perfect little city.

Written while reading inspirational travel quotes and rewarding myself after going to the gym this afternoon.

Today was another good day.  So, if you could not tell already, I am happily settled in Madrid.  Well, today didn't necessarily start that way.  Our teacher came to pick us up at 8am for our field trip to Toledo.  I was so excited last night that I had a difficult time falling asleep but jumped up when I woke up this morning.  When she buzzed our apartment, I tried to get myself out of my bedroom only to find out that I was locked in.  Locked inside my bedroom.  From the inside.  I could not think of a more stressful situation in the morning.  My bedroom door locks from the inside and only stays shut when it is locked, therefore I lock it when I go to sleep.  So, you can only imagine my frustration when I am trapped inside and we have a train to catch to Toledo.  About 10 minutes and a maintenance call later, we were on our way to Madrid Puerta de Atocha Station for the 8:50 train to Toledo.  I love trains.  We've taken them so far to Versailles and Brussels, and it was fun to take the high-speed Renfe train which only took 30 minutes to the Toledo station.

We got in around 9:30 and picked up a cab.  Because most attractions in the city do not open until 10, we drove around the city limits taking in the view and learning about its history.  Toledo is beautiful.  It's everything you would envision a little European city looking like: medieval architecture, tall city walls, rolling hills, small train station, cobblestone streets, and surrounding river.  Instead of trying to hit every major monument or site, our teacher picked a few that were most relevant to our Cities as Living Museums class and we covered them in-depth there.  Among them were a mosque, cathedral, El Greco house, and the oldest synagogue in Europe.  Each has contributed something special to the shaping of Spain today, and it was interesting for me to see some of them after my last visit to the city.  This time, however, it was much more relevant because we were learning for class, so it felt more like a tutorial rather than tour, and it was nice to be able to have lecture and discussion at each site.  We ended the day with a traditional Spanish-style lunch at our teacher's favorite restaurant.  Of course we started out with croquettes (my roommate and I are on the search for the best croquettes in Spain), I had Brazilian-style steak, and then we all topped it off with dessert.  For me: chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream with a chocolate brownie.  We went right from lunch to the train station and headed back for Madrid.

Despite all of the walking that we have been doing abroad-and it is much more than I do on a normal daily basis at school without a doubt-I felt like I needed to do something more to make up for the differences in eating style that I have developed since coming abroad.  By no means have I been bad-maybe an extra pastry or two here and there-part of me knew something was missing, so today I took the extra step and joined a gym!  In Paris we were lucky enough to live in a neighborhood without any tourist attractions (mainly locals and their kids), so there was plenty of space to run and I felt safe while doing so.  In Rome, however, our apartment was in a major touristy area and there were no gyms or safe running areas nearby.  But, public transit was at a minimum so we did a ton of walking.  Here in Madrid, however, we are living in downtown among groups of locals and tourists, so I knew that there had to be a place to work out somewhere.  After some investigation, translated emails, and paperwork done completely in Spanish, I got myself a temporary membership to a local gym!  So not only am I proud of myself for making that extra effort to go but that I was able to use my high school language skills to communicate and get what I wanted.  It's just a short walk from my apartment so now I have no excuse not to go when I feel lazy in the afternoons...which hasn't been too often don't worry.

In other news, we are going to the Prado tomorrow (aka one of my favorite museums in the world) and start our second class in the afternoon.  Also apparently tomorrow is July which means summer has gone by too fast and I'm not okay with it.  Oh, and apparently I'm famous again-check me out here.  And I guess I've got some pretty cool stuff going on this weekend.  It'll be weird not being in my home country for Independence Day but I have a feeling that some future events may make up for that.  Until then it's off to shower and figure out what to have for a light dinner with my roommate.

Hasta luego!

Know Spain? Your Gain.

Written while inquiring to local gyms about short-term memberships and impressing myself with how much Spanish I actually remember from high school.

We started our first week of classes today in Spain and our fifth week of classes overall with the IES program, meaning that not only am I continuing to break my record for my longest time outside the United States in one visit but we are also nearing the end of our study abroad experience.  It's actually crazy, considering we just got to Madrid but it hit us today that after today we will only have 7 actual class sessions before concluding everything next Thursday.  Kind of a depressing way to start the week, right?  In light of all of this, we have a lot to look forward to in the coming class sessions: Toledo tomorrow, Museo del Prado, Palacio Real, Museo Sorolla, & Museo Reina Sofia to say the least.  We even lucked out when we learned that our final papers for our Spain classes would be due a few days earlier than our other finals planned-a plus because we'll have less work to do in the last few days of the program, when we have short papers from our classes in Paris and Rome.  There are definitely some perks to taking classes that don't give actual tests, especially ones in the summer, because the staff at the center want us to "enjoy all that Madrid has to offer."

