So this post should have been posted last week after a nice weekend in Brussels, Belguim eating chocolate, waffles, and fries. BUT... I woke up at 4 in the morning on that Friday to take our taxi to the airport and I had another fever. Long story short, I ended up in bed all weekend with a stomach virus in Madrid instead of on the streets of Brussels. It was my second sickness since being in Madrid, but I'll spare you on all of my frustration.
This past weekend I stayed in Madrid again but actually got to do some exploring. Despite having three exams this week, I was able to make time for activities other than studying. I spent hours this past weekend walking around and exploring the streets of Sol, the center of Madrid. We came across some cute shops. I also had my first chocolate with churros. They were good but I was a little disappointed after all of the hype, but I have now heard of a famous chocolate and churros place that I have to try now.
Mardi Gras is not very big in Madrid, but there was still a parade at night that we went to. My favorite part was obviously all of the sparkling outfits of the dancers. It wasn't much but it was a small connection to all of the Mardi Gras activities going back on in St. Louis.
Sunday I went to my first mass in Spanish in Madrid since being here. We were the youngest people in the church by at least 20 years and I think some people were curious as to why we were there. It was a small church that we found on the Internet, but still amazingly beautiful. I have seen my fair share of churches since being in Europe, but every one still has its charm.
Afterwards, we went to El Rastro, a large outdoor market that happens every Sunday. It was packed and very hard to walk through, making it a very popular place for pick-pocketing. However, we had no incidences and bought some cool items, including the plaid scarves that every Spaniard (and now every American on campus...) has that my roommate and I have had our eyes on.
We finished off the weekend with lunch at a Museo de Jamón (Museum of Ham). They are all over in Spain. You walk in and the ceilings are covered in pig thighs and just walking by the place, the smell of ham is unavoidable! They make some pretty good sandwiches. All of the meat here has a ton of fat though.
It's been a more relaxing two weeks so I've worked up my energy for the next few weekends of traveling. The weather has been pretty good and my hardest week of the semester is almost over, so now as long as I stay healthy for the rest of the semester I will be very happy.
Con amor de Madrid,
Jenna
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