Showing Off Spain

With just under a month left in Madrid, one of my best friends from home, Kaleigh, came to spend a week in Spain with me. I did all of my homework ahead of time and saved up my "excused absences" for class so that I could spend the week doing fun things around the city and in Barcelona!

The first thing we did once Kaleigh had gotten settled at her hostel was walk around La Puerta del Sol, the main plaza in Madrid. It is all decorated for Christmas right now, which means it is busier than ever. We got Chocolate con Porras (a better version of Churros) at Chocolateria San Gines, a famous spot in Madrid that only serves churros/porras with chocolate and is open 24/7.

That night we went out to El Tigre for drinks that come with a huge plate of tapas, which was our dinner. We met up with some of my friends from the program and went around to different spots in the Chueca neighborhood, ending up at a rock music bar called Space Monkey, before calling it a day.

The next day, Kaleigh and I went to El Rastro, the outdoor market I visited a few months ago that is only open on Sundays. We also stopped at El Templo de Debod before heading back to my host family's for lunch. My host dad made a chicken Paella and my host mom had made Tiramisu. Everything was amazing. It was fun to have both of my worlds collide, and Kaleigh got to practice her Spanish too, which she can still understand but can't speak as well since it has been a long time since she has taken classes.

We then discovered the magic of LIME scooters. Its about 15 cents a minute to use and they go upwards of 20 mph! We scootered around Retiro Park, which I have been wanting to do forever. 

We made sure to check out the Palacio de Cristal, because it has a special sculpture exhibition right now. I learned about it when I did a story on it at my internship so it was cool to get to see it for myself. It is called Invisibles and is really hard to see because it is made of thin metal pipes welded together in the shape of a head. 

We ended up going for round two of chocolate con porras that day because they are so incredible.

On Monday I had to go to my first two classes but I met up with Kaleigh for lunch after. Right after she got there, two guys rushed into the restaurant and shoved papers in my face asking for money. It is a common scam and I knew what was happening, but before I could do anything they left and my phone was gone. I tried to run after them but to no avail. Luckily, I ran into a woman who ended up helping me go to the police station to try and file a report. She was so sweet and helpful, but I have no way to contact her to thank her again. Kaleigh was also extremely helpful and I was so glad to have her there, although I felt bad we wasted part of her day in Madrid dealing with it. 

I was quite rattled and upset after that whole ordeal, but we were determined to have a fun day. We went to lunch at a place called Tapas y Tinto, a tapas and wine bar, and had really good sangria, empanadas, and openfaced sandwiches. We felt pretty classy after our wine, so we headed to the Prado and I got to tell Kaleigh all of the stuff I've learned about the art there during the semester. 

We finished our evening at Lateral, which my host family later told me is a super posh tapas place. We ordered a bottle of vino de rioja, which is made in the best wine region in Spain, to accompany our tortilla de patatas, patatas bravas, and croquettas. YUM. I don't really go out to eat myself very much here, so it is fun to have an extra reason to try all the restaurants I have learned about in Madrd.

There is a lot to fit in during Kaleigh's visit. We still have to go to Kapital, a huge discoteca in Madrid, and on Friday we are going to Barcelona to spend the weekend. It is really nice to have a piece of home here with me and I am excited to see what else we get ourselves into this week. It is really weird to think that her being here also means I am super close to going home myself. I am glad I have the time to explore with a friend and see more of Madrid.