This morning was one of the most engaging and relevant class sessions that I have had on this entire trip.  The IES Madrid Student Affairs Coordinator met us at our apartment this morning and introduced us to our local Cities as Living Museums professor who I have already fallen in love with.  Today's topic was Madrid of the Austrias, and she decided that there was no better way to actually teach us about Plaza Mayor than having breakfast in the square itself!  So, over churros, Mediterranean toast, and cafe con leche, we learned about the foundation of the Hapsburg Empire and the significance of the Plaza within the city of Madrid.  Back when Philip II was king, he declared Madrid capital of the territory, a rather crazy idea at the time because the city itself was a small village.  When his son Philip III took over, he decided to urbanize the city and thus created Plaza Mayor as a central location and city square.  Over time, the structure itself has changed due to weather and building conditions, evident in the scaffolding that we have seen on the square itself today.  Now, it is a major tourist attraction, with shops and tapas restaurants filling the shady halls and leading to archways that take you down side streets.  Our teacher even told us that the apartments actually have some of the most reasonable rent in the city given their location.

After class was over, we had some free time and headed towards the Mercado de San Miguel again for fresh mango juice.  So much better than a starbucks!  After sitting outside again on the steps, we walked towards a restaurant called Posada del Dragon-Viajeros.  Today's lunch was provided by IES and gave us the chance to get to know both of our professors as well as the center director!  While our Museums and Heritage teacher wasn't able to stay the entire time because he had to pick up his daughter from day camp, we had a wonderful lunch with croquettes, paella, sangria, and of course dessert-Chocolate Fondant (aka lava cake which tasted like heaven).  We were there for almost three hours, and I really enjoyed talking with both our professor and the director about the program, Spain, and our overall experience abroad.  It was also nice because we got to co-construct the assessment portion for the Madrid classes, so our work load will be a little lighter going into our last weekend here.  We have 5 days from the class period when our Madrid assignments are due until we have to turn in the ones from Paris and Rome, so for right now we are talking about having another weekend to travel-either before or after we finish the assessments.  Again, bliss in being able to take classes that don't give sit-down exams.  This will be the perfect way to end the summer and take a "vacation from 'vacation.'"

It's still hot here (the high was 106 but dry), and almost 4 hours after lunch I am still full (that's the Spanish way for ya), so it's safe to assume that we have stayed inside since getting back.  But, I am very excited to visit Toledo tomorrow and take pictures of the beautiful medieval village!  Sorry for the lack of pictures today-everything happened so fast and then lunch was amazing-but more to come this week!

Hasta luego!

Not a lot going on at the moment.

Written while eating a chocolate biscuit cookie and listening to Taylor Swift...prepare yourself the food pictures are coming.

Hola again from Madrid!  Let me start this off by talking about the double edged sword that is known as Instagram.  Today it feels as though this incredible popular social media platform has reached its limit; everyone posting pictures about all of the fabulous events and details going on in their life, from pictures of good looking food to scenic views to fashion to inspirational quotes, etc.  A double standard, I guess, because I am a frequent user of the application.  Throughout the year I would see all of my friends post pictures of their fantastic lives abroad: cool places, artsy food, and all the like.  It seemed like the abroad life was perfect.  Don't get me wrong, I love being abroad.  It's given me a completely different perspective on the world while at the same time made me feel like a tiny human on a giant planet.  Sometimes it's incredibly overwhelming.  And while I have seen some beautiful places and eaten some really good looking food, I have to go out there and declare: NOT EVERYTHING IS INSTA-WORTHY.  Being abroad-more importantly, studying abroad-has given me the same insight that I have both at home and school.  While my weekends and afternoon and free time are filled with significantly more interesting activities than they would be at school, I hate to break it to you that living abroad is much different than traveling abroad and not everything is worth putting on social media.

