Madrid: Day Uno =]

Saturday May 16th, 8:00 a.m. landing was a success. An early morning full of sleep deprivation and excitement marks day one of my first day outside of the United States and away from my family and friends for more than 2 days. The Madrid airport was beautiful but I thanked God that we flew with Professor Figueredo or I would have definitely been lost. From the moment I stepped off the plane I experienced the culture shock, starting with the language barrier. Being the only one of thirty students who isn’t fluent in Spanish has definitely been interesting and continues to bring laughs every day. Running on 2 hours of sleep and uno cortodito, I visited the beautiful Prado Museum, explored the amazing streets of Madrid, and consumed extremely fattening yet delicious tapas y vino blanco. My favorite was the papas con alioli and the croquetas de jamon (which I would never touch in Miami). The hustle and bustle atmosphere of Madrid reminded me so much of New York City with an elegant flare. My jaw dropped at the gorgeous architecture and the colorful landscape. One of my favorite parts of the visit was the private tour of the city from my high school friend Andrew, who had been studying there for the past 6 months with the University of Florida. In a matter of 3 hours I saw the cathedrals, the palace, the plazas, the markets, and much much more. My short yet memorable visit to Madrid will last with me forever. Now on to the next one!