La capital: Madrid

I'm a very conflicted person when it comes to making decisions and taking trips. Anyone who knows me fairly well, knows I keep an agenda with me at all times and I write everything down. Everything from things that need to be done, and things that have already been done. I'm not a very good planner of things, nor am I really all that organized, but pretending I am both calms my nerves most of the time.
This is why, when on tuesday, I was overcome with both anxiety and excitement when we decided we were going to Madrid. On thursday. That is, two days later. The three of us (Brittany, Chelsey, and I: the three) were in the API office booking our flight and hostel for our trip to Paris, and were just browsing flights and accommodations to various places in Spain and elsewhere, and decided, spur of the moment, to go to Madrid. Next thing I know, my flight is booked and I'm writing down directions to get to the hostel from the airport. Holy shit. That aside, thursday came and we were off.

As any person with a basic understanding of Spanish geography knows, the two cities are geographically very different. Barcelona, my love, is located on the Mediterranean coast, the beach on one side and las montañas on the other. Madrid is the capital of the country and uhh.. yea. As I found out from hanging out with one of Brittany's friends, Jaclyn, who is studying in Madrid, and her roommates, it is impossible to love the two cities equally. When discussing the two and one's preferences, you kinda have to watch what you say as it is a highly sensitive subject to be treated with caution, like politics. Brittany, during a drunken rant, compared the two cities to the republican and democratic parties: No matter what you believe, you can't just make another person believe the same thing, and if you tell a Madrid-lover that Barcelona is better, they're never gonna agree. It'll always be Barcelona vs. Madrid, and that goes for everything, not just their equipos de futbol.

That aside, we did have a good time. We got into the city sometime around 17:00 and headed to the hostel which was incredibly easy to find. We got ourselves situated, and went to explore downtown a bit. Gran Vía is a very large street which reminded me very much of NYC. Every other street in Madrid, though, is very tiny, and people generally walk single-file because the sidewalks are even smaller. Later that night we met up with Brittany's friend, Jaclyn, and went to her apartment that she shares with a Spanish-German chick, Carlota. They were both very hospitable, treating us to drinks and everything! We all went out to a club called Joy, which was fun but so not my kinda scene. It kinda brought me back to my high-school prom, as it was full of U.S. kids grinding with each other. Ick. Regardless, I had a good time and we got back to the hostel at around 5.

When we finally got up the next day, or I guess it would be the same day, we walked around some more, around Puerta del Sol, a big plaza with lots of street performers and people hanging around one of the two fountains. We went to El Prado museum and saw lots of Rembrandt and Goya and other artists. We went around and did a little bit of shopping, some more than others, considering I spent just under 4 euro and the other two had to go find ATM's afterwards. I'm so frugal, it blows my mind. After the previous' night's antics we decided against going out and instead got pizza and hung around near the hostel, which was located in a really awesome neighborhood with lots of little cute stores.
Saturday we went to another museum, La Reina Sofía, which is a modern art museum. There were lots of paintings by Dalí, which I loved. Also, tons of Picasso, including his giant masterpiece, Guernica, which was the only piece you weren't allowed to take pictures of. It was all the same to me because I didn't realize you could take pictures at all. Of anything. Silly me. We walked over to Plaza Mayor, which is an even bigger plaza, with even more street performers and people hanging around.
We went out again that night and had an early flight. We had decided to all set alarms for 5, but of course none of us woke up until sometime right before 6. Let's just say there was a lot of rushing and anxiety over the fact that we might miss the flight. We didn't, thank god, and we all passed out on the one-hour trip back.

It was a great weekend but I'm not in love with Madrid. When I walk around Barcelona, even now after having been here for 3-ish weeks, there are still things I marvel at every day. Everything is so beautiful here. It's a giant city but it's so much more than that. Madrid is huge too, but there's nothing really breathtaking about it. Besides, F.C. Barça players are so much cuter. I'm glad I went and got to see the capital, but I definitely knows where my heart belongs.

http://gallery.me.com/rakel88/100099