Madrid, una ciudad bellisima

Nights in Madrid
I spent last Wed, Thur, and Fri on campus listening to presentations by professors and speeches by the directors of the University. At nights, though, I went out to Madrid to explore the famous night-life of this city. Since I´m the only person living in Getafe, I took the metro and the train alone to different parts of the city. At first I was a bit apprehensive, since, as most of you know, I get lost easily, but it turned out to be very easy. The people here are also very very friendly. I actually quite enjoy getting lost and asking for directions from people (lol), since a lot of the times that´s how I strike up a conversation with the Spaniards here. The custom here is to kiss everyone that you meet on both cheeks as a greeting (much like a handshake in America). It´s a little strange for me to kiss strangers on both cheeks, but I think that it is a very endearing custom that I am starting to get used to =). I went to a couple of bars, the most interesting one was called "J & J Books." On Wed and Thur nights, Spaniards who want to learn English and international people who want to learn Spanish come together at this bar for an "intercambio" (interchange). I met a lot of very nice Spaniards there, who taught me Spanish as used in daily life in Spain (none of that formal stuff that you learn in school). As for drinking, I realize that I really like the drink "tinto de verano." It is wine mixed with some type of soda, among other things. It tastes kind of similar to a Sangria, and it is very popular for people to drink in the summer. Madrd´s night-life does indeed live up to its fame. It seems to me that Madrileños just don´t sleep! At any time of the day or night you can find people of all ages walking around the streets. There is also public transportation at all hours of the day. The large European buildings and fountains are lit up nicely during the night, giving them a grandeur and beauty different from that seen in the day.

Parque del Buen Retiro
Friday afternoon I went to the most famous park of Madrid, called "Parque del Buen Retiro." This park is HUGE with palaces, lakes, statues, rose gardens, fountains, wide passage ways, and amazing architecture. I love the statues and archways that overlook the large lake in the middle of the park. You can row boats in the lake or simply tan yourself on the lazy grass next to the water. One of my favorite buildings inside this park is "el Palacio de Cristal" (the crystal palace). It is a transparent building made of glass. I got to this palace late in the afternoon, and the sunlight that shined off the glass made it so beautiful that it seemed unreal. Right in front of the palace is another small lake. There are steps that lead right into the water where some Spanish señoras feed the ducks, fish, swans, and turtles in the water. Everything that I´d ever want in a park is inside of this one. If I lived in Madrid, I could see myself coming here every day.

Museo del Prado
On Saturday I visited the world famous museum of Madrid, el Museo del Prado. This museum contains works by Goya, el Greco, Velazquez, Reuben, and many many more world-famous painters. It was just absolutely amazing to finally stand in front of all the paintings that I´ve only been able to see in photos before. The museum is soo huge that after spending a whole day there, I was still unable to see everything that I wanted to. It was fun to just read through the descriptions and peruse the meaning behind each painting. As I was discussing some paintings with my friend, an American professor came to me and asked me to explain the paintings to her. I felt totally unqualified, since my knowledge of these art works are very very limited. Nevertheless, I translated some of the descriptions of the paintings to her and some of my interpretations. Hopefully I didn´t mislead her with entirely wrong translations/interpretations >.<

Aranjuez
On Saturday night, I went with my Spanish family to Aranjuez, a city to the south of Madrid and Getafe. There was a celebration there commemorating the defeat of Napolean´s army and the gaining of Spain´s independence. This was a celebration that only locals know about. It took place in front of a palace, which was one of the 4 palaces that the court used to live in. The local townsmen dressed up in traditional Spanish clothing and reenacted the story of the king of the time. Light was projected onto the palace as the background of this reenactment. In a couple scenes, Goya´s paintings were used as the backdrop to the action. I thought this was super cool since I just saw these paintings in the Museum of Prado during the day. My Spanish family said that Aranjuez is super beautiful during the day. If I have time, I will definitely return to this town to check out the palace, gardens, and other structures here =)

Madrid City
I spent all of Sunday exploring the city of Madrid alone (since it was too difficult to meet up with my friends). In the morning, I went to a flea market, called "El Rastro." It is a huge flea market throughout a long winding street of the center of Madrid. I bought this one poster that says that I am a star of Flamengo dancing, lol, among other things. If any of you decide to come to Madrid, I´d definitely suggest to you come check out the flea market for some interesting souvenirs. Make sure that you guard your bags well though, as there are many pickpocketers in this part of town. After the flea market, I went to El Parque del Buen Retiro again and had a picnic there. I was so tired after lunch that I took a tiny nap on a bench after my picnic. Then, I spent the rest of the day exploring the parts of Madrid near the park. I went to this contemporary museum near the Museum of Prado called "Forum Caixa." It was showcasing some Muslim art as well as the marvels of modern architecture. Right outside of the museum is a "vertical garden." It is basically a wall on which people grew all kinds of plants. It is quite interesting to see. After that, I went to see more famous sites such as "la Fuente de Cibeles" (Cibeles fountain), "Palacio de Comunicaciones" (Palace of Communications), plaza of independence, and many many more. I was absolutely exhausted after a whole day of walking around. My feet hurt so much that I wish they did not belong to me lol. I was content though, as Madrid turns out to be a fabulous city with gorgeous sites on every turn. I can imagine myself living here. It has stolen my heart <3

p.s. check out my pictures up to the point of my Friday adventures in the Parque del Buen Retiro on my Facebook. I will upload more pictures soon =)