It's been a while since I've written, but I am finally coming to you live from SPAIN! I can't believe I have already been here more than a full week. Time is going by a million times faster than I ever expected. I'll try to do my best to summarize the last week into a few paragraphs and keep it short and sweet.
After FINALLY arriving in Madrid (only took 15 hours....) no time was wasted and the ISA Granada group hit the ground running. The first night consisted of meeting my roomie, Hannah, the rest of the group I would be spending the next few months with, getting situated, and going on a panoramic bus tour of the city. After the tour, you would have thought the jet lag would hit all of the students hard, but a group of us decided to make the most out of our two days in the city and go out for tapas! For those of you who don't know, tapas (different types of appetizers) can range from Calamares (rings of battered squid) to Croquetas (a fried ball of meat and cheese...mmmm...this one was my favorite.) Tapas are more of a social food and for every drink you order, you get a free plate of tapas. Great to split among a group of friends and cheap! If you ever have the chance to go to El Tigre in Madrid for tapas, GO!
The next day started bright and early and began with a walk through Parque del Retiro to explore Museo Nacional del Prado and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. They both were amazing! They make up part of what is called the "Triángulo del Arte." The rest of the afternoon was spent all on our own, so Hannah and I explored the city as much as we possibly could. The major difference between The United States and Europe is that people in Europe walk........everywhere.....all of the time, so a "siesta" was definitely earned after that afternoon. We ended the night with some churros con chocolate at San Ginés, which has been serving this delicious treat since the late 1800's. SO YUMMY.
After our time in Madrid, we moved on to Toledo for the day. A city much smaller than Madrid, but with the same amount of charm! This was a city where Jews, Christians, and Muslims all resided for years and the architecture shows it. One second you are at the Catedral de Toledo and the next you're visiting Santa María la Blanca, a synagogue, which is thought to be the oldest synagogue still standing in Europe. After a café con leche, the rest of the day was spent getting lost in the alleyways throughout the city and discovering all of the unique shops and cafes with new amigos.
Sunday came around and it was finally time to head to Granada, the place I would call home for the next few months. Once we all arrived, Hannah and I were greeted by our host madre y padre for the semester, Teresa and Francisco, who are absolutely wonderful. They took us walking throughout the city at night and then fed us until we couldn't eat anymore, just as the perfect host parents would. After the walk through the city, I was pretty convinced I wouldn't have a problem living here until the end of May. Granada is 45 minutes away from the beach in Málaga and 30 minutes away from skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains. What more could you ask for? The city is not as big as Madrid, not as small as Toledo, but just the perfect size with the same amount of hustle and bustle. I've only been here a few days and already feel like I've done so much. I can't wait to see what the rest of the semester has in store! I have been feeling extremely blessed throughout this experience, because I am truly living the dream. Adiós por ahora y vamos a hablar pronto! (Goodbye for now and we will talk soon!)