Tryp Ambassador Hotel Madrid

... see some Picassos, which were not there. The other artwork was very nice too, but I got sort of tired of seeing the many, many, many oil paintings of the crucifixtion of Christ. Though I wanted to make sure I saw all the art work, and I think I spent half the day there. There was also a lot of Roman art, from where the Romans conquered most of Spain b.C., which was also really cool - lots of sculptures of men and women with no clothes or arms. Also, at the Prado I found a book in ...

... t want just a sandwich of some weird meat and weird cheese on crusty bread. The lady gave me a huge pile of the macaroni. I also bought some haribo strawberry gummies. I ate the macaronis as quick as possible because I knew we only had 20 minutes for the entire stop. I shoveled them in, then went back to the bus. I read a little more and noticed a movie with Colin Farrell was on. I’m not sure what movie it was. I also didn&#8217 ...

... an even stronger bond of that we already have and i just don't think that i could commit, nor anyone else to me, 15 months where we will be the only ones there for each other, thats not to say that we will not need to spend time apart from time to time, not that i am not complete overwhelmed to be meeting up with friends and family on several stages of the trip (above all my brother and parents) but she´s the only thing that i truly know will not go wrong. 22 days...

... another walk along the city. We convinced Antonio to take us out for the famous churros of Spain at the Chocolateria de San Gines, just a short walk from the Puerta del Sol. All of us were quite full so we had it without the chocolate, so sad. The churros here are not like what we are used to in the US, they are actually unsweetened and the chocolate that people typically order with it is there version of a hot chocolate, that is slightly bittersweet and thick ...

... professors Dr. Alicia Ramos and Dr. Aitor Bikandi, along with the dean Dr. Angeles Encinar. The university has changed so much since I graduated in 2006. Loyola Hall, where I used to stay, is no longer a residence hall. It is now a library. Students now have to live off campus in apartments. The small cafeteria/dining hall that used to be in the basement has been expanded. The whole bottom floor is now a cafeteria ...

... business. Not to mention, the whole brushing your teeth business and washing the face gets complicated when I´m only supposed to use a few spurts of water. Sad times. That´s not as bad as what other people have had though... one girl´s host turns off the water at night so as to save money. So if she gets home too late, its all over for her... no brushing of teeth or washing of makeup. i assume she must wake up looking and smelling like ...

... We've noticed looking around on the beaches, it doesn't matter how fat you are, a deep rich tan doesn't make you look thin. Europeans can be very very rude and self focused sometimes, while others can be pleasant and very helpful. Overnight buses definitely suck. Check your ticket! If the banana gelato is really bright yellow it's probably mass produced. For the home made stuff look for a grayish colour. Listen out for old guys offering cheap pensions when you arrive somewhere.

... tapas. Back in the day a king was displeased with drunken behavior, so he passed a law that alcohol must be served with food..... Like Barcelona, there is a real street culture with buskers, performers, old ladies winding music boxes, smooching couples, artists, etc. We aren't great architecture aficionados but Madrid has some wonderful modern and not so modern buildings; we especially liked the main post office, a grand building in its own right ...

I really don´t know what I was so worried about. The other students in the program are very nice, all of them can speak Spanish better than my entire class my first semester at Penn State, and they actually want to learn it. Que suerte. My victories thus far: 1. Meeting and liking my host family. 2. The subway. 3. Locating good restaurants. 4. Finding a bar I want to be a regular in. 5. Looking enough like a Spaniard ...

... like this in front of the restaurant, Menu del dia Drink: a bottle of water a glass wine (red, white or rose) a glass of beer a "clara" (soda and beer) 1st: onion soup cocido soup (chick-pea like food, typical in Madrid) salad 2nd: beef steak with chips oven-grilled ham with chips scrumbled egg with fried Spanish ham Dessert: a cup of coffee (espresso, café au lait, etc..) a piece of ...