Madrid, Tres Cantos, Avela...oh Spain!

Did anyone get that I'm relating the title to "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!"? I really hope so.

Well I've been in Spain for almost two weeks! There is no way I can fit two weeks worth of adventures into one blog post so bare with me as I recount my adventures in several posts. I arrived in Madrid on April 19th after spending a long weekend in London. As I already told you, Paulette picked me up from the airport.

***FINALLY***
I know you have just been waiting to hear about Paulette and who she is! Paulette is an old friend of my Aunt Margret. She and my aunt went to school together back in Texas and they have stayed in touch ever since. Paulette is American but she has just been a world traveler and lived in several places in her life including the USA, China, Hong Kong and now Spain. She has Paco, her husband who is a very sweet man (and very short!), Ardena who is 20, Carmen, 17, and Ana 12. The family lives in a suburb of Madrid called Tres Cantos, about half an hour outside of the city. They have welcomed me into their home and let me stay with them for the past few weeks. They are a wonderful family.

Paulette took me back to her house to get settled and I spent the rest of the day unpacking, relaxing, and getting to know this wonderful family. I went to my first Spanish grocery store with Paulette and Paco that night and it was a lot of fun. I was in a whole new country with different food, a different language, and a different pace of life. The store was open until past 10, how amazing is that!? (Yeah I know all you US people don't think so, but for us Graz kids that is fantastic!) (Also, can I just point out my blog is now international? YES!)

The entire first week I was in Spain all three girls had school off for Easter break so the next day we all went shopping. We said goodbye to Paco who was off for a business trip to China/Hong Kong for almost three weeks. Paulette and the girls then took me into Madrid and showed me how to get on the train and what stop to get off, all those logistics you need to know when traveling. Well my first site I got to see getting out of the train and into Madrid was Puerto del Sol. It's a very famous plaza in Madrid and it's where several battles have been fought and the main government building is in it. There also is a point in the plaza that is considered the "start" of the city. It's a stone outside the government building and on it is a 0 degree sign. This is where Madrid begins and several major highways lead back to this point, or as close to it as they can.

Can you guess which foot is mine? Flip flop!!

Right next to Puerto del Sol is another plaza called Plaza Mayor. This was really cool because it's the plaza where people were executed during the Spanish Inquisition. It's a huge plaza surrounded by restaurants and shops.

The rest of the day was spent walking around downtown Madrid and going into shops. You all will be so proud, I did not buy anything :) The next day, Thursday, I went into Madrid again and met up with Cody (my friend from Graz) and his girlfriend Katy. Katy has been studying in Spain this semester so she was able to take us around and show us the city. We went to several different plazas, gardens, and just walked around to get the feel of the city.

A smaller plaza in Madrid

A famous church besides the royal palace

The Royal Palace

Some pretty park area near the palace

The gardens of the palace

In Spain during the Easter holiday season they call it Semana Santa. There are parades, celebrations, processions, and so much more to grieve for Christ's death and rejoice in His resurrection. Since it was Maundy Thursday there was a procession that would happen in Madrid. Katy, Cody and I got back to the Plaza Mayor and sat down at a restaurant to wait for the procession to come through. This is where I first tried Sangria and it was really good (maybe a little too good. I'll have to be careful with those!). We waited and waited and waited until well passed the time the procession was supposed to come through. In a panic, Katy asked the waiter where the procession was and to our horror, it was OUTSIDE the plaza. Well we can't miss this, so we hurry ourselves to get to a place to see the parade. We waited for two and a half hours but alas the rain and clouds got the best of the procession and it was canceled.

Cody, Katy and I found ourselves a quiet restaurant and had paella, a rice and meat dish, and we had a wonderful time. I really enjoyed dinner and was glad to get out of the rain!

By the time I got to the train station I was at the last possible train I could take back from Madrid to Tres Cantos. I was so nervous about getting a train that I got on the wrong one! Honestly though people, if that surprises you then I'm surprised at you. I ALWAYS seem to get lost or going the wrong way or something. I can never just have a normal travel experience. After a panic call to Paulette who, with the help of Ardena, helps me to get off the wrong train and onto the right one, I get back to Tres Cantos and am in bed before midnight. It was a really fun day and I was able to see a lot of Madrid.

Friday was another relaxing, lazy day for me. I was able to get some homework done and enjoy Spain without having to walk 20 miles. (Yes, that was an over-exaggeration). The upcoming weekend was Easter weekend, but that's a whole other post in itself. Stay tuned!

Adiós Amigos!
Sara