last sunset in Paris for a few days!
The flight was super quick and before we knew it we were in Spain! We checked into our Air BnB (thanks to our friend's friends who is in Spain for the year and is fluent - no habla espagnol! Then we cracked open the bottle of wine our Air BnB hosts left and went out! I also successfully ordered a vodka-cranberry at the club (vodka arrandaño - in case anyone is wondering) which was the highlight of my night.
The next morning we woke up to beautiful Madrid sunlight on our balcony! The weather was perfect for our weekend - 77 degrees on Friday! My friend who is studying abroad in Madrid from Skidmore came and met us at the apartment and then we were off into the city.
our balcony was maybe one of my favorite parts of the trip!
Our first stop (after breakfast, of course!) was El Retiro which is a beautiful garden. It was so beautiful with the pond in the middle and everyone enjoying the nice weather. We laid in the grass for a little while we waited for our friend's friend to come meet us.
blue sky, blue water, what more could we ask for?
Spring has sprung in Spain!
The nice thing about Madrid (or at least where our Air BnB was) is that everything was no more than a 25 minute walk from each other! What better way to see the city and soak in the Spanish sun? We walked to lunch which was paella! We also got sangria like real Spaniards and it is on my list of drinks I could chug all day, not to get drunk, but because it was so delicious!
paell-yas!
(sadly not pictured, the sangria)
Nex stop was a street with lots of shops and stores on it - just like Rue de Rivioli in Paris! So we stopped for a quick shopping break (your resident blogger found some jeans to replace the ripped ones!). Then we had another nice little 20-minute walk to the Palazzo Royal - or Spain's royal palace.
Feeling like a princess in every country ...
We got there just as the sun was setting so after another petite repose (little rest) in the sun, we snapped some pictures of the sunset.
Spain knows how to set the sun!
The palace is right near my friend's homestay so she took us to a little churro stand by the Metro station by her house!
low quality pic of some high quality churros
We Metro-ed home and stopped at a little grocery store for supplies for a little dinner and drinks. The plan was to find supplies to make our own mojitos but we couldn't find either limes or mint ... We tackled our microwave/oven combo (kind of - I really just think we ended up microwaving the pizza) and then got ready to go out!
enjoy this picture of a puerto because I forgot to take pictures when we went out ... who am I?
We went to a cool club (with more sangria) and danced the night away ... literally because it was 5 am before we were home and in bed! Everything in Madrid happens 2 hours later, waking up, lunch, going out ...
The next morning, after sleeping in, we rallied and went to Prado - a museum. Sadly, pictures were not allowed (a Spanish museum guard came and yelled at me) but I did manage to snap one picture!
illegal photo!!
Lunch was tacos at this little taco restaurant - it was 4 pm and we were starving. But it was most definitely worth the wait! Delicious mini tacos, a quesadilla, and a margarita mañacuya (passionfruit margarita?! si!!) was just what we needed.
will never say tac-no!
After lunch, we walked through Puerto del Sol -another plaza. [side note - a huge Davy Jones character ran at us and grabbed my shoulder, so lots of screaming ensued...I was not a fan!!]
Then we walked through Plaza Mayor - another famous plaza (sensing a theme here?)
I'm a ma(y)jor fan of the plazas
Our next stop was the Mercado San Miguel - a food market. It was fun to walk around and see all the different food (and take pictures obviously)!
I didn't have a mojito all weekend, but I did snap a pic of some
My friend studying abroad had told us about brownies she ate before, so we set off in search of the brownies, definitely enjoying our walk on the way! The Spanish calles (or rues) (or streets) are so cute!
After a struggle at the brownie bakery, (the woman taking orders kept skipping me!) we took our brownie and free slice of cake and sat on a bench to rest and eat.
I wish i had a picture of the brownie/cake but we devoured them entirely too quickly sadly.
My two freshman year roommates are also studying abroad in Madrid so after an all-day planning group text, we met up for tacos and margaritas! (and yes, I went back to the taco place again - pourquoi pas?/pourque no?) (and no, both margaritas were not for me)
the only man i need in my life is mañacuya
That night we went out to another club and ran into a bunch of other Skid Kids which was fun to see familiar faces!
Sunday, we checked out of our Air BnB and then walked around El Rastro which is an outdoor market. Lunch was a quick stop in a recommended restaurant and then we took the Madrid train to the airport terminal bus to the plane to the Beauvais bus to the metro back home! So much transportation!
not entirely sure what this delish sandwich was, but i loved every bite
Madrid was amazing - my words and pictures definitely don't even begin to cover it! The weather was definitely a huge plus and I can't wait for it to warm up in Paris now! The nice thing is, everytime we travel, I get a little bit more excited to come back to Paris - it's comforting but also scary to think that in less than 2 months I will leave for the last time! :( But that's a job for future Leah to deal with ...
Bises/Besos
L
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