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| Bustling Madrid streets |
Since I am exactly at the midpoint of this study-abroad adventure, I'm coming to terms that I've experienced a lot, yet I haven't experienced anything. I've become more accustomed to the way of life here, yet I still feel like there's so much to learn.
And of course, it's impossible to see it all, as with the case in Madrid.
Kris, another student from CMU, and myself made our journey to Madrid on October 9-12. It was four days of exploring, walking, picture-taking and aprovenchando.
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| Kris and I |
If you already don't know, the city of Madrid is the number one tourist destination in Spain, and now I can see why. With incredibly designed architecture, buildings and art full of history, culture, energy and endless shopping, I can understand why people love to come here.
Although we walked for 6-10 hours every day, there was no way to see it all. However, we did spend our time wisely and we still saw some very important sights.
1. Buen Retiro Park.
Being one of the largest parks in the city at 350 acres (and probably most beautiful), Buen Retiro was full of lush flowers, sculptures, bright green grass, fountains, and trees as far as the eye could see. What a sight! Pictures don't do it justice.
2. Puerta del Sol
Puerta del Sol is a plaza in Madrid that was very close to our hotel. It was bustling with people, street performers and of course it had amazing statues and beautiful architecture including the well-known Casa de Correos.
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| La Casa de Correos |
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| Estatua del Oso y el Madroño |
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| "Human statues" |
3. Plaza Mayor
This plaza is located directly in the center of the city. It's a large square plaza with shops, restaurants, and of course more historical statues, including one of Felipe III of Spain.
4. Palacio Real
Palacio Real is the official residence of the king of Spain, and it is a monster of a building. It's large, white, Baroque-style architecture is incredible to look at and impossible to capture all in one picture.
5. Mercado de San Miguel
This market was near Plaza Mayor and had everything from smoothies, to decadent desserts, specialty meats and fruits and veggies. We passed through it to check it out, but unfortunately didn't buy anything.
6. Museo del Prado
We spent quite a lot of time in the National Museum of Prado, where we saw precious artwork from Goya, Rubens, Calderon, Pedro Nunez del Valle, Velazquez and many, many more. This museum was so huge that we could have spent our entire day inside. We even got lost a few times. (Note: I technically wasn't supposed to take pictures of the artwork, so don't tell on me.)
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| Museo del Prado from the outside |
7. Templo de Debod
This ancient Egyptian temple was donated to Spain in 1968 as a thank you for their aid in helping save the temples of Nubia. It was amazing to see from the outside, and even more incredible when we found out we could go inside!
Last but not least, you can't forget the food!
We enjoyed churros y chocolate every morning while there, and dined at a few delicious Turkish restaurants. We also made our way into a Cuban restaurant, and had some cocktails.
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| Heaven. |
All in all, Madrid is an incredibly beautiful city. I wish I could share the hundreds of beautiful photos I've taken of Madrid, but you'll just have to see it for yourself! Rich with history, art, natural beauty and stunning architecture, Madrid is definitely a must-see city in Spain.
