Madrid

 It hadn't hit me that we were going to be in Spain for two weeks until we started driving into Madrid from the airport. Up to that moment I had been stressed out about a number of things and hadn't even had time to be excited. I'd worked every single day for weeks prior to our departure. I also had a passport problem that was resolved just days before we left, and on top of that, a strange rash that was appearing on my face had gotten worse on the plane.
When it finally hit me, I was riding in the van from the airport into Madrid. The highway was completely covered along the side walls with bold, colorful graffiti- for miles. I'd never seen anything like it. A rush of energy came over me. It was that familiar feeling that I only get in a fresh new place. It was welling up in my stomach and making my heart beat faster. Something like falling in love... but better. Suddenly, I was in the moment, and nowhere else.

We checked into our hotel which was right in the city center and got ready to explore. Madrid has lots of giant buildings, and statues, with extreme attention to the smallest detail. A cool March breeze blew through the streets which were dotted with beautiful lights, and gorgeous people. Everywhere you looked there were signs for "cerveca" and "tapas". We ducked into a bohemian looking bar with lots of couches and comfy pillows. The bartender spoke some English, and after we excitedly exclaimed that we just got to Spain that day; he made us some impressive cocktails on the house. Before we left, we tipped him...a large tip. Our first mistake. This was considered a social faux pas. In the US, if a bartender hooks you up, you give a generous tip. In Spain however, it's  kind of an insult. He mentioned this when we questioned the bewildered look on his face. We all felt kind of stupid, and vowed not to do that again. This however, proved to be easier said than done. As it turns out, tipping is a hard habit to break.

On the second night, Shea's friend Dominic met up with us. He was living in Spain as an English teacher but he was from California. He's super nice, and not to mention, adorable. A happy addition to our little crew. Not only did he speak Spanish better than us, but we all felt a little safer with him around. Dom was only supposed to visit with us for one night, but at breakfast the next day we all begged him to follow us to Valencia...which he did, and then afterwards to Barcelona as well.

I wish that I'd had more time/money for museums and things like that but I guess I will just have to visit again sometime! We basically spent all of our time in Madrid walking around, eating good food, drinking wine, and one night we even tried to go dancing. This was kind of difficult because in Spain, they don't start the dance parties until THREE am. We did make it to one place but I don't think that any of us remember it all too well.

Our last night in Madrid before heading to Valencia, we sat in a hookah bar for almost 4 hours, drinking mojitos, telling stories, and reading Tarot. I think we were all a little wiped out from trying to hang with the Spaniards the night before. Though it was mostly uneventful, it was one of my favorite memories of the trip- because we all just got along so well.