So I’ve been slacking oh so much on this blog, and I apologize to all of you who are hoping to keep tabs on my life here in Spain. However, thanks to some much needed motivation from my good friend Chris I’m going to try and catch up by the end of this week, so here we go!

So after our incredible stay in Toledo, it was time to finally make our way to Valencia. The combination of being tired and hours on a bus allowed me to actually get a little bit of sleep on the way. I was awoken by Manuel, one of our ISA directors, because we had finally arrived in Valencia and were going to take a panoramic tour of the city! Below are my first views of the city!

So we drove around the whole city, and I could already tell that I was going to love it here =) Then we stopped at Mestalla Stadium, which is where all of the Valencia futbol (soccer) games are. Manuel told us that this is where our host families would be picking us up! This is when the freaking out began; there was so much excitement on the bus! We actually cheered as each pair of roommates got called =p Of course Lauren and I were the last ones from our bus to get called…go figure. But finally we met Mercedes, our madre española! She came to pick us up with her friend Alicia (ah-lee-see-a), who we later found out would be staying with us for a week. We hopped in a cab, and were driven to our home for the next four months! 

It was a little overwhelming when we walked in because her son, her daughter and her husband, and their three kids, plus a mother in law were all there to greet us! I’m living in an apartment, so I was surprised that so many people could fit so easily. Everyone was so friendly and welcomed us with open arms; well more like a kiss on each cheek! There was lots of noise and commotion because Mercedes’ grandsons are 5, 7, and 11 (at least I think), but they are absolutely adorable! She also has a dog named Pluto (and yes it is after the disney character) and Jackie (as in Jackie Chan), who is actually her daughter’s dog but is here temporarily. I found out very quickly that Pluto is not anything like the character because he growled and snapped when I tried to pet him, but it’s ok, I’m determined that we will become friends =)

We were able to escape the craziness for a little while to unpack and get settled. Our room is great; the comforters are pink so I was definitely happy =) We each have a desk, an armoire, and a set of drawers, so there is actually plenty of space for all of my stuff! The apartment is also a lot bigger than I thought it would be, and we have Wifi!!!! Major success!!! While we were unpacking the cutest thing happened! Her youngest grandson poked his head in our door as he was leaving and yelled “Adios Americanas!” After the family left and we were all unpacked we sat down to have dinner (I plan on doing a post about all the food later so don’t worry!). Lauren and I were exhausted from all of the traveling and excitement of the day, so we headed off to bed nice and early.

After spending the night in Madrid, we woke up the next morning, had another delicious breakfast, and prepared to leave for Toledo! Needless to say, we were all exhausted from Kapital the night before, so the bus ride was a welcome time to rest. Once again we had to maneuver all of our luggage through the crowded streets of Madrid, but we finally made it to the busses! 

The bus ride was four hours in total, but we had a break for lunch halfway through. I slept for most of the first half, but was excited to be able to get up and move around at the rest stop. I got pasta (I know, how exciting) and some type of juice box that is popular in Spain. The pasta was good, the juice…not so much haha. Then we headed onto the buses once again and finished up our trip to Toledo. 

We started our visit with a short bus tour around the outskirts of the city; the scenery was breathtaking! I was snapping pictures like my life depended on it haha. But then our tour guide told us that we would pull over for some photo opps! So the first picture is from the bus, and the rest are from where we stopped: definitely a difference in quality.

My roomie(Lauren) and I in front of the city!

Once we arrived in Toledo, we went on a walking tour of the city. Our guide was hilarious! He was wearing green from head to toe: shoes, scarf, pants, shirt, etc.; I definitely approved of his coordination! =) He was full of energy though, and kept cracking jokes the whole time. I was one of his favorites because I was wearing a fuchsia jacket, which is the main color of Toledo’s flag =p 

The city was as incredible as it looks; it was like walking back in time. All of the roadways were really narrow, and very few actually had sidewalks. Many of the roads were cobblestone, which just added to the feeling of being in another time. After the hustle and bustle of Madrid, it was nice to be in such a relaxed environment! We saw a lot of interesting buildings just walking through the city, but my favorite stop was at the monastery San-Juan de los Reyes. The architecture was unbelievable and the garden in the center really added to the beauty of the building.

After the tour, we took the busses to our hotel. The hotel was great, and we had an amazing view!

Unfortunately our hotel wasn’t in a great location as far as having things to do, so my roommate and I took advantage of the time to relax! We got dinner at the hotel; I had a grilled iberian ham and cheese sandwich with a sunny side up egg on top. It was different, but delicious!

So that concludes my trip to Toledo! I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it was definitely a wonderful city to see and I hope to go back and spend some more time there at some point in my life! 

