Madrid!
On Thursday, Nicole and I went to the bank so she could change her money, then ran to Champion again to pick up a few more things. A couple people were supposed to go to the bank with us, but never showed up so we just went without them. We came home and I was really tired so I passed out before dinner. Then we ate dinner, and Juani had gotten a roscón for us, like a king’s cake (gallete du roi in France) with the little figurine in the middle. In Spain, Christmas celebrations only start with Christmas Day, and go till Epiphany, January 6, when the 3 Kings got to Bethlehem. It was really good, and really pretty. This week they were taking down some of the Christmas decorations since Christmas is pretty much over now. We were going to go out to the Can Can, a bar where a lot of Americans go, and they give Americans free drinks on Thursdays, but we didn’t know how to get there and what time everyone was meeting, so we didn’t go, but it was ok. We watched the Spanish version of Big Brother with Juani, then went to bed.
Friday we didn’t have class, and we took a trip into Madrid, so we could learn how to get there on the bus, how to use the metro, how to take the train home, etc. I had never been to Madrid before, but it was gorgeous, I really enjoyed it. We took the bus into Madrid, which was cool because the public transportation buses are like charter buses, really nice. We arrived in the Avenida de Américas station, where we learned how to use the metro and took it a few stops (even though I’m used to it from Paris). Javier, one of the directors, took us around and we saw a bunch of different sites. We saw an Egyptian temple that was a gift from the Egyptian government to the Spanish government, el Templo Debod, which was cool. Then we went over to the Jardines del Campo del Moro, gardens in front of the Royal Palace. The King actually doesn’t live in the old Palace anymore, it is gigantic and so they moved to a smaller one. The gardens were really pretty, and I must admit, I was shocked to see lots of palm trees just in the center of Madrid. We also went to the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almuneda, which was gorgeous. Saint Isidor, the patron saint of Madrid, is buried there. I really liked that. We also saw a lot of other things, like the Plaza Mayor, the town hall of Madrid, the financial district, the street where the most expensive stores are and the Corte Inglés shopping mall are, the Puerta del Sur and Alcalá, El Prado museum and the Reina Sofia museum where some of the most important paintings are, like Picasso’s Guernica, and then finally left out of the Atocha train station. We got into Madrid and walked around until about 2:30 or 3 when we left to come home. Javier, who was giving us the tour, walks really fast, basically sprinting, so we all were trying to listen but take pictures and stuff too. We finally got home around 4, so it was a long day, but like I said, I really liked Madrid. The architecture is absolutely beautiful. We ate lunch when we got home, and we were starving, and then passed out for like 2 ½ hours for siesta. Walking around for like 5 hours nonstop is exhausting! After we woke up, we pretty much ate again. I was proud of myself because we had fish again, which I tried and it was pretty good, once again. We went out around 11 with a couple friends. Between the group, we decided to do a little bar hopping, so we started out at the Irish pub, where we had Beamish beer, which was ok, but kind of had an aftertaste I didn’t like. This one older guy came up to us and introduced himself to all of us, and we weren’t sure if someone knew him, but no one did. He was kind of weird, and a little awkward, then finally went away. Apparently he told Lance that the best presidents were Kennedy and Lincoln or something. He also didn’t have any teeth. Made for a good story though. Then we went to another bar (that we closed, haha), and had a glass of red wine, which was good. Then we went to the Can Can, Nicole really wanted to go and a couple people had gone last night and had fun. It was fun and we danced a little bit. We finally got home around 3:30ish, but it was a lot of fun.
