Madrid

This past weekend, I went to go visit two of my friends that are studying abroad in Madrid. My friend studying in London met me at the Madrid airport on Thursday night and we rode the metro over to the apartment. Immediately after we arrived, my friends wanted to show us the city at night. It was really cool to see the city and I was struck by the differences from Rome (more cosmopolitan and seemed to be a bit more Americanized).

The next morning, we woke up after squeezing 4 people onto 2 single beds and went out for a little brunch/sightseeing. We walked through the main piazza of Madrid (Piazza del Sol-where the protest was the next day) and found a bocadilla/sandwich shop. I ordered a bocadilla de calamares, which is basically a piece of french bread with fried calamari on it. I don't even like calamari, but I felt like it's a food that represents Madrid, so I tried it. I ended up giving most of it away, but at least I made the effort! Next, we walked through this huge market and I had to get some paella, of course. It was delicious!

Piazza del Sol

Then we walked over to the palace (Palacio Real de Madrid) and paid the student price to walk around the rooms. It was so impressive and decadent, and once again, there were no pictures allowed inside. I really enjoyed reading about the history behind each of the rooms and I lagged a little behind the rest of the group because of it. Oops.

We then walked to a little park and just sat and talked for a while. After my time here, I really have realized that this is one of my favorite things to do. It’s nice to just sit and absorb the culture around you. We then walked home for some gelato (obviously not as good as Rome, but still did the trick) and rested for a little before going out to dinner. 

The next morning, we headed over to the Parco del Retiro, which was originally the palace garden. I was able to see my first glimpse of fall! We sat and talked once again and then headed over to the Museo del Prado. I haven’t been to an art museum in a while, so it was nice seeing some of the masterpieces by El Greco, Goya, Rubens, and Valasquez. It was really amazing to be there. There was even a little Picasso exhibit, which was cool to see! We walked back and saw the protest in the Piazza del Sol on the way. Good thing it didn’t get as violent as it did in Rome! We rested in the apartment and then went out for a dinner of tapas.

Parco del Retiro

It was really fun to be in Madrid and I had a great time reconnecting with my friends!