Madrid 1, CSB/SJU -$1000s

Wow it seems like forever since I left you all an update! Therefore bear with me, this may get long! Wednesday-Friday proceeded as normal because we had at least some form of class each day. We did discover a new cafe in Segovia on Friday that was super cute and fun. Yet another place to do homework, skype with friends from home and play cards with the group! On Friday, I also went to go pick up a care package that my American family sent me. I had to go all the way to the post office, but it was worth the walk for the stuff I forgot and to get something from home! Thanks mom and dad! That night I decided to stay in to prepare what was sure to be an epic night in Madrid the following day.

We were instructed to meet at the aqueduct at 8:30 am on Saturday morning. In the United States that seems like a reasonable time to start one's day. Here, 8:30 in the morning is a time where only a handful of people are seen roaming the streets and the newspapers haven't even arrived for the current day. Translation: way to early to be up! (On the previous Tuesday me, along with about half of the group booked a trip to Valencia which is about a 4-hour bus trip from Madrid. We have already calculated that we must catch the 6 am bus from Segovia to Madrid this Friday in order to catch our connecting bus trip. Imagine our concern after the struggle that was this past Saturday!) All 32 of us, Brian's daughter Carolina included made the 9 o'clock bus and we were headed to Madrid--problem free you ask? Absolutely not. Some people in our group didn't feel as if it was necessary to sit in the assigned seats on our bus tickets. That left some of us changing seats MULTIPLE times in order to accommodate the upset and early-rising Spaniards. Stupid Americans!

Once we arrived in Madrid we walked for what seemed like eternity! We saw much of the city as we walked from the bus station to our hotel which ever so conveniently happened to be on complete opposite ends of the city. It's a good thing I didn't sprain my ankle in the last week or anything. When we finally arrived at the hotel, Michelle and I went straight for the bocadillos (sandwiches), mine interestingly enough was a tortilla espanola in between two slices of french bread, interesting but tasty nonetheless, that our moms made for us and then straight to bed for a much deserved and necessary siesta. We were able to sleep for a couple of hours and then we had to meet up with the group again at 3:30 to head to the first museum, the Prado. The Prado is considered one of the greatest art museums in the world and displays the finest European art from the 12th to 19th centuries. The art was pretty great except for I really liked the more contemporary art that was on display at the Reina Sofia which we frequented today.

The night out in Madrid was fun, but there were only a couple from our group that made the esteemed 7:30 am return to the hotel (pizza in hand) while the rest of us pooped out around 4:30 or earlier. We went to a few American bars and then on to the Bourbon Cafe. The only reason I know the name is because it is still conveniently stamped on the palm of my hand. That's reassuring isn't it, mom and dad? In fact we are actually really safe and all of the guys on the trip are all very good at making sure that girls aren't alone and always get walked home. So last night was all right and most of us had little to no sleep under our belts at 10 am as we hiked our way to the next museum.

I really enjoyed the art at the Reina. There was works from the likes of Picasso, Dali, and Muro while simultaneously even more contemporary exhibits such as one room displaying hundreds of newpaper cover stories about 9/11. I would love to go back to the Reina Sofia at some point given more sleep and a clearer head. After the museum we made our second stop to a McDonald's of the Madrid trip. It was just what we needed to cinch our American food cravings. This McDonald's trip was unlike any other however. Madrid and big cities in Spain are known for having pick-pocketers. Most of us were thinking, pre-second-McDonald's-trip that we had been very fortunate that none of the group became victim to this horrible reality. Well that reality took a terrible turn for the worst as we were about to leave McDonald's. Luke couldn't find his backpack. He clearly wasn't sure how long it had been since he had last seen it so it was pretty apparent that it was gone for good. Unfortunately he was one of the few of us that brought his computer and he also had copies of his passport, and credit cards. All of us felt terrible.

After that grueling 30 minutes of searching, giving up and then trying to cancel all of his cards and such we decided that it was high time we got the hell out of Madrid. We found the nearest metro station and wasted no time, heading straight for the bus station with intentions of getting the first bus back home to our safe and cozy city of Segovia. Especially because I have such terrible luck during odd years, ;) I personally was getting very tired of always having to be so hyper-aware of where my belongings were at all times-I was ready to get back and not be on the look out for the next person that could rob me. We eventually made it back home by 5 pm. What a day!

Once I got home I was able to skype my family for a bit which was nice and then I took a siesta, of course! I needed to re-energize to prepare myself for THE Game as my fellow Packer-fan friends referred to it as and what would turn out to be a big, fat W for Los Packers (which is what the Spanish announcers call them). Me being a self-proclaimed "fair-weather fan" had a great time watching THE Game and especially the emotional reactions of my friends, which was quite entertaining considering the severity of their loyalty to THE Pack. Now I am finally in bed thinking that 8 am is going to come much faster than I would hope. Tomorrow I have only one class and I start my volunteering project at an elementary school, teaching english which shall be fun. Look for a picture update tomorrow! I hope you are all staying warm in Minnesota!