¡Hola from Madrid, Spain! This weekend I ventured to southern Europe in hopes of finding the sun. Though early winter in Spain did not offer tropical weather, I did enjoy some warmer weather and feeling the sun on my back. In Spain, I met up with my friend from University of Denver, Elsa. Before I could even hop off the plane my mother reminded me how great it would have been if I had chosen to take Spanish instead of Chinese 7 years ago. Thankfully the language barrier was not too apparent and I got along just fine.
After arriving Friday morning, Elsa and I made our way to our Airbnb. One of my new favorite feelings walking off the plane to see Uber advertisements in the airport and knowing that I won't have to deal with getting a taxi in a different language. Our Airbnb turned out to be a real hidden gem. The mini balcony of the room is exactly what comes to mind when you think of a Spanish apartment. After getting settled, we head out to explore the town. Reaching out to friends studying in Madrid and those who had already visited we compiled a list of activities for the weekend. My new favorite tool is making a list on Google Maps that pinpoints all the places you want to visit. It made it very easy to have all the suggestions in one place so we could pull up the map and see what was around us that had been suggested for dinner or which monument was nearby to go see next and get walking directions on how to get there. Madrid is a very walkable city so we set out with curious minds ready to take in lots of carbs and history. Our first stop was the Royal Botanic Gardens. The gardens were all lit up with Christmas lights and offered an array of stunning fall colors. Next, we took in more nature as we walked around Retiro park. The park was vast with trees and even a little lake in the middle filled with rowboats. After taking in the nature of Madrid we headed over to Plaza de Cibeles to take in the architecture. This plaza (one of many many many plazas in Madrid) was filled with main municipal buildings of Spain. Everything looked very prestigious and took on a neo-classical look downed in marble. Finally, our night ended with a Tapas and Wine tour. This intimate tour brought us around to 4 local restaurants where we tasted wine and shared tapas (a tapa is a little dish that comes with every drink). Some of the tapas we had included hams, olives, cheeses, bread, garlic shrimp, peppers, and asparagus all tastefully crafted together for a sensational meal. It was also a great opportunity to get to know more about Spanish wines. The tour not only offered wonderful drink and food but also delightful company. Being the youngest by 20 years on our tour, Elsa and I had fun chatting with adults from all over the world. After getting our bearing on Friday we dove into Saturday ready to take on more of the city.
Saturday began with breakfast at a local cafe then off to see the Royal Palace. Walking up to the palace I was in awe; everything about the sight was grand. After getting the chance to see a changing of the guards, we ventured down to the palace's gardens. The gardens were just a noble as the building itself and the accordion player really set the tone as if it was a fairytale. Ready for a midday snack we ventured over to the Chocolaterial San Gines for world-famous churros. Living up to the hype, the churros and hot chocolate (as in literal warm chocolate not what we drink after playing in the snow) were delicious, to say the least. They were different than any other churro I had tried as they weren't dipped in sugar but rather got their sweetness from the chocolate. With our blood sugar spiked, we met up with our walking tour to see a more historical side of the city. Our tour guide went into great details and gave stories about each spot we went to which was more enjoyable from my point of view than just getting the monuments pointed out. The stop I found most interesting was the house of Miguel de Cervantes, the author as Don Quixote aka the first novel ever written. Our night ended with a delicious dinner at a local restaurant. I was very happy as we got a cheese plate (my favorite) and I was even adventurous enough to try (and now love) mussels (mom, aren't you so proud of me?!). The whole city stays up very late (late as in getting back from the clubs at 6 am) so dinner at 10 pm was normal which was quite the concept for me to grasp.
My final day in Madrid was filled with sweets (as if I hadn't been indulging the rest of the weekend)! With only a few hours until we caught our flights, Elsa and I headed to La Mallorquina for a breakfast pastry. La Mallorquina is a bakery located in Palza de Sol which is in the center of Madrid. Businesses that have existed in the same spot for over 100 years are given a plaque; as a tourist, these plaques made it very easy to know the best spots to eat. La Mallorquina has a plaque in addition to where we went to lunch after, La Casa de las Torrjias. La Casa de las Torrjias was a true Spanish restaurant where Elsa and I dove deep into the archives of our middle school Spanish knowledge to order and communicate with staff (I would say we did pretty well). This restaurant is known for its torrijos which is similar to french toast. With a full stomach and happy heart, I boarded my plane back to Scotland. With a well-stamped passport now in my possession, I began to think about how lucky and proud I am to have a United States Passport. It is such a blessing to know that I am from a country that makes travelling and getting through border control so easily with few questions. My decorated passport and I are going to try to do some school this week while I ready for more adventures to come next weekend!