A Much Needed Descanso

         “Descanso” means “rest,” and after traveling three weekends in a row, I definitely needed a break and was excited about being in Madrid for the next three weekends. A friend on my program, Noah Simon, knows the current US ambassador of Spain and his wife and is family friends with them from their hometown in Boston. Noah invited 6 of us to get a private tour of the residence. The ambassador’s wife greeted us warmly, showed us to her living room, and served us wine and a huge board filled with tapas. She was very curious to hear about our opinions on cultural differences between the US and Spain, and we agreed with her on many points that I have written about previously. Although everything was very fancy, she made us feel comfortable and encouraged us to share our thoughts with her and was adamant about not giving us a lecture. She spoke to us about her role in the embassy, working with different philanthropic organizations in Spain, especially in regards to education. Next, she showed us the artwork in her home that she had hand-selected. It was a very unique opportunity to have such an intimate tour of the embassy (see picture below).

            That week Cristina and I met up on a Wednesday around dinnertime to do a self-guided tapas tour of a neighborhood in Madrid that is known for its tapas, La Latina. I had written down a couple of recommendations, but we also spontaneously tried a few wild cards that looked good. My favorite tapa that we had was at Almendro: fried potatoes (like chips) with salmorejo (a puree of tomatoes that is like gazpacho but creamier) and pieces of ham and cheese. I also loved the precious rooftop at El Viajero, with a great view of La Latina and the cathedral.

            Thursday afternoon is always a great time of the week for me because I finish class at 2:30, come home to a delicious lunch, and then have the afternoon free to meet up with friends. It is my only free afternoon during the school week, so I always take advantage of it, especially since it marks the beginning of my weekend. I love going to Retiro (the central park of Madrid), and decided to take a rowboat out with friends. It was a beautiful, sunny, perfect day (see picture below)!

            Friday Ali arrived in Madrid! I met her and Isamar at Plaza Mayor and walked around Mercado San Miguel and Palacio Real. We then had lunch at a Burger Joint that was highly recommended in Ali’s “Jap Guide to Madrid,” which she claims never fails. It was a refreshing change to have an all-American lunch, and Ali was thrilled to not be eating pizza nor pasta (she is studying in Rome). We did a little shopping, took our respective siestas, and met up for dinner at the chic hour of 11pm at a tapas place called El Tigre. It was so hot there that Ali’s glasses steamed up, jaja. The place is known for their giant drinks (mojitos and sangria are their specialties) that come with a huge plate of tapas, including patatas bravas and croquetas. I also snagged us an extra plate of tapas with tortilla española (see picture below).

We went to a club called Independance, which played alternative music and had a hipster crowd. Saturday I went to dinner with Ali, Isamar, and Ali’s camp friend at a Mexican restaurant that was fabulous, especially the free tequila shots I somehow convinced the waiter we deserved. We then went to a very New York City-like club called Moma 56. The crowd was a little older, but everything else about it was tre chic: the music, the pink lights, the celeb photo shoot area, and the Kim-Kardashian look-alike friend we made in the bathroom (see picture below).

            After a fun weekend of exploring and partying, Sunday is always my least favorite day of the weekend. Sunday, Fiona and I had to write a paper for our Spanish film class. We decided to camp out at the kitchen table because we would definitely fall asleep if we tried to do it in our rooms. We couldn’t have been interrupted more times. The oldest sister of our host family, Marina, was home that weekend. The three kids had a family cuddle session all day long in the living room laughing and giggling. Marta couldn’t have been more proud of us for doing schoolwork, something we don’t do often. She kept ranting about how we needed quiet so that we could focus. Fiona and I were cracking up because of just how ironic her rant was.