Madrid was also kind of cold (I was missing the warmth of Sevilla and Cordoba) but not rainy.
In Madrid, we were hosted by one of Anna's friends from the first time she visited Spain when in high school: Maria. Maria met us at the metro and took us to her apartment. It was sort of awkward at first, but once we went out exploring Madrid a bit it was just grand. I really appreciated talking with Maria because she openly corrected my Spanish, something I really need. Oh how a semester without Spanish can bring ruin to my grammar and an increase in my Anglicisms.
We first went out to the modern art museum Maria Sofia. Ok, so I don't get modern art for anything, I mean anything, but I really wanted to see Picasso's Guernica. That's right, I went there solely for that exhibit. I don't get cubism or surrealism or any of it, but I do see how the distortions of cubism worked for Guernica. If anything we had fun trying to understand/figure out some of the art, or even just making up meanings behind it all. Later we met up with two of her friends and walked along the main drag, Gran Via, and towards the center of the city Plaza Sol and found point zero, the point from which all other places/cities are measured. In the States we use a state line, there, it's at point zero in the middle of the country.
The next day Anna and I went exploring on our own. With a couple of suggestions, a map and metro pass, we saw the Palace (HUGE!), walked to Plaza Mayor where we saw loads of street performers, including a fat spiderman and Native American, walked to our last lunch of tortilla espanola, and metroed it to Parque de Retiro.
Parque de Retiro was by far my favorite place. Not only because nearby we found another place selling chocolate like what we had in Barcelona (honestly, like drinking a melted bar of chocolate) but because of the whimsical statues that lined the first 'avenue' we walked along. Like the picture above, all of these statues were just fun and lighthearted, although not all were in color. The landscaping of the park was also beautiful and the part was huge. Had clouds not loomed in on us, I could've spent the rest of the day there. As it was we went for the metro station, but not before I bought The Cat in the Hat in Spanish for 1.50 from a vendor (yeah I was excited!). Anna and Maria joined me for the metro to the airport and the long wait to get my boarding pass. After waiting two hours to board, oh Ryanair, and a two/three hour flight, I arrived safely in Dublin. I found good convo with the guy who I sat next to on the plane. I guess I enjoyed speakingin Spanish so much that my brain turned off the English b/c when we landed and the steward started speaking with his Irish accent I freaked out for a second because I could not figure out what he was saying. But then the English kicked back on and I was ok again; sad to leave Spain but good. Took a 1-4 am bus back to Galway, walked home and crashed by 5.
Spain rocked my face off.
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