TOP 10 THINGS ABOUT MADRID
[AKA strange things that I love and adore ... all realizations of the past week]
10. The Metro. Even though I hate the metro because I feel like I am in it all the time, I must say, it is rather convenient. A metro stop is never too too far away, and you [usually] never hafta wait more than 7 minutes for a train. While it does close at 130 am and I have a rather lengthy commute to school, you must open the doors yourself, which is quite amusing to me as a lazy American.
9. You can dig to build a metro or parking garage and find ruins of civilization. Case in point: the metro in Athens took FOREVER to build because of all the ruins under the city, and near the Palacio Real they were building a parking complex and found the foundation of the church where Diego Velazquez was buried ... although his body remained MIA. More on this in a later blog entry...
8. Madrid has random monuments with secret meanings. Like the monument to Velasquez commemorates where he was buried, but not where his body may be. It was lost in the test of time when some monarch decided there were too many churches and demanded some be torn down! Velazquez was lost. Also, around the city are a lot of ugly statues - that is because they were not meant to be seen close up, but rather were to be placed on top of the Palacio Real. The Queen Mother of the time had nightmares of dying in an earthquake and being crushed, ergo these statues are all around the country!
7. Tapas and Sangria and Tinto Verano and Churros and Chocolate. Nuff Said.
6. Aladdin pants. Everywhere you go you can see men and women wearing them! They must be really comfortable, because like I said, so many people wear them I feel like I should start singing Arabian Nights and looking for the Cave of Wonders.
5. Vespas, scooters, motos and smartcars prevail. Epic Win.
4. Wedding crashing. We were out for tapas on Tuesday night, and on the way out half of our program totally crashed a wedding! They gave us champagne, we talked with many of them, a couple girls stole cake ... it was so fun! The best part? Seeing that same, newlywed couple on the street only 2 days later!
3. It's a "walking city." Seriously, I was able to walk halfway across town and from the bottom almost to the top in relatively short periods of time. Quite remarkable, actually. Bring your walking shoes!
2. Coca Cola and Fanta taste fantastic. Maybe it's the lack of artificial corn syrup and the use of real sugar, but the taste is phenomenal and the bottles are so cool I feel like a 1950s throwback kid.
1. Architecture. Seriously? Fountains? Arches? Beautiful awe inspiring Baroque and Gothic architecture alongside modern skyscraper like buildings? Gotta love it. SO much more interesting than the US, and so much older! Dress it up for festivals, and you've got yourself one crazy party.
To summarize: Madrid = Wicked Awesome & Epic. Your Should Go.
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