Currently, it is 9:35am and I’m on a bus headed to Madrid with the entire program. I woke up at 6 am to have enough time to get ready and be at the bus stop at 8 am. Somehow I made it 30 mins early and ended up waiting by myself for most of the time. While casually glancing around, I saw the last second of an advertisement for a Rise Against concert on October 4. I looked it up just be sure and sure enough they are playing!!!!!!! The tickets are only 30 Euro and I definitely want to go see them! Surprisingly, the 5-hour bus ride to Madrid went by pretty quick and we had beautiful views of Spanish country and mountains. I also saw a small slum for the first time in my life. It was so weird because it was fairly close to the expressway and the outer edge of the city. When we pulled up in front of our hotel it seemed pretty run down but it was actually really nice inside! On the way up to our rooms, a girl had her backpack accidently pressed against the buttons and we ended up stopping at every SINGLE FLOOR. Of course, we were on the 9th floor so that was definitely fun! The rooms were really pretty but for some reason you have to put your key card into a slot in the wall by the door to use the lights. I guess that’s the European way of making sure people don’t leave the lights on and wasting electricity. There was also a bidet in the bathroom. Once everyone was settled into his or her rooms we ate lunch in the hotel buffet, which was surprisingly good. Our first stop on our tour of Madrid was the Palacio Real. It was extravagantly gorgeous. Unfortunately I couldn't take any pictures inside but I took a few outside! In the courtyard area there were some simply stunning views but the inside was definitely where the intricate work was. Each room had a completely different design and purpose. The dressing room walls were hand embroidered with vines and flowers. The banquet room was my favorite because there was a beautiful dance floor with a chandelier and a ginormous dining table that seats 140 people. I definitely have some ideas about the requirements from my future house. After the palace, we went on a guided walking tour to around Madrid de los Austrias, which includes la Plaza de la Villa, la Plaza Mayor y la Puerta del Sol. Since we were walking to a lot of touristy areas, most people didn’t like the city as much as Bilbao and were overwhelmed by all the people. Even though Madrid has only about 4 or 5 high rises it still reminded me of Chicago because there were a lot of chains like Dunkin Donuts, TGI Fridays, Hard Rock Café, along with TONS of people.
After the tour we went back to the hotel for dinner. Instead of going out or staying up super late, I decided to go to sleep early.
2 Comments
Robert O'Malley
9/28/2015 10:46:56 am
So excited you're in Madrid! Be sure to get to Buen Retiro and hang out (for hours at a time...bottle of water, bottle of wine, bread, and chocolate...you'll be set!)...and the Prado, of course...and walk around and get lost!
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Mom
9/28/2015 06:01:17 pm
hi patricia, nice blog, we love and miss you👨👩👧👦
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