From Austin to (Dallas) to Madrid

Saludos!!! I am officially in Spain! I have been here since around 11am on the 19th, but it feels like an eternity. It's hard to think that just 3 days ago I was in Austin, Tx. I had a somewhat tearful goodbye at the airport with my parents on the morning of the 18th and then flew to Dallas where a had a minor layover... SIX HOURS. It was anticlimactic in a way. I had this grand farewell with my friends and family in Austin and then I sat in the Dallas airport for longer than I ever want to again. I had my own row on the way to Madrid and surprisingly it was only an 8ish hour flight. I imagined it being much longer. I took a melatonin around hour 2 and was out for the rest of the trip. Once I arrived in Madrid I had exactly 50 minutes to get off my plane, go through passport control, get my baggage (two checked bags at 48 pounds each and one carry on at 22 pounds...I must have been a funny sight), go outside to catch a bus to terminal four, and get to "sala uno" to meet the ISA group. I arrived at 11:05 and there were no people with ISA signs to be found. So I decided to embrace the situation and take the opportunity to sit down and freshen up. In the midst of reapplying my makeup, one of the ISA directors found me and hurried me onto the bus where everyone else was already waiting on me. I had one eye with reapplied mascara and one without at this point...great first impression. 

Once we checked into the hotel, I went to lunch with two girls: Mary (who is a DG at A&M...whoop!!) and Emily. My first impression of Spanish food was not that great. We walked around the Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. (Emily came here for spring break last year so she is a pro at this whole Spain thing). 

This moment captures Emily being scared out of her mind by the human statue. She had no idea it was a real person. You saw it here first. 

That night we had an orientation meeting and then we had our first experience of the Spanish night life. We went to a few tapas bars and ordered beers and sandwiches. We all just sat at the bar or a table and talked about how excited we were to actually be in Spain. It is so easy meeting people here because everyone has this excited mindset about being abroad. It has been exhausting meeting everyone, but fun at the same time. Reminds me of rush. 

The second day we went on two official tours of the National Museum of Prado and the Palacio Real de Madrid . In the Prado we saw the works of some famous Spanish artists like: El Greco, Valazquez, and Goya. (a Renior exhibit was there as well but we didn't get to see it). El Palacio Real was my favorite. It is technically the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain, but it is only used for ceremonies. We did a walking tour through most of the castle...it took 22 years to build...it was incredible. 

We had the afternoon free and I went with 7 other girls to a small Italian restaurant where we were more than impressed by the food and the service. Our waiter was such a flirt and loved having 8 American girls in his restaurant. Afterwards we went to the Reina Sofia National Museum of Art where we saw Picasso's La Guernica and lots of Dali's paintings. I loved looking at Dali's work, but by that time my feet had had enough and I was just ready to go home. 

Side note: my camera was malfunctioning the whole second day so I didn't get any pictures of the museums...sad. 

That night we went to an Irish Pub to watch the Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid game. Real Madrid won 1-0, it was a night to remember! 

This morning we woke up and packed all our bags (I am so embarrassed at how much stuff I brought) and got on a bus to head to Toledo. I was absolutely blown away by how beautiful it was. It is such an old city that has a lot of Muslim influence and it is somewhat in the mountains. There are high walls around most of the city and form the outside it looks like an ancient palace.

Me, Emily, and Mary on top of an overlook in Toledo

The buildings reminded me of Florence and it made me miss you, Mary Martha and Annie! Annie- I thought of how we opted out of climbing to the top of the Duomo because we were too tired....what were we thinking? We missed some great pictures. We went on a few tours with a really fun tour guide who liked to flirt with everyone...including the boys. For lunch I had a Greek Salad...I am having some resistance towards Spanish food. I am hoping that my host mom is a spectacular cook and can renew my faith in finding good food here. 

Tonight we have another orientation meeting and then a free night. I am so ready to get to Sevilla and move in and unpack. I still am in major travel mode and I want to just feel settled. Everywhere we go, the Spanish just rave about Sevilla and I am getting antsy to get there! We leave early tomorrow morning and have a 6 hour bus ride and then we are picked up by our host family! My roommate came to Sevilla last summer and stayed with the same family and says they are great, so I can't wait to meet them. 

I feel like I have been here forever, but I know that it is all just beginning.

Liz, Mary, Denise and I...fast friends.