La Llegada (The Arrival)

*Pictures from the departure of America and arrival in Madrid.*

We left in the late afternoon but after a six hour flight, we arrived in Madrid, Spain. Although it was dark when we arrived, it was not nighttime… It was six in the morning and jet lag ensued. Of course, I brought the biggest suit case because I like to be prepared, you know? And, of course, my bag barely managed to fit into the small European car that MaCar (Maria Carmen) our host mother was driving. But, all was well and we were on our way to Madrid. After a quick drive, we arrived and got settled into what was our new home for the next three weeks. Then, I caught some quick Zzzzz…
After a three hour ciesta (nap), we were off to explore the heart of Madrid. No one can explore a city in only one day so we started out slowly. We took the Metro to the center of the city, Sol (or frequently pronounced Thol) and saw that it was packed with street performers, tourists, and Madrileños alike. We moved through the crowd, walking down Calle Arenal to our first destination, La Plaza de Oriente. Here, we could see the outside of the Palacio Real and the various statues and fountains that lined the Plaza. We also had our first of many Cafecitos (coffee breaks) at the nearby café, La Taberna del Alabardero. We did some more walking, saw some more sites, but the first day was only the beginning of the beautiful Madrid.

*Exploring the city on our first day and our first "Cafecita"*

Throughout the three weeks of our fantastic trip we saw some beautiful and amazing places in Spain. Some of them are:

*El Parque de Buen Retiro is the largest park in Madrid. It has a manmade pond, many restaurants, street vendors, and playgrounds. It is a very fun and exciting place to visit.*

*The ancient city of Toledo is one of Spain's oldest cities. It was essentially an easily defendable fortress surrounded on three sides by river. It is located outside of Madrid and was our first weekend trip outside of the city.*

*Many fantastic museums.*

We also got to see the city of Segovia, the interior of El Palacio Real (which was absolutely amazing), Los Toros (the famous and infamous bull fights of Spain), and many other traditional Spanish restaurants and sights. 

This trip is a memory I will never forget. 

Viva Madrid!