Madrid Gone Wild

Hola chicos!

I have officially survived my first weekend in Madrid...but it wouldn´t be complete without a crazy story. Enjoy:

Last night, after walking around Sol (an area similar to Times Square in Madrid) we ended up in a discotecha around 3:30 am. Our goal was to stay out until the sun came up and get churros con chocolate (fried dough dipped in hot chocolate) with all of the other late night partiers. LITTLE DID WE KNOW that was not going to happen. After about 10 minutes of being in this disco, my best friend/roommate had the BIGGEST piece of glass cut her foot. The blood was EVERYWHERE on the floor, on peoples feet, on the walls...everywhere. The cut was not really long but was deep enough that we had to call an ambulance. The EMTS would not let ANYONE near my hurt friend or in the taxi with her. It was hard enough that we were in the busiest section in town with lights, people and cars but we could not understand anything that was going on thanks to the language barrier. Me and two other friends followed behind in a taxi and waited until around 5:30 am for her to be discharged. She ended up leaving with 4 stitches and losing a ton of blood. She is now hobbling around but can walk (thankfully). This morning our señora offered her a cane to walk around with but I think that is a last resort.

Classes start tomorrow!! Im excited to get into a routine. Oh and when I woke up at 1pm and finally left the house at 3pm (with the hobbling friend) NOTHING was open. I dont understand how the stores here make money. They are NEVER open.

ADIOS!

SOY EN MADRID!

Guitar player in the Jewish ghetto of Sevilla

Mosque in Cordoba

Toledo: a city shot

Hola!!!

Finalmente, I have arrived. My pre-trip (Azahar) was absolutely amazing. I saw everything from the Alhambra, the palatial city of Granada to the where Christopher Columbus's tomb is! My program directors were very nuturing and made us feel at home from the beginning. Here, are some of the highlights:

Toledo-

Very historical city, but very small. There was not much to do other than look at sights and we stayed there for almost 4 days...

Cordoba-

The hottest city on the trip by far. The temperature rose well into the hundreds which made us all VERY dehydrated. We saw the 2nd most visited/important Mosque in the world which was breath taking. Almost got approached by some gypsies trying to sell me some sort of leaf? But ran away with my purse in tact. At all of the stops, the instructors always told us to "find our way back" from where ever we were. Now, with no phone or map or sense of direction THAT was very hard. Needless to say I followed the boys of the group who for some reason knew exactly where we were.

Sevilla-

This city was awesome, although our hotel was in a strange part of town away from all of the commotion. We had a roof deck pool that overlooked the whole city where most of us spent our free time :) Hey! A girl needs sun. Our group of about 40 students on the trip went out at night together (every night, but this one was especially fun) to a Disco called La Catedral that played both American and Spanish music. One song "Moving One" by Macaco was played at EVERY club/bar and our instructor liked it so much that she would play it on the bus every time we traveled to a new city. Youtube it. It was our trip anthem.

Granada-

The largest and most bustling of them all. Unfortunately we didnt have much time there to look around but it was definitely the city with the most life. Our hotel was up a HUGE hill (took about 20 mins to walk to downtown) and in heels, it was nearly impossible but we still did it. Beauty is pain. We saw the Alhambra, an AMAZING city that was built soo long ago but had the most amazing tile work and sculptures I have ever seen. Our last night there our trip ate out at a restaurant that was built on a mountain and we could see all of Granada. It was beautiful.

First Stop- Toledo!

Im currently sitting in an internet cafe in Toledo (about one hr away from Madrid!). I cant believe Im actually here. Stepping off the plane it was an absolute culture shock with everything from the signs in the aeropuerto to the people speaking Spanish all around me. Me and group headed to the hotel (pictures to follow...my first European hotel experience..enough said) and after we decided on a restaurante with a Menu del Dia (menu of the day- a multicourse meal that has a prefixed price). Not only did we not understand anything on the menu but our Ensalada Mixta had ANCHOVIES on top and had no dressing. Can you say culture shock? We ate pollo asado, a slow cooked chicken served with french fries. After our orientation to the program and a few hours to walk around the town, we had dinner at the hotel with our group. Lo and behold we had pollo asado. Again. Needless to say Im avoiding that meal at all cost for the rest of the trip.

Our trip has been full of lectures (borrring) and seeing some beautiful churches and temples. This town is definitely a place to visit for the sights and not so much the attractions in the town. After walking aroud it for the past few days I can honestly say that I am ready to leave here and move on. Our next stop (tomorrow) after a seven and a half hour bus ride will leave us in Cordoba.

I miss all of you so much and PLEASE write me emails!! Sdshwido@syr.edu and skype me: samara2542

Love,
Your Favorite World Traveler

The BIG ADVENTURE stars SATURDAY!

Hello world!

My big European adventure (living in Madrid, Spain and traveling throughout Europe) begins on Saturday! I'll be using this page to track my journey but feel free to email me while I'm abroad at sdshwido@syr.edu. I'll try to check my mail as much as possible!

During the first two weeks of my trip, I'll be participating in a program called Azahar which takes me throughout Spain to check out the artistic sights and cities. My itinerary for my first two weeks is as follows:

Toledo -> Cordoba -> Sevilla -> Granada -> MADRID!

For now, its time to pack and say goodbye to family and friends! Europe here I come!