Hola from a coach bus leaving Toledo. It’s the first chance I have had to since we got here on Sunday (it’s now Wednesday. WE are finally heading to Seville and should be there by tonight, after a 5-hour bus trip, a stop in Cordoba, and a few more hours on the bus. The first few days in Spain have been incredible, and busy, and exhausting but I love it here already. We landed in Madrid Sunday morning around 6 am, and had to wait at the airport until 11 A.M until our program picked us up. That first “day” in Madrid consisted of being awake for 32 hours straight, since I didn’t sleep at all on the plane. The first day we didn’t do much, just had a few meetings and went to lunch and dinner in groups.
The second day in Madrid was wonderful and very busy. In the morning we toured el Palacio Royal (the Royal Palace) which was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Each room was completely different and unique, and each equally awe-inspiring. We took the entire tour in Spanish, and I was surprised to find that I could understand a good amount of what was being said. Towards the end of the tour it became difficult to pay attention and translate at the same time, but I think a lot of that had to do with being so exhausted from the jetlag. After lunch I wandered around Madrid with three other girls who have already became fast friends. My mom’s very well traveled friend recommended getting tapas at a street called Calle Cava Baja, so we explored until we found it but all of the restaurants were closed and we realized it was more of a bar street that would be open at night. Somehow we stumbled upon this wonderful, authentic little restaurant where we had the best lunch and my first real Spanish cultural experience. The Spaniards eat lunch much later than we do in America (around 2:30) and it is the main meal of the day, usually consisting of a primer plato (think an bread, an appetizer/salad or soup, a Segundo plato (main dish), and dessert. In Spain they have a concept called “menu del dia” (menu of the day) where for a fixed price you get all of these dishes. At this particular restaurant we paid 10 euros and got wine (not just a glass, an entire bottle for each person who got the deal) bread, a salad, huevos rotos (fried eggs, Spanish ham, and French fries), and dessert (these amazing ice cream cake things.) Two of the four of us ordered the menu del dia, and the four of us shared the 2 bottles of wine. This particular wine was tinto de verano (which roughly translates to red wine of the summer.) It’s red wine mixed with a lemony water (think fruit20 or Propel,) and was absolutely amazing. We sat for almost 2 hours just talking and enjoying our meals, and easily could of sat for much longer if we didn’t have to meet the group back for another tour. The experience we had a the restaurant is the kind of experience I had hoped for when picturing how my life would be studying abroad.
Later that day we toured the Prado museum (I chose to take the Spanish version of the tour and again was pleasantly surprised to find that I could understand the jest of what she was saying.) For someone who doesn’t consider herself very interested in art, I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the tour and hearing about how so many religious and cultural aspects relate to the paintings we were viewing. Later that night I was lucky enough to get to meet up with my wonderful friend from Madrid, Celtia. I met Celtia through my long time best friend Alexa, who met Celtia at a summer camp in Massachusetts. Celtia took me to a rooftop restaurant and bar called Gymage (it was on the top of a very trendy, boutique gym, which aren’t nearly as common in Spain as they are in the US. We shared fondue and each got cooked vegetables is some kind of mushroom oil for dinner, which was incredible. It was so nice to spend time with a native Spaniard, and we even saw the Spanish version of “the bachelorette” contestants at this restaurant. Later that night I met back up with my friend and a group of us went back to this bar for a drink. Here was where we all got our first taste of “Spanish PDA” as we were sat in a lounge with all couples who certainly were not afraid of PDA to say the least. This bar is not a touristy spot at all, and the seemingly good drinks we thought we were ordering were actually really gross, but the whole experience was laughable in the end.
The following morning we left Madrid to head to Toledo, and stopped at San Lorenzo del Escorial on the way. This was the summer residence of Carlos V of Spain and many other royals. Again, the tour was entirely in Spanish and my favorite part was an absolutely incredible Cathedral build into this enormous palace. From el Escorial we made our way to Toledo, which was my favorite place we visited on my high school trip to Europe, and it certainly did not disappoint once again. Toledo is straight out of a fairytale with its castles, cathedrals, and quint little cobblestone streets. It is much quieter than Madrid. We toured Toledo and saw the Cathedral, Jewish synagogue, and Muslim mosque. At different times throughout history different religious groups have had control over Toledo so the architecture is very diverse and reflects Muslin, Jewish and Catholic religions. I had another wonderful dinner that night with the same three girls from the lunch in Madrid. I already feel so lucky to have met these girls, and again we had a great time trying tapas and sharing a bottle of wine. After dinner, which the Spaniards don’t eat until at least 9, and is a much lighter meal than a typical U.S. dinner, we happened to come across some other people in our group and we sat outside with them at a restaurant for some Spanish sangria, which is just as good as everyone makes it out to be. That concludes my first few days in Spain, and I couldn’t have asked for a better first few days. Everyone in our program is friendly and nice, and we all come from all over the country, which is really great and certainly keeps things interesting. Spain is definitely very different than the United States; here is what I’ve noticed so far:
· The people are very willing to help you with your Spanish speaking, as long as you put in a little effort. Everyone I have met so far has been very warm and welcoming.
