Day 2: (Madrid) A VERY Complete Introduction
Get ready for a super long post...
As you can probably guess from the title, today me and the group got VERY acquainted with Madrid. We started off the day with a walking tour with Madrid native Javier, who showed us all the beautiful, secret, not-so-secret, and delicious places we should visit during our time here. There were soo many places to see and Javier wasted no time showing us - marathon training Day 1.
To start off our day, we visited Puerta del Sol and made our way to Kilometro 0 - which is not only in the smack dab middle of the city of Madrid, but it's also the exact center of the entire country of Spain. While we were there, we took some obligatory tourist photos with our feet on the plaque, a line of other tourists planning to do the same thing impatiently waiting behind us.
We then made our way into a small bakery across the street called La Mallorquina to indulge in the smells. This was unlike any bakery I had ever been in before, people were crowded in like sardines, squeezing themselves together like they were on the CTA during rush hour. I've noticed that Spanish people are much more comfortable with getting close to other people - something we in the Midwest and America in general freak out about. In any case, the Spanish bakery items coming fresh out of the oven and displayed beautifully on shelves looked and smelled incredible.
Then, to really experience Spanish culture after the temptation from the bakery, we went to a small Churro bakery and enjoyed some fresh made churros - Yum! There are churro places all over Madrid, but in order to get the best ones, you have to go to the place that actually makes them, for the most fresh and decadent ones you'll ever taste.
After some happy tummies - we walked on, exploring more plazas, square and side streets, everything so architecturally beautiful it took my breath away. The care and condition that these buildings in Madrid are kept in is fabulous - you hardly ever see it in America. We visited the beautiful Palacio Real de Madrid (whose landscapers are incredible), el Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona (which I'll definitely be finding my way back to if we have time) and a very old restaurant called Posada de la Vida, which was founded in 1642. The smells in that place were unbelievable and the cook was very proud to show us his work, which is pretty representative of a lot of people in Spain.
From there, we checked out Plaza Mayor, which was huge and beautiful - there were street performers everywhere and there was this sense of amazement and wonder that filled the air. From there, we popped out one of the huge arches that lead out of the plaza and went to El Mercado de San Miguel to get a tapas lunch. (Yes, all this happened before lunch - I, know, right?!) I had the best fresh squeezed lemonade I've ever tasted, smelled (and ate) the sweetest, juiciest strawberries in existence and tried some of Spain's really famous ham, and I see why it's so famous!
After lunch, we met back up with our tour guide, Rick, who will be with us all week and walked around even more of Madrid. We went on top of on a rooftop overlooking the city, ate gelato, and were super thankful for the Vitamin D that's been lacking in Chicago. Continuing on, we went to a library filled with alternative film books, which was right across from two independent alternative Spanish film theatres. This quaint store was cozy and bohemian, giving a super comfortable vibe to anyone inside. If I lived here, I could've stayed in there for hours - it was perfect.
Next, we found ourselves at the site of some Egyptian ruins - The Temple of Debod (Yes, I thought the same thing - Egyptian ruins, in Spain?!) The ruins were beautiful, and of course well kept like the rest of the city, but was even more beautiful was the sight off the cliff looking over the city. There was a park surrounding the ruins and everyone was relaxed and comfortable, enjoying the Tuesday afternoon without a care in the world. It was here that I really took note of how freaking affectionate Spaniards are... In America, we like our space. If someone comes and sits three feet away from us, we get uncomfortable and ask ourselves why they came so close.. Here - people literally lay on top of each other, kiss passionately, pet each other and sit right next to other groups of people without batting an eyelash of thinking its weird.. It's actually quite beautiful and, it sounds weird, but you can feel the love emitting from people. I'm not sure, maybe it's just something in the air - but they're doing something right over here.
Finally, we found ourselves back at the palace, but behind it this time in a lush green labyrinth with fountains and bushes. It was serene and peaceful, the perfect way to end a tiring day. I left there feeling tranquil, and like el Jardín del Príncipe de Anglona, I'd love to come back.
Today was also the first time that we had to find dinner on our own without our professors or guides, which didn't seem like a big deal seeing as how we're all adults and are capable of choosing what we'd like to eat. The feat came in when we actually had to get somewhere on Madrid's winding, crossing streets that both our tour guides navigated with ease. Us, not so much. We had passed a restaurant on Calle Baja during our day of walking and wanted to get back there... Looking at a map, it's not so easy - the streets cross at weird angles, change names, change directions, go uphill and downhill and next thing we know we're standing on a random street corner saying "Do you recognize this..??" It was a struggle, but we eventually made it with the help of getting directions from some lovely Spanish people and sat down and ate some bomb wood fired pizza with ham! On our stroll back to the hotel, we stopped and watched a group of about 20 dogs run and play together in the middle of the street. The dogs here are incredibly well behaved, and 9 out of 10 times go on walks without being attached to a leash. It was both weird and heartwarming to see - we would never allow that in America, hell, we fine if your dog isn't on a leash, but here the dogs ran freely, came when they were called and actually seemed happy. After close to an hour later, we got up and walked back through the palace, which was brilliant in the night time.
Long day and some struggles aside, we walked over 11 miles and saw a huge portion of the city, all of which is beautiful...