An exciting second weekend in Madrid

Mmmm small desserts

The aqueduct of Segovia

Alcazar

Monica and I in front of the aqueduct

After a long first week of classes, (the beginning of any semester is always pretty exhausting), I spent this weekend meeting up with good friends, trying new foods, going out at night, and traveling to Segovia, a small city outside of Madrid.

A good friend of mine from school, Lindsay, is studying abroad in Barcelona and came to Madrid with her roommates for the weekend. It was wonderful to see a friend from school in Europe. She and her friends came out with mine on both Friday and Saturday. We also met up with a friend of ours, Erin, who graduated and is living in Madrid for the year teaching English to young students. Lindsay and I are a little jealous of her life here :) We had tapas (my favorite being croquetas) and cervezas at El Tigre, explored the Chueca neighborhood of Madrid, and sat at a dimly lit, psychedelic bar for chocolate cake. Life doesn't get better than that.

That night Lindsay joined us for a new bar in Plaza Santa Ana called Sol y Sombre. We also met up with a good friend of mine from home, Eric, who is living in Madrid for the semester. I have come to realize that this is a very small world...even when it comes to Europe.

Saturday morning began with an early bus ride from the SU Institute to Segovia. We were in tour groups led by the teachers from the Azahar seminar. Though it was cold in Segovia, the trip was well worth it. We visited the famous Roman Aqueducts, still standing not because of mortar or clay, but because of pure physics and structure. Yet I had no idea of the history of Segovia beyond this edifice. Isabella (of the Catholic rulers Ferdinand and Isabella), was crowned Queen in a small church in the city, and lived with Ferdinand for some time in Segovia's famous castle, Alcazar. This castle is of particular significance for Americans, because Walt Disney used it as inspiration for his famous castle in Walt Disney World.

I must admit my favorite part of Segovia was its Pastelierias! We ate bite-sized samples of many desserts, some of authentic origin in Segovia. It is safe to say we were all contently full for the bus ride home.

Last night was another fun evening at a place in our neighborhood that we like to hang out at, called the Orange Cafe. It was filled with Spaniards and Spanish music, a nice contrast to last weekend's outings. By this late Sunday afternoon I have almost finished my first Hemingway book: "Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises." Hemingway is able to truly capture the cravings an American has to become part of the authentic culture of Spain. I am looking forward to reading many more of his works.

Adios!

Emily