria till date: 3

5. Do not venture out to look for a Ferreteria ( Hardware Store) on a Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. You'd find it but it would be shut. (The same can be generalised for other small specialised stores)
-First Occurence: Month 2 of Stay
-Frequency of failed ferreteria searches till date: 1

6.Jaywalking works.
-First occurrence (involuntary): Day 3 of stay
-Frequency of jaywalking incidents till date: 500

7. Tapas is not Dinner and will never be. Do not confuse Tapas with a full meal. It isn't. I've learnt the hard way, so I suggest plan a meal before or after Tapas in order to satiate those hunger pangs.
-First occurrence: Week 1 of stay
-Frequency of feeling hungry after tapas outings till date: 10

8. Talking to taxi drivers is fun. Particularly in your limited Spanish.
-First occurrence: Hour 1 of Stay
-Frequency of fun conversations till date: 12

9. The sun never sets in Madrid. Not so much literally, but the parties start at 2 am and end at 7 am or even later..(unfortunately I haven't been around to usher in the end of the dancing). Dinner starts at 10 pm. You have 24 hours for everything, except sleeping.
-First Occurrence: Day 1 of stay
-Frequency of late days till date: 70

10. Dogs are everywhere. In streets, in shops, in restaurants. For someone who is petrified of dogs ( although I must admit my neighbors dog Laila has begun to grow on me)that is NOT good news.
-First occurrence: Day 1 of Stay
-Frequency of encounters till date: 88