Finally! Madrid!

Hola! (Am I doing this right?)

What a crazy week it's been. I landed in Madrid, Spain last Wednesday and I stayed for a week. I visited one of my best friends from high school, Alex, who goes to school in Madrid.

At first, I was a bit apprehensive to go to Spain. If you know me, you know that I am horrible at Spanish. I did not take a single year of Spanish during school because I knew that I would suck at it. My knowledge of Spanish before this trip was... lacking. But I was still really excited to visit! I knew that I would somehow make it through customs and my time in Madrid would cause no permanent psychological damage.

Joke aside, it really was hard to visit a country where English is not the first language. Madrid is a little less touristy than Barcelona, so there are less English speakers. I was so lucky that Alex speaks Spanish because it would be bad news bears for me if she did not. I've learned more Spanish in the last few days than I have in my entire life. You can say that I'm a bit more cultured now.

Enough about language barriers! My time in Madrid really was amazing. I don't even know where to start! I suppose that somewhat of a chronological order of events would be best.

So as I said, I arrived on Wednesday night. I handed over my passport and didn't have to say anything--the immigration officer just stamped it! This has been a way different experience for me at Dublin/Shannon/Edinburgh airports where I have gotten interrogated each time. I was officially welcomed into Spain, haha. After navigating the terminal and finding Alex, we made our way back to her apartment and then headed out to get some food. We decided on a burrito place that was a lot similar to Chipotle! This was my first time having a decent burrito in 4 months (the only thing we have in Galway is La Salsa and La Nacho... I'll let you be the judge). After dinner, Alex took me to see the Royal Palace of Madrid! We also walked through Plaza Major, which is a plaza where events take place. It was a good way to start out all of the touristy things we had planned for the weekend.

Plaza Major, Madrid

That night we went out and I got to meet some of Alex's friends. I really should have worn heels because of how classy of a place we went to seemed.. but I messed up my ankle when I tripped walking on cobblestone in Ireland (and I did this not wearing heels!!). So I stayed my measly 5'4" for the night. I didn't know any of the songs, it was apparently a Spanish-music themed night. So I heard a lot of new music (minus Shakira)! I tried to dance as normal as possible, but it takes awhile to acquire new dance skills. You know how it is. But it was great to meet everyone that I had heard so much about.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday we did a bit of sightseeing! I got to see some of the prettiest architecture in Madrid. Alex took me walking and we first saw the Metropolis building, which I've seen in books and never knew that it was in Madrid. We then walked a bit further until we came to a roundabout with Puerta de Alcala in the center, which is a beautiful arch in the city. Edificio de Correos was nearby as well and was probably one of the prettiest buildings I saw that week. There's just something about the architecture. Dat building structure.

Metropolis, Madrid

Puerta de Alcala, Madrid

Edificio de Correos, Madrid

For dinner, we went to the Mercado de San Miguel. Spainerds usually come here for dinner. You can get cheap tapas, wine, and beer. We ended up buying some olives and cheese--so good! For dessert, I had some meringue and Alex had a few macaroons. The meringue was so sweet that I think I actually felt the diabetus taking hold. Oh man.

Meringue and macaroons at Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid

We also got the chance to walk through Parque del Retiro where we saw the Palacio De Cristal, Monumento del Angel Caido, and some Spanish statues of past kings. Palacio De Cristal was amazing! It was like something out of a storybook. We were going to have a picnic in the park but it was just way too cold. Instead, we ate churros at Chocolatería San Ginés. This place is actually where the churro was invented! The churros were so good! To eat them, you dip them in a melted hot chocolate. Mm.

Palacio De Cristal, Madrid

Rowing at Monumento del Angel Caido, Madrid

Spanish Churros at Chocolatería San Ginés, Madrid

We went out again that weekend and it was a blasty-blast! I had so much fun. I can't remember a time where everyone I was with was happy and just having a great time. We started off the night by eating at an Argentinian steakhouse. I got a glass of white wine and some risotto. This was my first attempt at ordering in Spanish. Of course, I ruined it. But the waiter started talking in English to me, so I lucked out. The meal was delicious.. just thinking about it now makes me want it again. After eating, we went out and went to a club where I actually knew all of the music. I mean... whats a good night out without hearing Avicii's song Levels?! Anyone?!

Beautiful church outside of the Museo del Prado, Madrid

I also got to check out some classical art in Madrid. Alex took me to the Museo del Prado. The most notable paintings there were painted by Velázquez, Goya and El Greco. The most famous painting there was Las Meninas by Velázquez. Anyone who has ever taken an art history class probably knows this painting. It was a cool way to spend the afternoon.

Yummy tapas, Madrid

My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures! I've been so good at taking pictures the last few months, but I got really lazy this last week. Just means that you have to go check out Madrid for yourself!

Alex and I... the only picture we got together because we suck at life

It was so nice to be able to hang out with one of my best friends for longer than a few hours. I don't get to see her much because our schedules and lives have been completely different the last few years. We always said that we would visit each other when we went abroad and I'm so glad that it became a reality. I miss her already! But I'm currently writing from Bath, England. I will be heading back to Galway tomorrow night but I've had such an amazing vacation! Will be updating again soon, promise x


BONUS POST: Liz's (somewhat) Epic Journey

All packed :)

Siesta time!

Cuppa after a long day.