The first few days

First off, I apologize for not doing this sooner I really have not had much down time in the past few days and when I have, I've spent it catching up on lost sleep. Thus far, my time in Spain has been nothing short of an adventure. The craziness began even before I got to Spain! It all started when I lost my passport. Yup, that happened. And I realized it when Renner and I were about to board our connecting flight from DC to Madrid. Thank God for him for talking to the woman at the gate and having her shuttle my passport over. I left it in the pocket in the seat in front of me on the last plane...oops! He is my savior.

Madrid is a wonderful city. After ISA (International Studies Abroad) collected all 18 of us from the airport we headed to the hotel and were pretty much just let loose in Madrid. So we explored. We walked around the city and tasted our first tapas. Que delicioso! We clearly stood out as Americans because most Spaniards don't eat lunch until 2...it was 12:30 and a group of about 10 of us busted into a little bar. I think we're all better adjusted to this dining schedule now. After enjoying our first authentic Spanish meal, we walked around the city and ended up in the famous Parque del Retiro which is probably Spain's equivalent of Central Park. Muy bonito. That night we took a bus tour of the city and saw the most important buildings and sites. After that and a quick meeting to get our cell phones everyone was exhausted from traveling for hours and hours and that night I slept like a baby.

The next morning we had a delicious European breakfast in the hotel with mucha fruta and pastries. And espresso. Spanish people apparently don't drink coffee, their coffee is straight up espresso. Needless to say, Renner loves it. We then took a tour of Madrid and visisted El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace) and El Museo del Prado (Spain's most renowned musesum). It was so strange seeing these places and paintings that I have learned about in Spanish classes in real life. We had free time for lunch and I ate my first tortilla española, a Spanish potatoe omelette and enjoyed a Rioja (Spanish red wine). The wine is excellent here. Note to family- I will bring some home. After an exhausting walking tour we all hung out in the hotel for a bit and then went out to a hookah bar where they had really good green tea. In the morning we hit the road for Toledo, the first capital of Spain.

Toledo is an ancient city. It sits high on a hill for defense purposes. We took a walking tour of the old part of the city and visited a beautiful church and a synagogue. A few of us ate at a small restaurant where your meal was free with your beer? It seems it should be the other way around but I think the Spanish are doing things just right! I didn't sleep much this night because I was so excited to head to Bilbao early the next morning!

It took us six hours to drive from Toledo to Bilbao in a nice big bus. The landscape between Madrid and El Pais Vasco (The Basque Country) is so drastic! Madrid is flat and yellowish brown while northern Spain is mountainous and a very lush green. The mountains we drove though are beautiful. We arrived at Plaza Moyua (the main plaza in Bilbao) and my roommate Jenn and I were greeted by a short blonde Spanish woman named Rosa, my madre! The house, or apartment, is really nice and well sit, we get a lot of sunlight. We live on the 10th floor and have an excellent view of the city and the famous Guggenheim museum. Her daughter, Jasone, joined us for a wonderful seafood dinner, muy deliciosa! Jenn and I went to bed early after the exhausting day and prepared for our morning tour of our new home city!

Bilbao is such a lovely place. I'm not much of a city person but it is so modern and clean here. Luckily the city is considered a hole, it sits in a valley surrounded by mountains where one can easily escape to the outdoors. We walked around the city for a few hours and learned a bit about the history. I love it here and its beginning to feel like home, no offense Moorestown! I want to write more and I've probably left out tons and tons of stuff but its getting late here and I have to be up early to take a tour of the University of Desuto. Pictures are coming once I better understand this space blog don't worry! Or just look at them on Facebook...Adios a todos!