Today we explored Madrid! I love it but before I start that story, I have to tell you how I arrived there: Since I don’t have a roommate yet, I planned on meeting Caitlin and Emily at the aqueduct at 8:40 so we could walk to the bus station together. After getting scared half to death by my alarm at 8 a.m. I decide to sleep for an extra 10 minutes. [They were glorious too!] So now it’s 8:10 and my senora comes in my room and opens the doors that block out light and begins to tell me that I am late. [And if you know me, I do not like to be late...but occasionally it happen. And this was NOT something I wanted to be late for!] So I get up, get ready, drink the best hot chocolate I think I’ve ever had for breakfast, and get ready to head out the door. So now it’s 8:30 and my senora is still telling me that I’ll be late. So I put my coat on and she rushes me out the door, I look at my phone and it says 8:46. Panic starts to set in so I literally begin running down the streets of Spain [even though I basically live next to the aqueduct] So I get there and Caitlin and Emily are nowhere in sight. Now I wanted to cry. I was very confused because the day before my senora wanted to make sure I knew where I was going and told me a different direction than the directors of the program. This is why I wanted someone to walk with...but they weren’t there. So while my heart is racing and I have just a little over 10 minutes to get to the bus station, I call Emily and she doesn’t answer. So I’m about to have a heart attack from this point and I’m spinning in circles trying to decide which direction to go and while I’m pulling out my map, Emily calls me back and says they’re almost to the aqueduct. A sigh of relief! So I met up with them, walked to the bust station, found our group, and hopped on a bus to Madird. The bus ride to Madrid was good! I sat next to Sabrina and got to know her during the hour we were on the bus. When we arrived at the huge bus station/metro depot, we all got off the bus and began walking around Madrid. We saw the gardens of the royal palace and the palace itself (but not inside), the Plaza de Espana with a large statue of Don Quixote and Santo Pancha (for such an important plaza name, the plaza is quite ugly), the cathedral (but only from afar), and then we made our way to the Plaza del Sol. This is sort of the hub of Madrid with tons of shops as well as people. After a quick look at htis plaza (along with all of the strangely dressed people in Disney costumes or full body paint) we head to the Plaza Mayor. The Plaza Mayor is very pretty and is probably my favorite to be in. I can’t wait until it gets warm and we can eat in a restaurant outside in the plaza and I hope spring comes SOON! So after a few minutes here, we reach the fanct post office. (You probably don’t know what I’m talking about but I don’t know the official name, don’t worry, I have pictures) Anyway, this is where the group split and half went to see the Prado Museum and half went to explore and shop. You may be surprised to know I chose shopping...I mean, we have many weekends to go see the Prado, and after 6 it’s FREE! So we walked around in crowded stores until 1:15 when we had to meet at the Plaza del Sol for lunch. Lunch was...interesting. We could choose 2 plates from a list of 8 at this hole in the wall restaurant. (It had a cigarette dispenser which was cool. I know we used these in the US back in the day, so that was kinda crazy. Smoking in Spain is HUGE! But Spaniards are no longer allowed to smoke inside stores and restaurants anymore! This is a big thing here because everyone smokes...starting at the age of 13 or so. It’s shocking to me to see how fuel and environmentally conscious they are but not so conscious about lung health...sorry for the long side note) But I ordered paella for lunch with a cute little Coke bottle. The paella was delicious! (Despite the fact that it had entire chicken wings in it and a crawfish staring back at me...) After the paella, I ate flavorless chicken and fries that were also not the greatest. And for dessert, a Spanish orange! (I’ve eaten tons of those since being here!) So after our meal, the waiter took our picture 8 times to put on the website (I guess having Americans in your restaurant makes you more prestigious) Then we walk outside and decide what to do next. A group of us decide to shop some more and possible go the the Prado after 6. So we had 3 hours to waste and 11 people to keep track of which was difficult. So as time passes, we realize we’re exhausted and so we began our journey to catch the next bus to Segovia which was at 7:30. On the bus ride back, I realize how tired I was because I couldn’t keep my eyes open! But we made it back and found the right stop and went back to our houses with plans to meet at 10 for internet and drinks.
I got to my house and finally had a roommate! She made it! I was so happy to have her there. I told our senora of our internet plans so she began to make dinner. While Teah and I were eating our plate of vegetables, people began pouring into the house! I was so excited to see more people and young kids too! They were the cutest! So after eating veggies, fried fish, and a little tortilla espanola, Teah and I headed out to meet some people at a local cafe. We thought they had free internet..turns out they didn’t so we walked a ways and found a cafe with delicious cafe con leche! It was fantastic! I was able to communicate with people from home for free finally with I’m hoping to do again soon. So we got back home at 1:30 or so and went to bed.
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