(MAD)rid about Spain

I'm so terribly sorry for my lack of blogs recently, but I'm been traveling more than Carmen San Diego lately! So, here goes! Back in action!

Sarah, Elise F. and I went to Spain for a long weekend a few weeks back. We were troopers and left our apartments at 4:30 made our way to the airport! I, being the night owl that I am, decided not to go to bed so I could pass out at the airport and on the plane. Good thing I'm used little sleep at Elon...otherwise I would  have been miserable. Luckily I caught some z's while waiting at the gate and on the journey and before I knew it, we were in Spain!



Symbol of the Madrid!

Getting to the city center was an adventure, to say the least, as we initially ended up in a small suburb of the city. After that minor bump in the road, we arrived in brilliantly sunny Madrid and decided we needed food, and fast! We hadn't eaten in so long and our tummies were craving yummy Spanish food! We opted for a little restaurant on the way to our hostel. As we sat down and began browsing the menu, a man asked if we would take a picture of he and the group of people he was with, so we did. As soon as we returned his camera he instructed us to smile, and he took a picture of the three of us, which was really funny. Then, to add to the moment he asked one of the waiters to take a group shot of us all. After snapping a quick photo for them, we chatted and found out they were a band for one of the Spanish basketball teams that were in town for the national basketball tournament! This band was the perfect welcoming committee to Madrid, and was the perfect representation of how amiable Spanish people are.



With our new friends--a band for a professional Spanish bball team!

After checking into our hostel and regrouping, we made our way to a small restaurant the restaurant recommended for tasty food. Sarah and I split fried brie with raspberry sauce, which was one of the most heavenly things I've ever tasted. Cheese and raspberries? Probably two of the best foods ever created, and of course anything is good when it's deep fried (unless we're talking about hearts). 

Following dinner, we returned to the hostel because we heard there was free sangria, but unfortunately it was canceled that night, which was quite sad. To make up for it we brought some of our new hostel friends with us and sampled some obviously time to try our first Sangrias! We made two friends in the hostel and they joined us for the delicious sweet wine filled with lemons, oranges and limes--yum!

People always say that no matter where you go in the world, people speak English. Let me just go ahead and say this statement is inaccurate, but it was much to my enjoyment. I took Spanish for four years in school, and was always pretty decent but was by no means a master of the language. However, when in Spain I was forced to rack my brain and use my Spanish speaking skills to ask directions, order food and communicate with the locals--it was fun and I felt like all those years of class paid off!

Here are the highlights of what we did throughout the trip!

Walking tour of the city: We went on a walking tour to get our bearings and learn about the richness and history of Spain's capital. It was over three hours but definitely worth it. 

Plaza Mayor! 

Tapas tour for dinner: Tapas are a traditional Spanish style of eating where you share finger foods of different varieties. We ate our tapas the traditional way and went to three different bars to experience food and drink from the north, south and center of the country. Tapas originated because the city was dusty and people didn't want their drinks to become contaminated, so bars began putting pieces of bread on top of the drinks. Some of the tapas we had included bread with ham, cheese or seafood, black pudding and potatoes.

We're a little partial to this name...

Sangria on the Tapas Tour!

Yummy tapas!

Visiting the Prado: This is the second largest museum in Europe, and blew me away. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip because in my last year of Spanish I studied famous art. I never thought I'd have the chance to view so many massive and detailed paintings by El Greco, Goya, Dali and Velázquez, but it blew me away. The painting that I remember best from class is Las Meninas, by Velázquez, and it is my favorite because the way the  painter used depth and space to create a work that seems so real. Fortunately for us, the Prado is currently hosting a Ren Voir exhibit featuring the famous Frenchman's impressionist paintings. I've always been a huge fan of impressionism, and going through this exhibit was so relaxing and beautiful. I love how impressionist paintings have the knack for capturing a feeling and emotion of a landscape or scene.

Impressionism! Yes!

Marcado de San Miguel: We ate our lunch by buying little things to munch on at this indoor market, and it was delicious! The freshness of everything was amazing--Some of the items we tried included bread, meats, cheeses, fish on an orange and meringue.

What an adventurous little eater!

Meringues...we thought they were cupcakes!

Reina Sophia: In this museum we looked at modern art, but our favorite was seeing several works by Pablo Picasso, including the famous Guernica, an icon of the Spanish Civil War. This is another work I studied in class and seeing how massive it was in person was really incredible.

Platanos, rice and beans: This was one of my favorite meals so far of being abroad--yum!

Bar Crawl with our hostel: We went on a bar crawl with our hostel and tried a Spanish favorite at each place. My favorite was the Sangria. Several of our friends from the tapas tour were with us, and we chatted/danced all night.

El Rastro: Spain's boasts the largest outdoor market in Europe, so of course we had to take a Sunday morning stroll! There were hundreds of vendors selling scarves, jewelry and clothes--it was packed! As we left the market we wondered down a side street and found a shop that sold churros. Of course we couldn't resist the deep-fried splendor that was right in front of our eyes, so we indulged. The price? Only 50 cents. Amazing. This shop was definitely a "what you see is what you get" place, because we literally walked to the counter, paid and watched him make it for us right there--no frills. Several locals were in line after us, so we're pretty sure we made a good decision.

El Rastro!

Colors!

50 cent churros...win!

El Palacio Real: This palace was incredible and is the largest in Europe! It was the former home of the Spanish royal family and was an architectural and decorative masterpiece. We were able to tour fifty of the rooms, but apparently there are over 2,000. 

Cupcake break, obviously.

El Palacio Real: The former residence of the Spanish Royal family is the most elegant and ornate building I've ever seen! The interior was mind-blowing because of the size and amazing details. Elise F. counted 338 lions inside...if that gives you any indication of how above and beyond this place was! We toured 50 of the rooms, but apparently there are over 2,000! The whole time I was in there I was thinking of how awesome it would be to use it as a place to play hide and seek!

El Palacio Real!

The Goyas: Throughout the weekend we noticed there was a large, clear tent and a red carpet on the ground outside the Palacio Real, and we finally asked a camera worker what event was taking place. She said the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars would be happening that night, so after eating a hearty dinner of Paella we followed the spotlights in the sky to where the stars would be! We were super close and saw lots of Spanish celebrities (though didn't know who they were.) What was unique about the event was that we got to participate in a demonstration for free expression in Spain. Apparently their minister of arts and culture wants to put a ban on certain websites, so we joined this harmless crew as they protested! Elon School of Communications would be so proud...political engagement and freedom of expression?

The minister of arts and culture is in the red dress. What's up, jumbotron!

Freedom of Expression with V for Vendetta masks.

Using peace signs for more than posing in pictures/ Elise(i)'s  first protest.

Siestas: Each day we followed Spanish tradition and indulged in a siesta. Our room was for four people, but another girl never showed up so we had the place all to ourselves! There were no windows in it so when we shut the door it was completely dark, no matter what time of day. Heaven!

Our trip to Spain was wonderful because it was the first place we visited that was very unlike Ireland. The weather, language, people and food were vastly different, and I loved being in a culture that I've learned so much about while in school.

Ambassador Sarah...sharing peace and well-wishes throughout the world.