· The Spanish eat meals much later than we do, and their lunch is more like what we would eat for dinner. Junky snack foods are much more expensive here, and everyone pretty much only eats very freshly prepared meals.
· They eat a lot of ham. And a lot of eggs. And a lot of seafood. And then they eat more ham.
· No one takes left overs home and there isn’t really the concept of “coffee to go.” I haven’t seen a single person with a to-go cup of coffee in their hand. Instead, people take the time to sit in a café and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Speaking of the coffee, its amazing. Better than anything I’ve ever had in the U.S. A regular coffee in Spain is actually an espresso, and a café con leche (coffee with milk) is more like American coffee. But better. Because pretty much everything in Europe is better.
· People tend to not be in a huge rush here, even when you would expect people to be trying to get to work.
· It’s colder than I thought it would be. The weather in Madrid was much more fall like. Seville is in Southern Spain, so it should be warmer. I really hope so since I didn’t pack nearly enough warm clothing if its going to be this cold there from the start.
· Waiters and waitresses are paid actual salaries, so they never try to rush you from a restaurant and people tend to spend hours enjoying meals. You have to ask for the check, they will never just bring it to you. They also don’t tend to tip, unless you really enjoy the service.
· They eat bread with almost every meal, but somehow they tend to stay very skinny. They also walk A TON. In the full day I spend in Madrid I walked 10 miles and 23,000 steps, way more than I ever have in a day in the U.S., even with working out. So glad I brought my fit-bit.
I am so excited but also anxious and a little nervous to meet my house mom. I’m really looking forward to getting unpacked and starting to settle into life in Seville. I also cant wait to start booking trips to travel all around Europe. We’ve already booked a trip to Portugal for the weekend after next. If you have any suggestions on any other places to visit in Europe, please let me know, I want to go anywhere and everywhere!
Adios for now, more from Seville soon!
The second day in Madrid was wonderful and very busy. In the morning we toured el Palacio Royal (the Royal Palace) which was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Each room was completely different and unique, and each equally awe-inspiring. We took the entire tour in Spanish, and I was surprised to find that I could understand a good amount of what was being said. Towards the end of the tour it became difficult to pay attention and translate at the same time, but I think a lot of that had to do with being so exhausted from the jetlag. After lunch I wandered around Madrid with three other girls who have already became fast friends. My mom’s very well traveled friend recommended getting tapas at a street called Calle Cava Baja, so we explored until we found it but all of the restaurants were closed and we realized it was more of a bar street that would be open at night. Somehow we stumbled upon this wonderful, authentic little restaurant where we had the best lunch and my first real Spanish cultural experience. The Spaniards eat lunch much later than we do in America (around 2:30) and it is the main meal of the day, usually consisting of a primer plato (think an bread, an appetizer/salad or soup, a Segundo plato (main dish), and dessert. In Spain they have a concept called “menu del dia” (menu of the day) where for a fixed price you get all of these dishes. At this particular restaurant we paid 10 euros and got wine (not just a glass, an entire bottle for each person who got the deal) bread, a salad, huevos rotos (fried eggs, Spanish ham, and French fries), and dessert (these amazing ice cream cake things.) Two of the four of us ordered the menu del dia, and the four of us shared the 2 bottles of wine. This particular wine was tinto de verano (which roughly translates to red wine of the summer.) It’s red wine mixed with a lemony water (think fruit20 or Propel,) and was absolutely amazing. We sat for almost 2 hours just talking and enjoying our meals, and easily could of sat for much longer if we didn’t have to meet the group back for another tour. The experience we had a the restaurant is the kind of experience I had hoped for when picturing how my life would be studying abroad.
