Madrid 23/6 - 24/6

Finally, I'm adding the first post to my blog of my time in España. It was chaotic up until I left. I'm the type of person to always over pack. Before I unpacked and repacked my suitcase, it weighed 77 pounds. With only a weight limit of 50 pounds for suitcases on Delta flights, I had a sigh of relief when my suitcase weighed exactly 50 pounds at the airport. But of course that was after I repacked my suitcase and my Mom and sister took it to UPS to get it officially weighed.

And after a delayed flight, I arrived in Madrid, Spain with some other students on my flight around 10 in the morning Spain time.

Spain is a wonderful city... The jet lag, walking what seems like a million miles a day, and pure exhaustion are the only downfalls. But it’s a gorgeous city with tons of history and architecture, and there are many beautiful sites to take pictures of.

So far, we’ve just been museum hopping… Admiring paintings by Picasso and Dali. A couple of friends and I did the American thing and got Starbucks in between museum trips. And a frappachino in Spain tastes just as good as a frappachino in the US… So no worries there.

Thinking of you, Madison! There is seriously Starbucks EVERYWHERE.

We conquered the Metro and found our way to El Palacio Real, which is the Royal Palace of Madrid. It is an enormous building, and it definitely looks like it would be a lot larger than the White House. And after some extra walking/climbing up the tallest hill I have basically ever seen, we found a temple in los Jardines de Sabatini (cerca del Palacio Real). These gardens had such a beautiful view over the city of Madrid.

Palacio Real

Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol are places where a lot of people can be found. Whether locals or tourists, there are plenty of people surrounding shops and cafés.

Plaza Mayor

Even though we have passed both the Plaza Mayor y the Puerta del Sol, we haven’t eaten at any of those restaurants. I have actually eaten at the restaurant Cien (100) Montaditos twice. The food is very good, and they have 100 mini sandwiches for you to choose from.

Things to Note:

1.    Spanish people love their bread… Possibly more than Americans.

2.    American music can be found everywhere. And what’s interesting is that hardly any Spanish people speak English. They say that they don’t know what the English singers are singing about, but they just like the beat/rhythm.

3.   And Disney Characters are not just a US thing… You can find Mickey and Minnie on the streets of Madrid!

Disney World?... I think not. Disney Characters at the Puerta del Sol.