Madrid!

Hola todas personas!

It is Monday and I just got back from class, Mondays are so long. But, I had a great weekend! Molly, Sarah and I flew to Madrid to see Leah and Patterson and it was SOO fun. I absolutely LOVE Madird - it is so pretty and lively! We got there on Friday and went and put our stuff in our hostel, which was so cute. It wasn't super nice, but it reminded me of a homestay and the people who owned it were so nice. Sarah, Molly and I had our own room with a bathroom and everything so it really felt like a hotel. After we put our stuff down (it was already dark out so no sight-seeing) we went to a restaurant called "La Tosta" that had the BEST sangria! So we got some Sangria and some dinner - I had a bocadillo with scrambled eggs and salmon that was really good! Patty got the same thing. Then we went to a bar that was serving Euro beers so we stayed there for a while and watched the olympics. While we were there I heard one of the waiters say "y'all" so naturally I stopped him and asked him where he was from and everything. He wasn't very nice - he was from Texas and I think people like us are the reason why he moved to Barcelona. He wasn't having it. So after we watched the Olympics we went to a place called O'Connels where we actually got carded! I was so surprised, but not really. The bar tender thought we were under 18. It was kind of embarassing but funny at the same time. After we met up with Grace Perry and Paul we went to a bar called Bourbon Cafe, which was quite the experience. We didn't have anything to drink because it was really expensive, however we did watch a drag show! We were all dancing and noticed the boys dancing with each other but didn't realize until the next day that we were at a GAY BAR! But - it was really fun! I'll post some pics of the drags - they were great!

The next day we got up and going around 11 and met up with Patterson and Leah. We went to the Royal Palace and on the way we got stuck in the Chinese New Year Parade! Who knew there were SO MANY Chinese people in Madrid! It was so funny! After we went to the Royal Palace we went to Plaza Mayor and ate lunch outside but it was so cold! I had a bocadillo con torilla y pimiento and a cafe con leche. After lunch we took the metro to Park Retiro, which was SO pretty! We wondered around there for an hour or two then GP, Paul and I went to the del Prado Museum where I saw many paintings from the Renaissance, Baroque, Neo Classical and Romantic periods - including "Las Meninas" by Velazquez, which was really neat! The museum is supposed to take days to get through but I managed it in under 2 hours. Then we went to dinner where Molly and Patterson met up with their friend who is from/lives in Madrid that they studied with 5 years ago! Her name is Elena and it was SO CUTE to see all of them reuinted! We went and ate at this place called VIPS that Elena took us to which was actually really American, haha.

On Sunday, we had to be out of the hostal at 11 so when we got up, Molly went to go meet her other friends that live in Madrid and Sarah and I went to the Reina Sofia musuem, which has a huge Picasso, Miro and Dali collection. We saw Picasso's "Guernica" which was absolutely massive and really, really cool. We spent about 2 hours in there, then went to lunch. (I am not going to say where). Then, we met up with Molly and Patterson and said our farewells and went to the airpot to find that our flight was 2 hours delayed :(. So0o, we hung out in the airport for a little while and got back to our homestay around 945. Elena had soup and chicken waiting for us which was really yummy! This morning Molly and I got up and went to a spin class at the gym - fun!

Well I am starving and I think our dinner is almost ready. I am going to Carnival tomorrow, which should be really fun - also a late night! Adios amigos - i will blog again soon!

Love,
Mimi