Today, we were able to sleep in which was really nice, then we had our tour of Alcalá at noon. Javier took us once again, and we went around and saw the University of Alcalá, the cathedral, an archeological museum, Cervantes’ house, etc. There are also 13 monasteries here. I knew that Alcalá was important in terms of the University and Cervantes, but I never realized how much history and importance it really has, so that was interesting. We came home and ate lunch. The Infanta Leanor, Princess Leanor, was baptized today, so that was all over the tv, and interesting to watch, she is really cute. Some of us met back up at the Plaza for milkshakes and coffee, and we hung out in a little café there for awhile, so that was fun. The boys decided they wanted to try to get haircuts (mullets are plentiful and very popular over here), so they went to a peluqueria, while the rest of us walked down the strip (down the Calle Mayor, Main Street) looking for jackets because Monica and Rose had been borrowing jackets from their families. It was getting late so we all went home for dinner. There were a lot of people out though, Calle Mayor and the Plaza were pretty hopping. We might go back into Madrid tomorrow, but who knows. The nice thing is that we don’t have class till 11:30 on Monday. Nicole and I are going to relax and watch Wedding Crashers. Most people decided to stay in tonight instead of going out, everyone is still exhausted from yesterday and last night. It’s a hilarious movie and I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m excited. Anyways, hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Friday we didn’t have class, and we took a trip into Madrid, so we could learn how to get there on the bus, how to use the metro, how to take the train home, etc. I had never been to Madrid before, but it was gorgeous, I really enjoyed it. We took the bus into Madrid, which was cool because the public transportation buses are like charter buses, really nice. We arrived in the Avenida de Américas station, where we learned how to use the metro and took it a few stops (even though I’m used to it from Paris). Javier, one of the directors, took us around and we saw a bunch of different sites. We saw an Egyptian temple that was a gift from the Egyptian government to the Spanish government, el Templo Debod, which was cool. Then we went over to the Jardines del Campo del Moro, gardens in front of the Royal Palace. The King actually doesn’t live in the old Palace anymore, it is gigantic and so they moved to a smaller one. The gardens were really pretty, and I must admit, I was shocked to see lots of palm trees just in the center of Madrid. We also went to the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almuneda, which was gorgeous. Saint Isidor, the patron saint of Madrid, is buried there. I really liked that. We also saw a lot of other things, like the Plaza Mayor, the town hall of Madrid, the financial district, the street where the most expensive stores are and the Corte Inglés shopping mall are, the Puerta del Sur and Alcalá, El Prado museum and the Reina Sofia museum where some of the most important paintings are, like Picasso’s Guernica, and then finally left out of the Atocha train station. We got into Madrid and walked around until about 2:30 or 3 when we left to come home. Javier, who was giving us the tour, walks really fast, basically sprinting, so we all were trying to listen but take pictures and stuff too. We finally got home around 4, so it was a long day, but like I said, I really liked Madrid. The architecture is absolutely beautiful. We ate lunch when we got home, and we were starving, and then passed out for like 2 ½ hours for siesta. Walking around for like 5 hours nonstop is exhausting! After we woke up, we pretty much ate again. I was proud of myself because we had fish again, which I tried and it was pretty good, once again. We went out around 11 with a couple friends. Between the group, we decided to do a little bar hopping, so we started out at the Irish pub, where we had Beamish beer, which was ok, but kind of had an aftertaste I didn’t like. This one older guy came up to us and introduced himself to all of us, and we weren’t sure if someone knew him, but no one did. He was kind of weird, and a little awkward, then finally went away. Apparently he told Lance that the best presidents were Kennedy and Lincoln or something. He also didn’t have any teeth. Made for a good story though. Then we went to another bar (that we closed, haha), and had a glass of red wine, which was good. Then we went to the Can Can, Nicole really wanted to go and a couple people had gone last night and had fun. It was fun and we danced a little bit. We finally got home around 3:30ish, but it was a lot of fun.
Today, we were able to sleep in which was really nice, then we had our tour of Alcalá at noon. Javier took us once again, and we went around and saw the University of Alcalá, the cathedral, an archeological museum, Cervantes’ house, etc. There are also 13 monasteries here. I knew that Alcalá was important in terms of the University and Cervantes, but I never realized how much history and importance it really has, so that was interesting. We came home and ate lunch. The Infanta Leanor, Princess Leanor, was baptized today, so that was all over the tv, and interesting to watch, she is really cute. Some of us met back up at the Plaza for milkshakes and coffee, and we hung out in a little café there for awhile, so that was fun. The boys decided they wanted to try to get haircuts (mullets are plentiful and very popular over here), so they went to a peluqueria, while the rest of us walked down the strip (down the Calle Mayor, Main Street) looking for jackets because Monica and Rose had been borrowing jackets from their families. It was getting late so we all went home for dinner. There were a lot of people out though, Calle Mayor and the Plaza were pretty hopping. We might go back into Madrid tomorrow, but who knows. The nice thing is that we don’t have class till 11:30 on Monday. Nicole and I are going to relax and watch Wedding Crashers. Most people decided to stay in tonight instead of going out, everyone is still exhausted from yesterday and last night. It’s a hilarious movie and I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m excited. Anyways, hope everyone is having a great weekend!
posted by steph at 1/14/2006 04:29:00 PM
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