Day 2 – All is Well in Madrid!

Day 2 – by Tanner Evans and Kable Young

After watching the sunrise over Spain and Portugal and a scenic aerial tour, we landed safely in Madrid. The group gathered before customs weary but excited. We passed through customs, collected our luggage, and boarded the bus to start out travels in Madrid.

Dr. Byrd asked our bus driver, Miguel, to give us an driving tour of Madrid. We started close to the airport at the Wanda Metropolitano, the soccer stadium for Atletico Madrid. We then continued into the city to the Plaza de Toros where a bull fight was to be held at 7 pm. We then went to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid. Our driver took us through the financial district of the city and showed us the “Gateway of Europe”. We also drove by the train station and American Embassy as we toured through the city.

Our driver dropped us off at Palacio Real to tour the area and eat lunch. We walked around the area looking at the little shops and restaurants and made our way to Mercado de San Miguel. There we saw artisanal tapas and immersed ourselves into Spanish culture. After the walking tour, we boarded the bus and drove to our hotel on the Gran Via. There, we met up with the Dublin travelers bringing us to our full 34 person group. After we checked in we got our first experience with European hotel rooms. The rooms were very different that what we are accustomed to in America. The rooms were small but very modern and much more environmentally friendly. Some of the surprising differences were having to have the room key inserted to have power to the room and showers that limited how long you could stay in for.

Once everyone had been settled into the hotel, groups were free to split off and do what they wanted in the city. Many people took advantage of the downtime to take a nap after the long day of travel while others went straight into exploring the city. A group of us went to Parque de Retiro to explore its expansive features. Within the park we wandered a rose garden and a botanical garden. We also walked through La Plaza Mayor and ate tapas in La Latina. For sunset over Madrid, we walked to Templo de Debud. Another group went on an architectural sightseeing extravaganza walking along the streets of Madrid viewing the amazing and unique buildings and monuments. From the Palace de Cibeles to Puerta del Sol to Neptune’s Fountain, every street was littered with stuff to see. Another group spent their day exploring some of the amazing restaurants of Madrid. Sampling the world famous tapas over a glass of Spanish wine, eating chocolate dipped churros and croquets from street side vendors, and finishing the day watching the sunset from a rooftop bar while sipping sangria. While these are just a few adventures, every student had their own unique adventure in Madrid. Overall, it was an exhausting but culturally enriching day!

Follow our adventures more regularly on Facebook!