Izan Avenida de Burgos Hotel Madrid

... to see a super market with so much selection, however you pretty much pay the price for it as everything is more expensive. I picked up some basics, pasta, yogurt, ice cream (they have BEN AND JERRY's, no half baked though which is my favorite) but its nice to have regular ice cream because the milk and anything with milk in it tastes so weird. Even the oreo's taste different! But Hey the Fanta here is def better!

After grocery shopping I went to call ...

... bus ended up driving off without them 30 minutes later but the driver stopped to pick them up on the way down the hill – no idea why they had started walking?). We also saw a skink on the steps below the church.

The third and final place was Toledo, which comprised the second tour, after lunch. We took the bus to Toledo, where we ascended on a series of escalators – the town is perched on a hilltop, and it’s a ...

... so far. Tuesday night consisted of Paella for dinner. My first homemade Paella experience in Spain. Maruja made a fantastic rendition of the Spanish delicacy. Delicious yellow rice, chicken, and shrimp with shells still on them, thus making them very difficult to eat. Night festivities consisted of Seco Cinco once again, where Jóse hooked us up with free rounds and amazing tapas appetizers as always. We introduced a couple more people to ...

... until the 1800s, and the university was leveled during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, so I haven't found a ton of fancy buildings so far. The first week was all Spanish grammer classes (b/c they were trying to make sure we were placed into the correct level), and I gradually got used to having to talk to all of my teachers and directors at my study abroad office in Spanish (think lots of pantomiming :) My classes (for the most part) have been ...

The weekend of June 13th, my friend, Cynthia came over from NYC to visit me in Madrid. Friday the 13th must be a lucky day for us as as soon as she got to Madrid, the previously cool and rainy weather turned warm and sunny. Friday afternoon, I met her at my apartment and we headed out to lunch at a little outdoor cafe just down from my apartment. It was so nice to have company from home! After lunch, we headed out to walk around in the beautiful ...

... efficient and the most secure that we have seen so far. It was more like air travel going through scanners and having boarding passes. Much has changed since the Madrid bombings a couple of years ago (in the station we are using!).Anyway, Toledo is rivalled by few when it comes to ancient history. In medieval times, it was a melting pot of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian cultures... holy Toledo indeed!The Cathedral dating from 1226 is ...

... that dotted the countryside. This was the first moment that I actually felt excited about the upcoming adventure. Prior to this, when ever anyone would ask, I would say I was too stressed out about packing to be excited. Now that that was behind me, I was able for the first time to process what I was about to do. It was a totally surreal experience. I arrived in Madrid yesterday, which felt like the day that never ends, as I still hadn´t really ...

... because we´ve seen a lot but we are definitely in the midst of thousands of travelers, so we really haven´t met any Spainards or many travelers either. It´s definitely a different vibe so far than we´ve experienced on the rest of the trip. We´re basically in ¨see¨ mode. So, here´s a quick recap of our experience in Madrid. First off, what a great, livable city! The architecture is amazing. Every building is more impressive than the next. We spent a lot of time ...

... had studied. These included Cervantes, Quevedo, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca and Góngora. Oh do I remember the days when I studied their works! So with Alcalá de Henares being my home for the next 4 days, I decided to have a look around. In the Middle Ages the Arabs occupied the place and called it Al-Qala (The Castle). The university's origins also lie in the middle ages, when King Sancho IV of Castile created the Studium General on May 20, 1293. In 1499, Pope ...

... gardens next door where I smelled the roses, had a catnap on a nice, cool stone bench under a shade tree. I also spoke with a young couple from Binghamton, NY. It was nice to say and listen to a whole sentence where I knew all the words. The "information center" gave me directions and today I finally found the Friends of the Camino de Santiago de Compostella office. It doesn't open until 7 PM. So later when I returned, I ...