All of that aside, today was a rather lax day in my book.  My roommate and I slept in again, got dressed and headed to a normally instagram-mable activity: brunch.  Yes, we have been talking this entire trip about going out for brunch.  So, hungry and eager, we set out on a venture to find the next best brunch place in Madrid.  And ding ding ding we have a winner.  We saw a little side street down a hill that was covered in shade and had a ton of people (first good sign) and walked a little further to find this place called La Rollerie with a subheading that read Coffee - Bread - Food (second good sign).  Walking in, I immediately fell in love because it felt like one of those places you go to when you need something out of the ordinary.  Something cute and cozy, with a friendly atmosphere.  And to top it all off (third good sign), the majority of the people in the restaurant were speaking Spanish.  Which meant that not only was it a good place but it was out of the tourist trap in central Madrid.  Score!  We walked in and were taken to the upstairs terrace where our waiter gave us a menu.  Breakfast, brunch and lunch.  I was in heaven.  Craving caffeine after a long day yesterday I ordered a cappuccino, which was good choice #1 of the day.  It was delicious.  And decorated, like my favorite coffee shop back at school.  Yet, craving something with substance I ordered a Chicken Burger.  We ended up arriving too late for breakfast and none of the brunches really appealed to me, so I went with a lunch option.  But it was soooooo good.  A chicken burger that tasted like a hamburger, complete with some white cheese and a really, really good bun (good choice #2).  Then, still hungry after my lunch with a little time left before my roommate had to go home for some work, I looked at their dessert menu.  With so many choices, I asked the waiter what his personal favorite was and he told me to get the Oreo cake.  Good choice #3 of the day: the cake actually tasted like oreo and the icing in between the layers actually tasted like the sandwich creme.  It was actually heaven.  And, as a reasonably priced restaurant located in our neighborhood with wi-fi, we have decided to go back as much as we can.  Maybe making it for breakfast next time.  I plan to sample as many of their cakes as possible (red velvet, chocolate, cheesecake, etc.)-don't worry the slices aren't too big.  And we have also agreed that it will be the perfect cafe to do homework and/or work on our final papers.  La Rollerie, you are a hit!

PSA I actually do more here than just drink cappuccino and eat cake...

So, back to square one.  We decided to go back to the apartment because by 2pm it was already 100 degrees.  Much to our surprise, there was a cleaning crew there so within a couple of hours the apartment was not only clean but we were happily unpacked and settled in.  And I officially mastered the art of the Spanish washing machine.  The only challenge is that it is in our tiny cramped kitchen, so you have to squat really low in order to get your stuff in and out.  Now that I'm finally unpacked and have a room to myself again (we both do, with our own bathrooms too!), I feel ready to take on the next two weeks with ease.  Plus, having clean clothes is a bonus too.  So, while my instagram and facebook photos may show that I am having endless amounts of fun (and it is true-I totally am), what you don't see is what happens before and after.  The real life stuff.  The 2 hours it took me to unpack and get settled in my new room.  The constant struggle of the sun going down so late and rising so early every morning.  Waking up in the morning (yes, this is a real thing).  Learning how to adjust the shower nozzle so water doesn't go everywhere.  Sitting at my desk doing the homework that I have tomorrow.  The never-ending-106 degrees-but-feels-like-110-temperatures.  Sitting in bed watching Netflix because we've seen every museum and monument and just need some alone time.  But, if that's the tradeoff for getting to spend the summer living in three really cool yet very different places, then I'll take it.  They say you learn a lot during study abroad that doesn't have to do with the classes you take.  It's the learning to adjust to a culture where you kind of but don't really know the language, living with people you may not have known if you went to the same school, learning to be independent, realizing that it's better to get lost than use google maps, not always taking pictures of every monument or piece of art that you see, and creating your own memories.  It's an experience I know I would not trade for the world.  After all, "the world is a book, and those who do not travel only read one page."  I plan to fill my book up with endless pictures and memories that will last a lifetime.

In a little bit my roommate and I are planning to do the whole Spanish thing and get drinks and tapas before calling it a night and going to sleep early for our first morning of classes tomorrow.  It's a big week, and I am excited to get started!

Hasta luego!

Buen Dia

Written with a headache after a long but fun day exploring Madrid...I feel fine, though.  Just tired.

Hola!  It's been an interesting day to say the least.  We slept in, moved to a new apartment only to find out that the people who were supposed to move out today hadn't left yet, and put our stuff in a single bedroom to share for the night.  So within 3 days we will have slept in 3 different rooms.  I am hoping this time it's actually permanent.  But, all that aside everything became somewhat normal for the rest of the day.

After moving, my roommate and I walked to Plaza Mayor (aka the Spanish equivalent of Piazza Navona) to get an early lunch because we slept in too late for breakfast.  Much to our desire, we found a place called Tapas y Cafe which serves-you guessed it-tapas and coffee.  But, they also had a lunch menu.  And while European food has been amazing so far, it was even better today to be able to put a real hamburger in my mouth.  Mmmmmmmm so delicious.  Pair it with patatas fritas and a pitcher of sangria, and it was the perfect lunch!  After lunch my roommate had to do some work for her job so I set out to explore the neighborhood and "get lost."

