Madrid!

Traveling is so wonderful. The entire experience that I’ve had on this journey so far- from Baltimore to New York to Madrid- has been so positive! Even on my flight from Baltimore to New York, I talked with a flight attendant who was actually born in Madrid. Then, after overhearing our conversation, the man seated in front of me informed me that he lived in Spain for seven years and even gave me his business card so that I could contact him with questions during my stay in Spain. The lady seated behind me also spoke up and told me that her cousin will be studying abroad in Sevilla starting on Friday. In the airport in New York, I ran into some other girls who were taking my flight to Sevilla as well, which eased my anxiety about catching the correct flight and then finding the right area of the airport in Madrid upon arrival. On the plane to Madrid, I was introduced to Danny, a Madrid native (he later told me that he lives between Madrid and Toledo, 20 km to Madrid and 52 km to Toldeo) who entertained me for the hour that we spent on the plane while it was being de-iced by teaching me some Spanish phrases out of the novel he was reading. Danny was returning home after traveling the east coast of the United States, from Miami to New York. He also entertained me further the next morning when we could begin to see Madrid by pointing out different landmarks and highways and telling me where they led. When we could see the three towers that mark Madrid, I became so excited (once Danny explained to me what they were, of course) that I instinctively grabbed Danny's wrist, which is what I have a tendency to do when I'm with my friends. As I apologized, slightly embarrassed, Danny laughed and told me that excitement is the best emotion, and it's one that should always be displayed. It was more sad than I thought it would be to say goodbye to my first Spanish friend after claiming our luggage in Madrid. 

We traveled by bus to our hotel in Madrid, which is very nice! My roommate, Emily, and I were able to finally meet each other and spend the afternoon exploring the city. We ate lunch at a restaurant that we found down a winding side street. The streets in Madrid are cobbled, not paved, and lined with beautiful white or cream colored buildings with endless windows and a balcony at each window. Most of the balconies are also adorned with flowers. At the restaurant both Emily and I ordered "tortilla Espana" which was egg and potato on bread, along with a glass of white wine each. It's true what they say- wine really is cheaper than water! The sandwich was better than I was expecting, although it was huge and I couldn't quite finish the entire thing.

We then strolled through the streets of Madrid until we came upon el Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. The museum is four endless floors of mostly modern art with much background in the post-WWII/Holocaust era. To be honest, most of the art was disturbing and frightening but we got in for free with our university IDs and it was a nice way to spend the day.

Later in the evening, we took a tour of the city by bus which served as a preview for the walking tour that we will take tomorrow. We were able to hear about a lot of the history that happened in Madrid. Here are some pictures that I was able to take from the bus!

After the bus tour and our first group meeting, my roommate and some other people that we met and I took the Metro into the heart of Madrid to the Plaza del Sol to explore a bit. We wound up at a tapas bar that was really neat- it was half indoor restaurant half outdoor restaurant- where we ordered tapas and drinks! We each ordered a different drink and then shared, so we could each taste a little pina colada, mojito, and delicious sangria. We ended up staying at the tapas bar until nearly 1:30 am, when the waiter kindly informed us that the Metro closes at 1:30 and if we were taking that home we should probably hurry, and as a group the seven of us split a couple bottles of wine. It was wonderful to relax and spend my first night in Europe laughing with such lovely new friends!!