So after a long flight, I was finally in Madrid! About half of the group met at the airport and we took a bus to our hotel. It was really nice: big fancy lobby, fairly spacious rooms, and wifi! It was quite the adventure to get our bags there though! I had two huge suitcases and then a little one that was my carry on, and I had to maneuver all three of them through the streets of Madrid. Not ISA’s best idea haha. So after dropping my bags several times and almost getting hit a couple of times by the crazy Madrid drivers, I was happy to drop everything off at the hotel =) Fun fact about the hotels here: you have to put your room key into a slot in order for any of the electricity in your room to work so that it prevents people from leaving the lights on while they’re gone, brilliant!

We were all pretty hungry after all of the traveling, so we decided to head out for lunch. Exhaustion was setting in, but I was determined to fight off jet lag! Manuel, one of ISA’s directors, recommended Cien Montaditos (100 sandwiches) for a unique bite to eat, so we figured why not give it a shot! The place was easy to find because it was really close to the hotel. Once at the restaurant the decision making began. They had over 100 different sandwiches! A montadito is a small sandwich; the roll is a baguette type of bread about the size of a dinner roll, and then it’s filled with just about anything. This included: vegetables, calamari, ham, chicken, cheeses, and even chocolate! They were only about 1 euro, so it was definitely a meal that I could afford. I ended up getting a calamari one with salsa brava (it tasted like spicy ketchup), and one with tortilla de patata (eggs and potatoes combined to form a quiche..kind of). They were served on a small plate with kettle potato chips. They weren’t amazing, but the atmosphere of the restaurant was really cool and it was a unique experience!

So after we had our fill of mini sandwiches, me and two of my friends, Carly and Julie, decided that we wanted to explore what Madrid had to offer! This meant roaming around until we found something interesting; no plans involved! It quickly became clear that finding interesting things around Madrid would not be hard to do! There were incredible sights to see everywhere! I’ve never seen a city with so many parks and plazas; everywhere you looked there was another fountain or ornate building or gorgeous park!

We walked all over Madrid for about 3 or 4 hours, and it was amazing! I’ve decided that my favorite way to see a city is to just roam around without a plan and walk towards anything of interest. We got to see so much more than we would have if we went in with a set idea of what we wanted to see. That night a group of us went out for dinner at a nearby restaurant recommended by one of the directors. For my first authentic Spanish meal I had tortilla espanola, which is potatoes and eggs mixed together! It’s kind of like quiche, but soooo much better =) I also got my first glass of wine here; it’s lovely to be in a country where the drinking age is 18!

After dinner it was bed time for me; I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of rest for what was sure to be another jam-packed day of culture, discovery, and new friends! 

The next day started with a continental breakfast at the hotel; but it was definitely not what we’re accustomed to in the states. It was delicious! They had all kinds of fresh fruits, pastries, hot items, a yogurt bar, espresso and so much more! I tried the fresh squeezed orange juice (something Spain is known for) for the first time, and it was unbelievable! I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to Tropicana =p

After breakfast we headed out to Museo del Prado. This is one of the most famous art museums in Europe! It was a pretty surreal experience, and one of the first things that really made it sink in that I was finally in the country that I had been waiting so long to see. Why you may ask? Museo del Prado is something I’ve learned about in Spanish classes starting in high school, and maybe even middle school! It was unreal to actually be there taking in all of the incredible art and history. Our tour guide was fantastic; she was very knowledgable and had lots of energy! We saw works from: Vega, Velazquez, Dali, Greco, Goya, and so many more! The paintings were completely breathtaking in person; it’s a lot different than looking at it on a textbook page. Unfortunately, pictures weren’t allowed inside the museum, so I snagged some brochures =)

After the tour of the museum, we had a little bit of free time to grab something to eat before we headed off to our next stop. Some friends and I found an adorable little cafe and had some coffee for a much needed energy boost. There’s such a difference between coffee at home and the cafe con leche (espresso and milk) here; it’s the real deal! The picture below just made me laugh, it’s an add on the napkin dispenser from the cafe.

So after our little coffee break, we made our way to La Reina Sofia. This is another famous art museum in Spain, but consists of mostly modern art. Here we got to see a lot of pieces from Dali and Picasso, as well as many more! I’m not the biggest fan of modern art because I just don’t really understand it, but it was definitely really interesting to see and learn about! Below is the really cool glass elevator (yes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory references were made) at the entrance of museum and some of the works that we saw!

After the museums, we had the rest of the day to ourselves to explore! A group of friends and I decided that we wanted to explore the best way we knew how, by wandering until we found something interesting. We headed for a park that we had passed on our walk to the museum; it looked like something straight out of Alice in Wonderland! There were all kinds of shaped trees/bushes and winding paths that never seemed to end! We kept thinking we had reached the end, but sure enough there was something else amazing just around the corner! When we finally found the end of the park, we came across a lake with a really neat building behind it. There were small vendors, food, music, and cute little picnic tables all over the area! There was a man there playing the accordion who started playing “The Saints Come Marching In” as we got closer, I’m pretty sure that was intentional haha. We actually came across some other students from the states so we chatted with them for a little while! After we had our fill of the gorgeous scenery, we decided to try and find La Puerta de Sol and Plaza Mayor.