I love living in downtown Madrid.  Everything-literally everything-is so close!  And the shopping is to die for.  First stop was the Apple Store because I was in desperate need of a new phone case and charger cord.  Check!  Then I just kind of wandered around before finding this amazing placed called Mercado de San Miguel.  You must go.  MUST.  It's this amazing tapas market set up like an indoor farmers' market, with vendors selling different types of food, drinks, snacks, etc.  And it's somewhat cool on the inside.  It's just a short walk from my apartment and I've already decided that it will be where I do the majority of my shopping while I'm here.  The fruit was so fresh-the fruit juice and lemonade even better-and of course I fell in love with the French bakery section.  I decided to wander around until I found a landmark that indicated I was at or near my street; after a few minutes and stop at a cookie shop called La Cure Gourmande, I headed back to the apartment to rest.

Even better than the ones in Miami.

Minions are so popular here that the movie is coming out a full week earlier than the States! 

Life in Spain is different than America, France, and Italy.  For one thing, it starts a few hours later.  People will sit in a restaurant and eat tapas/lunch around 2pm and not end until 4 or 5, which is a big cultural difference-not bad, though.  But, because it is a generally later culture here and it is so hot (average high this week is 102 degrees with dry heat), people tend to stay in rather than go out in the afternoons.  So, while I enjoyed walking around my neighborhood yesterday I recognized more English than Spanish among the people on the street.  I got home around 4pm to sit down and rest, soaking in the air conditioning after a hot outing, before a Spanish student companion picked us up to go see Temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple that was dismantled and rebuilt here in Madrid.  It's quite lovely; the temple itself is quite old but also very small.  We finished the visit in a little less than an hour, which meant more time for exploring.  My roommate and I decided to walk a little more around the neighborhood, of course getting lost in the process, before I took her to Mercado de San Miguel.  We each got a glass of sangria and sat on the steps of the marketplace, watching as the Spanish culture slowly started taking over after tourists began leaving.  Despite the sun not setting until very late here, the Spanish come out around 8pm to start their night.  We sat outside for a little bit with our drinks, soaking in the culture and really good music before walking back to the apartment and feeling a general sense of mastery of the neighborhood area.

But, the fun never ends.  One of the benefits of studying abroad in such a popular city is that you are bound to know at least someone in the area, and for me I am even luckier to know two!  As soon as I got to Spain on Friday, I connected with two of my sorority sisters who are here at the same time.  Because one's program ended Friday and she is leaving Tuesday and the other one's program starts next week, we decided to get together for dinner and enjoy some "sister time" here in Madrid.  We met at an Italian restaurant called Gino's near El Palacio Royal around 9:30pm (can you tell the culture is later here?) and sat and talked and ate until almost midnight.  It was so much fun being able to reconnect with them, and we are planning to get together one more time the three of us before one of them leaves Tuesday.  Even though it won't be the same not being all together, at least I have the other one to spend time with when we both have a little down time...and possibly a weekend adventure away!

Bliss found thanks to selfie stick & GoPro.

"Someone say something funny so we can laugh."

In other news, I am going to A M S T E R D A M.  I am so unbelievably excited you have no idea.  I have found it to be a general consensus among my friends that everyone makes it to Amsterdam at least once during their study abroad experience or seriously regrets it if they don't.  So, when the opportunity came up to visit some family friends who just happen to be in town that weekend, I could not pass it up and I am so excited to be visiting them this coming weekend.  Sure, it will be weird not to be home for July 4th weekend-not that I've been home for it since I was 8 but this time I'm out of the country-but I know that visiting Amsterdam will be just as fun.  I cannot wait to see another part of Europe and immerse myself in somewhat cooler temperatures (it looks like it will be 83 degrees there next weekend, 20 degrees below what we have now).  And of course visit our sweet family friends who I have not seen in the longest time.

Sorry for the lateness of this post; I got back from dinner last night after drafting and fell right asleep.  Needless to say it was a great first day in Spain so being worn out is not necessarily a bad thing.  Still getting used to the later sense of culture here but hopefully I will glide into it no problem this week.  Can't wait for another fun day today and classes to start tomorrow!

Hasta luego!

Meet Me in Madrid

Written while pondering why the ambulance and police car sounds are so different in every country that we have visited so far.

I'm happy tonight.  No, it's not because it's the weekend (although that's a good guess).  No, it's not because our flight that was slightly delayed today got in 30 minutes early (though that does make me happy too).  And no, it's not because our bags made it within the first half hour of our arrival here.  But, the answer is buried in there.  I am happy because I AM IN MADRID!  3 years ago I had the opportunity to live with a host family and study/travel with my high school here for two weeks.  And now I'm back!  Wow, it feels so cool to say that not only am I in Europe but I am actually somewhat (aka not really) familiar with a city that I am returning to.  Hola, Madrid!

