¿Qué tal?
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| Toledo, Spain |
For the
very first time, I was 1,295 miles away from home and out of the country alone
at the age of twenty-one. When I landed in Madrid, Spain I knew that I was in
for an experience of a lifetime. I waited eight hours for my study abroad
directors to pick me up from the Madrid International Airport. It was around
five o’clock in the morning and I was jet lagged, tired, lonely, and hungry.
Needless to say I was off to a rough start but I knew that the road ahead would
be better.
I made a
new friend named Katia in the airport and I am grateful for her because we continue to be friends to this day. When we were finally picked up from our program,
they brought us to our first hotel in the city of Madrid.
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| Madrid, Spain |
My first
day in Madrid was VERY eye opening:
1.
There is no such thing as personal space.
2.
Everyone smokes!
3.
There is meat everywhere! I noticed jamón (ham)
legs were in every window of every restaurant.
4.
They wash the streets at night. I remember being
in my hotel room in the middle of the night I heard rushing water. When I
looked out my window, I noticed people literally cleaning the streets of
Madrid.
5.
The Spaniards I noticed walking on the streets
were not dressed very modestly (granted it was September and about eighty
degrees Fahrenheit with humidity)
6.
There aren’t any obese people because they walk
EVERYWHERE!
Two
wonderful Spaniards, Curra and Lydia were our study abroad directors who were so kind,
helpful, and welcoming. We spent three days in the city of Madrid and we
traveled to many museums, gardens, and a monastery called ‘El Escorial’. The
architecture of the buildings in Spain was so impressive because the buildings
are significantly older than any building in the United States.
We traveled
to a beautiful, breathtaking city called Toledo. There we walked through the narrow streets made of stone, walked through old churches, and ate delicious gelato. If you are planning to travel
to Spain, I highly recommend taking a day trip here. The community was unreal
and I loved spending my time in this quaint area. For more information about Toledo,
click the link below!
Hasta Pronto!
Devon
Looks beautiful!
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