Later that day we toured the Prado museum (I chose to take the Spanish version of the tour and again was pleasantly surprised to find that I could understand the jest of what she was saying.) For someone who doesn’t consider herself very interested in art, I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the tour and hearing about how so many religious and cultural aspects relate to the paintings we were viewing. Later that night I was lucky enough to get to meet up with my wonderful friend from Madrid, Celtia. I met Celtia through my long time best friend Alexa, who met Celtia at a summer camp in Massachusetts. Celtia took me to a rooftop restaurant and bar called Gymage (it was on the top of a very trendy, boutique gym, which aren’t nearly as common in Spain as they are in the US. We shared fondue and each got cooked vegetables is some kind of mushroom oil for dinner, which was incredible. It was so nice to spend time with a native Spaniard, and we even saw the Spanish version of “the bachelorette” contestants at this restaurant. Later that night I met back up with my friend and a group of us went back to this bar for a drink. Here was where we all got our first taste of “Spanish PDA” as we were sat in a lounge with all couples who certainly were not afraid of PDA to say the least. This bar is not a touristy spot at all, and the seemingly good drinks we thought we were ordering were actually really gross, but the whole experience was laughable in the end.
The following morning we left Madrid to head to Toledo, and stopped at San Lorenzo del Escorial on the way. This was the summer residence of Carlos V of Spain and many other royals. Again, the tour was entirely in Spanish and my favorite part was an absolutely incredible Cathedral build into this enormous palace. From el Escorial we made our way to Toledo, which was my favorite place we visited on my high school trip to Europe, and it certainly did not disappoint once again. Toledo is straight out of a fairytale with its castles, cathedrals, and quint little cobblestone streets. It is much quieter than Madrid. We toured Toledo and saw the Cathedral, Jewish synagogue, and Muslim mosque. At different times throughout history different religious groups have had control over Toledo so the architecture is very diverse and reflects Muslin, Jewish and Catholic religions. I had another wonderful dinner that night with the same three girls from the lunch in Madrid. I already feel so lucky to have met these girls, and again we had a great time trying tapas and sharing a bottle of wine. After dinner, which the Spaniards don’t eat until at least 9, and is a much lighter meal than a typical U.S. dinner, we happened to come across some other people in our group and we sat outside with them at a restaurant for some Spanish sangria, which is just as good as everyone makes it out to be. That concludes my first few days in Spain, and I couldn’t have asked for a better first few days. Everyone in our program is friendly and nice, and we all come from all over the country, which is really great and certainly keeps things interesting. Spain is definitely very different than the United States; here is what I’ve noticed so far:
· The people are very willing to help you with your Spanish speaking, as long as you put in a little effort. Everyone I have met so far has been very warm and welcoming.
· The Spanish eat meals much later than we do, and their lunch is more like what we would eat for dinner. Junky snack foods are much more expensive here, and everyone pretty much only eats very freshly prepared meals.
· They eat a lot of ham. And a lot of eggs. And a lot of seafood. And then they eat more ham.
· No one takes left overs home and there isn’t really the concept of “coffee to go.” I haven’t seen a single person with a to-go cup of coffee in their hand. Instead, people take the time to sit in a café and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea. Speaking of the coffee, its amazing. Better than anything I’ve ever had in the U.S. A regular coffee in Spain is actually an espresso, and a café con leche (coffee with milk) is more like American coffee. But better. Because pretty much everything in Europe is better.
· People tend to not be in a huge rush here, even when you would expect people to be trying to get to work.
· It’s colder than I thought it would be. The weather in Madrid was much more fall like. Seville is in Southern Spain, so it should be warmer. I really hope so since I didn’t pack nearly enough warm clothing if its going to be this cold there from the start.
· Waiters and waitresses are paid actual salaries, so they never try to rush you from a restaurant and people tend to spend hours enjoying meals. You have to ask for the check, they will never just bring it to you. They also don’t tend to tip, unless you really enjoy the service.
· They eat bread with almost every meal, but somehow they tend to stay very skinny. They also walk A TON. In the full day I spend in Madrid I walked 10 miles and 23,000 steps, way more than I ever have in a day in the U.S., even with working out. So glad I brought my fit-bit.
I am so excited but also anxious and a little nervous to meet my house mom. I’m really looking forward to getting unpacked and starting to settle into life in Seville. I also cant wait to start booking trips to travel all around Europe. We’ve already booked a trip to Portugal for the weekend after next. If you have any suggestions on any other places to visit in Europe, please let me know, I want to go anywhere and everywhere!
Adios for now, more from Seville soon!