Oh man, so much has happened in the last three days that this post will be long. First off, I uploaded more pictures to Facebook chronicling our adventures. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151943006634619.1073741828.760684618&type=1&l=98e6bf3652

Wednesday:

Wednesday was crazy! Not only was it our second day of classes, but it was the first Madrid “excursion” through Nebrija. We went with a professor, Chari, around the center of Madrid: Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and some side streets. The entire tour was in Spanish. In Puerta del Sol, Chari took us to KM 0, the center of Madrid. From there we went to Plaza Mayor. We learned more about it’s history: there are 8 arches/entry ways, it was a place for public hangings, it was burned in a fire and rebuilt, and now it’s apartments on the upper levels surrounding the plaza. The restaurants have tables outside and when it’s too cold in the winter to eat outside, there is underground seating. How cool!

After Plaza Mayor, we passed through Mercado de San Miguel. It’s a glass indoor market. The best way to describe it is to compare it to Whole Foods in the sense where you can go in, buy food and eat it there. It’s not quite a Publix, but more than your average local market. You can find things from fresh fish and sushi, to dessert, drinks, homemade pasta and pizzas, drinks, everything. You can go around to each “station” and compile a diverse meal!

We followed the street down to Calle de la Pasa, which translates to Raisin Street. All the pedestrian streets we’ve come across in Madrid so far have been cobblestone and uneven, and don’t travel in a straight line. The phrase connected to the street is: “quien no pasa por la pasa no se casa.” It basically means whoever doesn’t pass through this street won’t get married. But it sounds cooler in Spanish. Don’t worry Mom and Dad, I walked through the street :P The road curved to the left and we found ourselves at a monastery with monks and nuns who devote their lives solely to religion. They don’t interact face to face with the outside community. They sell dulces through an intercom and lazy Susan. You ring the bell and say you want to buy the dulces. You’re let in and come to a small room with a lazy Susan. It’s 9 euros for a box (like the Entemann’s chocolate chip cookie box size). You put the money on the lazy Susan, spin it, and get cookies. Our group split it and it was totally worth it! Make a circle with your hand connecting your pinkie and thumb; that’s about the size of the cookie. It was almost like marzipan, but not so almond-y in taste, and pretty crumbly.

We went to Catedral de Almudena, a neoclassical cathedral in Madrid. It was beautiful and services were going on when we arrived so we had to remain very quiet. A group of us continued to wander around Madrid. It’s light out until about 10, so you never really know what time it is. Nick, Alyssa, Brianna, Kelsey, David, and I went to get dinner. We were given mallet type knives and I had issues cutting my food. I was picked on all night and it was totally fine. I laughed so hard the whole night. We watched rugby on the TVs in the restaurant. It’s our new obsession. It won’t last too long because none of us understand the rules. But the players are very nice to look at!

Thursday:

A few days ago, I read about the Teleferico, a cable car that runs from Parque del Oeste to Casa de Campo. It’s supposed to give you an amazing view across Madrid. I posted in our Madrid Facebook group to recruit people to join! I knew it would be me, Kelsey, and Alyssa. 19 people in total showed up! I was so happy! People had liked the post and seemed interested on Facebook, but i wasn’t sure about how many people would actually show up. The company was amazing! It’s a beautiful view in the distance, but if you look beneath the cable car, the ground more resembles an African plain. We compared our cable card ride to an African safari. We played on a playground for a little bit and took some group pictures once we arrived in Casa de Campo. The 20 of us didn’t explore too much so I definitely want to go back!

We all separated once we returned to Parque del Oeste. Kelsey, Katie, Esther, Alyssa, Franchesco, Dirk, Jerome, and I continued to wander. Dirk and Jerome are Dutch and also studying at Nebrija. Anyway, so Jerome says he knows this beautiful lake and that there are little restaurants around the lake and it’s a perfect place to nosh and grab a drink after walking a while. It took about an hour to find it but it was beautiful! We sat outside and just enjoyed the early evening, it was about 6 I think? That was another hour and we went our separate ways at the metro station.

When I got home, David was awake and we went shopping to make dinner: spaghetti and meat sauce with a side of mixed vegetables. Our dinner was perfectly simple and delicious. Alex, Griffin, David, and I did another group dinner, and we all helped with the dishes. Cooking is fun when there’s people to cook with/for!

Yesterday was D-Day. Alex and Matt commemorated the day by watching the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. We watched it on my bed and oh my god is it gruesome! It was so bloody and blunt and harsh and I covered my eyes for it. I didn’t want to see some of those things. But I guess in that sense it’s an accurate portrayal of war. Absolutely frightening.

Today (Friday) 

Classes usually end at 1pm but today because there was another “excursion” we ended at 11 instead. We went to Museo del Prado, a prominent art museum with paintings by Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco just to name a few. Those were the exhibits we visited. I’m not a big art person. I can appreciate the time and skill in paintings but I won’t stop and stare and try to interpret an image. It was cool to see paintings that I’ve learned about in past classes, like Goya’s Second and Third of May. I may not have remembered the history going along with it but I remember Mrs. Bagwell passionately telling us about Spain’s history. Our tour was once again in Spanish, but with another professor, Marie. 

After the tour, Jordan, Alex, and I went shopping. It was alright. They went to the men’s sections, and I to the women’s. David ended up getting a pair of socks and I bought a cute orange and white print tube top, both of our purchases from H&M (THE MOTHERLANDDDD). While trying on a dress in the dressing room, I asked a Spanish girl about my age for her opinion on a dress. It was difficult because I didn’t know the right words in Spanish. Oh well!

Tonight, a bunch of us are going to El Tigre, a bar/tapas place. Tomorrow, we are off to Toledo for a real excursion! I’m so excited and hopefully I’m not too exhausted to post :]

P.S. Alex just made his first grilled cheese. YAY