Today was a really good day but a long one.  We had about an hour cab drive from the apartment to the airport with an IES Staff member this morning.  Today a public transit strike was scheduled to happen, so they wanted to get us out of the traffic as quickly as possible.  Pair that with the fact that just a little over a month ago, Fiumicino Airport suffered a major fire.  So major that most transit to and from their international terminal has been rerouted to Ciampino Airport just a little bit further out of town.  So, basically take the amount of traffic leaving the Orlando/Miami Airport on a daily basis and put it in the Jacksonville Airport.  Can you say madhouse?  I don't think I've ever seen an airport so poorly equipped for that many people.  Thank goodness for the free wifi and somewhat decent food.  By the time we were off and past the initial turbulence, I spent the duration of the flight going through the pictures that I have taken so far on my trip and pared them down to the best few (okay, maybe more than a hundred) and edited them to look really nice.  What else do you do when you have a middle seat and can't lean anywhere to sleep?  We got in to Madrid fairly early considering we were somewhat delayed trying to get everyone on the plane.  Once we got our bags, we met the IES driver outside and headed towards our new apartment.  Which is probably in the best location possible.  I'm telling you-the accommodations keep getting better and better.  We're staying in this unit tonight and moving into a bigger one downstairs tomorrow.  But, what is the best part of the apartment you may ask?  IT HAS AIR CONDITIONING.  After a month of learning to adjust window shades and curtains and dealing with fluctuating temperatures (from 65 degree Paris to 90 degree Rome), we were so happy to move into a building that understood the importance of A/C.  It feels like bliss, people.  Then again, the average high here next week is going to be around 102 degrees so it's kinda necessary.  Needless to say there is a general sense of relief in the air here in Madrid.

After dropping off our stuff, we went to get tapas with an IES student assistant at a local bar.  We snacked on croquettes and tortilla de patata before heading to the metro station to go to the IES Center here.  I am so relieved to have a working metro here.  Like actually, though, it's amazing.  I now realize what I was missing in Rome.  We live right near the Paris equivalent of the Chatelet metro stop, just in the city center and accessible by at least three different lines.  It's also super close to our apartment, which will make commuting to the IES Center much easier.  It's even a direct route, placing us just a 15 minute walk to the center from the stop.  The IES Center here is much different than any of the ones we have studied at so far.  It's located in a residence hall on a Madrid university campus, and there are students living in the building who attend the school.  We had a very brief introduction to the center and its facilities, met the staff who were incredibly welcoming right off the bat, and they gave us a 5 minute orientation because "you've already had it twice already, why bother again!"  So, with folders in hand we walked back to the metro and headed for a quick walk around the neighborhood, which is actually a dream come true.  There's a ton to do here; we're within walking distance of shops, restaurants, bars, and almost every major monument and museum.  Plus, there are a bunch of markets and grocery stores in the neighborhood that will make cooking much easier.  I have also fallen in love again with El Corte Ingles, literally the "one-stop shop" for anything you need.

How cool is Plaza Mayor?  Literally steps away from our apartment!

After settling in, we decided to take a walk and find this amazing churro place that my mom recommended to me and came heavily praised on TripAdvisor.  After finding it on a little side street just off a plaza, I can see why.  For 4 euro you get six churros with a mug of chocolate.  And every table has a jumbo salt shaker filled with powdered sugar.  And they're open almost 24 hours a day.  So, if you're ever in Madrid, go to Chocolateria San Gines.  It's amazing, cheap, and it's been there since the 1890s so clearly it's doing it right.  We passed by several places on the way home (aka Hannah language for "got lost") and decided that we have a lot to do during the next few weeks.  Our only concern at the moment is nightlife...we're still on a "normal" sleep schedule and most places aren't even open until the wee hours of the morning.  The student touring us this afternoon said that sometimes she goes out from 1 until 7 in the morning and heads straight to class!  That may take some getting used to, but for the most part I can say that Spain is already starting to feel like home just as Paris and Rome did.  I am already picking up my Spanish right where it left off-not that it ever really left me, I do live in Miami-and everything is off to a great start.  I am even (wait for it) excited for class to start on Monday (gasp!) and our field trip to Toledo on Tuesday!  Spain, it is so great to be back!

Until then, it's off to bed for me and exploring my neighborhood tomorrow.  And there may be a few things to look forward to...including but not limited to seeing some friends from school and a trip next weekend to somewhere new and exciting...be sure to check in for details!

Hasta luego!