Hi from Espana! Okay, all you Spanish speakers are probably cringing now but I couldn't tell you the first thing about Spanish accents. I'm having enough trouble with the darn keyboard...
Courtney and I arrived in Madrid on Monday afternoon after a fairly uneventful trip (which is good, we know). I was pretty amazed at how fast the trans-Atlantic flight felt since it´s been awhile since I´ve flown to Europe. I guess compared to 14 hours to China, 7 is nothing.
But now we are in Madrid, so we obviously made it! Even though I studied abroad in France, I never ventured across the border to Spain. I always figured Spain would be a big trip if I ever did it since it´s a big country. Additionally, as a French major, I will fully admit to my (learned) French superiority complex. I think it dates back to the French vs. Spanish Olympics in middle school or maybe it´s from having to justify why I would ever take an impractical language (French) over Spanish for 12 years, but I like to think I´m getting over it by being here!
And I´m glad I came because I love Madrid! I was expecting a lot more wide boulevards and crazy traffic, but most of the streets in the old part of the city where we are staying are so quaint and small and probably not meant for cars to drive on (but they do). It has a very nice neighborhood-y feel and reminds me of my favorite area of Paris, Le Marais. Another element I like more than Paris (see, getting over the complex) is all the Plazas. I like turning around a corner and being greeted by a nice, friendly square with restaurants and outdoor seating. I also love the fancy Mediterranean architecture with all the colors and the elaborate street signs.
In addition to wandering (but not getting lost), we saw the Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real, the Jardin de Sabatins, the Plaza De Espana, the Real Jardin Botanical, and the Catedral de la Almudena. The last place was my favorite--it had gorgeous painted ceilings and was quite unexpected (a fun mix of old and new):
For all of those who are curious about the latest fashions, I regret to inform you that the rat tail is apparently in fashion. Back in 2005, Europe had rediscovered the mullet and the '80s...apparently now they have moved onto the ´90s. I have seen a few mohawks as well. Here is photographic evidence, with the best part being that I took this picture of one of the guards in the Palacio Real and was then reprimanded by him because the flash went off in a room full of tapestries. Sorry it´s a little blurry, but I think you can still see the rat tail trickling down his neck...
We're off to the Parque de El Retiro (Spanish speakers, is this named after someone OR the park of retired people? because that´s what we call it) and the Prado Museum in a bit, then hitting the Reina Sofia in the morning before taking a train to Sevilla! Adios!
Courtney and I arrived in Madrid on Monday afternoon after a fairly uneventful trip (which is good, we know). I was pretty amazed at how fast the trans-Atlantic flight felt since it´s been awhile since I´ve flown to Europe. I guess compared to 14 hours to China, 7 is nothing.
But now we are in Madrid, so we obviously made it! Even though I studied abroad in France, I never ventured across the border to Spain. I always figured Spain would be a big trip if I ever did it since it´s a big country. Additionally, as a French major, I will fully admit to my (learned) French superiority complex. I think it dates back to the French vs. Spanish Olympics in middle school or maybe it´s from having to justify why I would ever take an impractical language (French) over Spanish for 12 years, but I like to think I´m getting over it by being here!
And I´m glad I came because I love Madrid! I was expecting a lot more wide boulevards and crazy traffic, but most of the streets in the old part of the city where we are staying are so quaint and small and probably not meant for cars to drive on (but they do). It has a very nice neighborhood-y feel and reminds me of my favorite area of Paris, Le Marais. Another element I like more than Paris (see, getting over the complex) is all the Plazas. I like turning around a corner and being greeted by a nice, friendly square with restaurants and outdoor seating. I also love the fancy Mediterranean architecture with all the colors and the elaborate street signs.
In addition to wandering (but not getting lost), we saw the Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real, the Jardin de Sabatins, the Plaza De Espana, the Real Jardin Botanical, and the Catedral de la Almudena. The last place was my favorite--it had gorgeous painted ceilings and was quite unexpected (a fun mix of old and new):
For all of those who are curious about the latest fashions, I regret to inform you that the rat tail is apparently in fashion. Back in 2005, Europe had rediscovered the mullet and the '80s...apparently now they have moved onto the ´90s. I have seen a few mohawks as well. Here is photographic evidence, with the best part being that I took this picture of one of the guards in the Palacio Real and was then reprimanded by him because the flash went off in a room full of tapestries. Sorry it´s a little blurry, but I think you can still see the rat tail trickling down his neck...
We're off to the Parque de El Retiro (Spanish speakers, is this named after someone OR the park of retired people? because that´s what we call it) and the Prado Museum in a bit, then hitting the Reina Sofia in the morning before taking a train to Sevilla! Adios!
3 comments:
have fun and come back fluent in Spanish.
Glad to hear you and Courtney arrived safe. The pics are beautiful though I'm a little sad the rat tail is coming back. I was hoping that was history. Have fun!
Haha, though my Spanish has been getting rusty, I think the "El" (read capital "E"-l) means it is named for a person :) Sounds like you're having a fantastic time!!
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