So we attempted using a map to find the plazas, but that proved to be more of a nuisance than anything because we kept leaving our path to look at things along the way. We came across one street that had some really cool shops and loads of people, so of course we had to make a pit stop! We got lost several times, ended up in some probably not so great areas, and ran into some creepy guys, but it’s all part of the experience right? haha We were all pretty hungry, so after many restaurants that were not so appetizing, we found a winner! It was pretty small, but had really fun decor and the server was fantastic! We decided on a plate of various cured/dried/smoked meats and cheese and a plate of fresh bread with tomato and olive oil on it to share. Definitely a good choice, everything was delicious! The place was really interesting because there were legs of ham all over the walls, which is actually pretty common to see throughout Spain.

Finally we made it to Puerta del Sol, and it was well worth the wait! The best way I can describe it is like Spain’s version of Times Square: lots of lights, lots of people, lots of restaurants, and lots of excitement! =) There was even a sign for Lion King “on broadway”! We saw a few street performers who were playing music, and there was a random old man dancing, which was fun to watch! They also had some of those people who paint themselves to look like statues and then would move to try and scare the people walking by! It was a really cool area with a great vibe and lots of energy!

After taking in the sights, sounds, and culture, we made our way to Plaza Mayor, yet another place that I’ve been learning about forever. This was the sight of several public killings during times of war or even for felonies in the country. It was definitely like walking through a part of history. The plaza was stunning! It was one large square lined with ritzy apartments, high end stores, and lots of restaurants/bars.

After a long day of exploring, we made our way back to the hotel to relax for a bit. I decided to watch some TV, and sure enough Spongebob, or should I say Bob Ensponja, was on. Spongebob in Spanish may be one of the most amusing things I’ve ever seen! Then it was time to get ready to go out! Madrid has a club called Kapital that is known for being one of the best, so of course we had to go! It has seven floors, each one with a different theme. A big group of us from the program decided to go. However, when we got there around 12:30, we quickly learned that Spanish nightlife is not the same as in the states; 12:30 is considered early, most people don’t go out until 1:30 or 2 and then stay out until 6 or 7. It was a complete blast once more people started arriving! We danced, explored the seven floors, and I even sang some Spanish karaoke with friends (check off the bucket list!) =) We sang “A Whole New World” from Aladdin, which is known as “Un Mundo Ideal” in Spain, it was definitely an excellent decision! We even had some Spanish groupies who were singing and dancing with us! haha.  After that it was finally time for bed and getting ready to leave Madrid for Toledo the next day!

So my journey begins…at the Newark airport. My mom, dad, brother, and Jen all came with me to wish me bon voyage! We got a little lost on the way, but eventually made it to the airport. I said bye to my dad at the car so that he could stay with the car (the big softy started tearing up). Then my mom, Justin, Jen and I headed into the airport. After some wandering, we found where I needed to check my luggage. I had two suitcases, each of which could weigh a maximum of 50 pounds. One weighed 48 and the other weighed 49.5…win! =) Check in was very smooth! Then we made our way to security. Here is where I said my goodbyes to everyone =( I made my way to my gate and that’s when it really hit me that I would be embarking on an incredible journey for the next four months. I would soon be on my way to a foreign country without my family and friends all around me (this is when the waterworks kicked in). I had lots of time to kill to I went to Dunkin Donuts and grabbed a latte, and then tried to figure out who else at the gate was with ISA.

After about an hour and a half, it was finally time to board. The flight was pretty full, which led to some problems for stowing the carry-ons. There was no room for mine, so it ended up having to be checked with the normal luggage. I finally got settled in my window seat and got ready for take off. It was really cool to hear all of the announcements made in both English and Spanish! I watched the Help once we were in the air; what a great movie! The international flight movies are so much better than the domestic ones! They served two meals on the plane: dinner and a light breakfast. They were of course not the same as home cooking, but were pretty good for plane standards. So after 7 hours of travel, we had finally arrived in Madrid! It was about 10:00 am their time, so about 4:00 am our time. They told us it was about 30 degrees outside..oyyy.

On my way out of the plane, I met a girl who was also traveling with my program! It was great to have someone there to figure things out with! So once we were off of the plane, we went to find our group. As we were walking, one of the directors spotted us; apparently we were pretty easy to pick out. I think maybe the confused expressions and obscene amounts of luggage were a giveaway =p. We met up with about half of the group, and everyone seemed to hit it off right away. Everyone was exhausted, but our excitement outweighed our need for sleep. Once everyone arrived, we headed out to our hotel in Madrid!