After some uncertainty last week about whether my flight to Madrid would actually be able to take off, everything went smoothly and I made it there Friday evening. We were delayed half an hour at Charles de Gaulle, but since everyone was in Alcalá (the suburb of Madrid where Bobby, Royi, and Austin are actually studying) having dinner when I arrived in Madrid, the wait was negligible. Once everyone got back, though, we started a fun-filled weekend complete with -- as expected -- bars, clubs, the Royal Palace, and some other museums thrown in there.
Maya greeted me in Sol Plaza when I first arrived and we got some dinner since I hadn't eaten since before I left for the airport that afternoon. We went to this great little sandwich place where you can order a combination of mini montaditos that are all really cheap and come with chips! It was perfect. Then we met up with the rest of the group that we were staying with (Sarah, Austin, Hunter, Adam, Lindsay, Kate) and headed to the hostel.
Cat's Hostel was pretty nice. I had never stayed in a hostel before, so I didn't know quite what to expect, but there was nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. We stayed in a 10-person room, but since there were only 8 of us, the two extra beds were up for grabs. The first night we were there, one other girl stayed with us, which was fine since she was quiet and was out of the room most of the time; we were able to get ready to go out with no problems. When we did go out, we first went to a bar, where drinks were much cheaper than they are in Paris, and then went to a nearby club, Joy. Now I'm not a huge clubber, but it was fun to have a bunch of close friends there to just dance and hang out with. At around 4:30 am, we finally headed back to the hostel and got a little bit of sleep before starting a busy Saturday.
The next morning, after a quick croissant-and-juice breakfast at the hostel (which was included in the 14€/night price) and showers for all, we went to a good kebab place for lunch and then spent a little time shopping. When that was over (I'm not much of a shopper), we headed to the Palacio Real, which is apparently the official residence of the King of Spain, even though he and the royal family don't live there. It was cool to see the inside, but we weren't allowed to take pictures... The first image in this post is a view of the exterior from the courtyard, though, so you can get an idea for it.
Next up were two quick museum visits: the Reina Sofia, where Austin gave a great lesson on Picasso's Guernica and the Prado, where we zipped through and saw some of Velázquez and Goya's most famous works. We got a little later start on our day that we had been hoping for, so we sort of had to rush at the museums, but it was nice to take in some Spanish culture in the little time we had. After the Prado, we headed to a nice Italian restaurant for dinner together and then back to the hostel when we were done -- but only after stopping for an ice-cream-and-chocolate-covered waffle in the street.
When we did get back to the hostel, we were in for a surprise: the other empty bed had been filled, and the guy who was filling it was in the room, asleep. We weren't sure what to do at first, but eventually had to turn the light on and be talking since there were eight of us trying to get changed and ready to go out, and one of him (and it was 10 pm). After a while, he told us that he had to get up at 6:00 the next morning and asked if we could take it elsewhere, which was annoying, but since we had opened a bottle of wine and it was technically against hostel rules to drink in the rooms, we had to oblige him for fear he would complain and get us kicked out. To make up for the inconvenience, though, we went to a bar instead and got some great sangria before making our way to Kapital, another nightclub.
Although we had to pay 15€ to get in, I enjoyed Kapital a lot more. It's seven stories tall, with different dance floors and music styles on each, and with the price of admission we each also got two free drinks (I guess not really free, since we paid to get in, but close enough). We even got our picture taken by one of the club photographers, and it made it onto their website!
We got back around the same time and all fell asleep immediately. The morning came too quickly, and when it did it was time to say goodbye to most of the group. Since my flight wasn't until 5:30 that afternoon, I stuck around for a few more hours with Maya, Adam, and Kate, and we walked around for a while and then settled in for a nice lunch on the patio in Plaza Mayor. When 2:00 rolled around, we paid and I headed to the metro for my flight back to Paris. This time, I was delayed by about half an hour again, but it wasn't bad, and then I slept the whole ride back.
Overall, as I'm sure you can tell, it was a great trip. Not only did we do a lot of fun activities while I was there, but it was also just great to see everyone, especially since I hadn't seen most of them since the end of last semester and won't see them again until the summer, if not the fall.
A few final thoughts:
- The only negative note about the trip was the fact that in Spain, as in Paris, nearly everyone smokes, but unlike in Paris, they are allowed to do so inside. That means that restaurants, clubs, bars, etc. are constantly covered in a haze of smoke. I got used to it after a while, but when I got back, my clothes reeked.
- The weather was beautiful. It rained a bit on Saturday morning, but it was warm enough both nights that I didn't have wear a coat to the clubs (that and I didn't want to have to pay for coat check), and on Sunday I even got a slight sunburn on my face.
- Small world: While in line at the bar at Kapital, I happened to run into one of Bobby's friends whom I had met two years ago in Miami during spring break -- the same one who dyed my hair!
- As much as I like Paris, I do envy Madrid's prices. Food seemed pretty comparable, but drinks were considerably cheaper.
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