Exploring Madrid

Not to overcrowd this blog, but I've seen and done so much I wanted to share.

To start with, on Tuesday I did a self-guided tour of Madrid with some other girls on the program. We started at one end of Madrid, Calle O'Donnell, where our hotel was, and ended up on the other side at the Palacio Real, or the Royal Palace. Our first stop was the Parque del Retiro, sort of like Madrid's Central Park. They have a large man-made lake called an estanque as well as the only statue to the devil and a crystal palace. Next we stopped by the Prado museum, which houses Spanish greats like Goya and Velasquez. After that we got hungry so we headed up to the trendy Sol district in the center of Madrid and stopped for churros and chocolate, basically a cup of thick hot chocolate and some sweet fried bread that you dip in it. We continued on to the Plaza Mayor, the largest plaza in Madrid, and the Palacio Real before getting tired out and heading back.

The Hotel Convencion where the Spanish government housed us was excellent. They served us breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day we were there, including highlights like steak and potatoes and chocolate mousse. Yum! On Wednesday we had orientation, which was long, boring, and uneventful, except for my learning that I am now in a different school than I had originally thought.

Afterwards I went out with some new friends I had made this week. Our original plan was to go on a pub crawl but we ended up going to an awesome Cuban bar in the Sol district, though not before walking down the puta calle (need I translate?). Prostitution is legal in Spain, and there were tons of women and girls of all ages pushing their wares. One even offerred a free preview to a potential customer right in front of us! After the shock wore off it just made me really sad to see so many beautiful young girls who had to resort to that.

On a more pleasant note, today I finally made it to my town. I arrived around 8:30 at night, so I can't see much, but my apartment is great. It smells a little odd but it is spacious and has marble or granite floors, a living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, two full bathrooms, and three bedrooms. I get the big bedroom because it's pink (lucky me!) and my own bathroom, so no cleaning up after messy boys. I walked down to the water with Brandon, one of my roommates, and put my feet in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time. The water is cool but warm enough to swim in tomorrow. I can't wait! We walked around town checking things out and getting our bearings and then had a nice (late) dinner of tapas at a great local restaurant, sitting on a mosaic-covered table outside on the steps of a street-turned-dining room. And better yet, I get free wi-fi from my balcony so I can update you all about my adventures! To see pictures check out my facebook photo album.

Until next time,

Laurita