It’s officially been a week since I landed in Madrid and it already feels like home. On my first day I indulged in my romanticized idea of Europe and purchased–as my roommate Morgan calls it–a “stupid-silly-little-hat” paired with an ankle-length vintage (American) fur coat. Unfortunately for my bank account, this was not the only fur I acquired last week. I adore the way Europeans rock trench coats, so I’m grateful Morgan brought two and we share a closet because I simply don’t have space for two fur coats and a trench.
I started classes yesterday and was pleasantly surprised that my commute is only 30 minutes. Most of my classes are spread throughout the day, so I have a lot of time on campus to explore, study, or blog like I’m doing now. The King of Spain is actually on campus right now but I got impatient waiting in the crowd of students for him so I’m writing this instead.
I got the pleasure of showing my roommates around Barcelona where I lived the Summer of 2023 and worked as an intern at a Spanish law firm. I brought them to my favorite flea market in the whole world: Mercat Els Encants. Returning to this ginormous, covered, two-story, outdoor market after nearly two years was nostalgic to say the least. I succumbed to a great deal and got the second fur coat here–but it’s not excessive I promise because this one is cheetah print.
One of the highlights of my time in Madrid thus far is the local bar an 8 minute walk from our apartment: Taverna Malaspina. My roommates and I are rapidly becoming regulars. They have great service, free tapas, and six euro mojitos that are hard to beat in the tourist ridden area where we live. Javi, the owner, dapped up my roommates as we walked in last night, affirming that he recognizes and appreciates our unwavering loyalty to Malaspina.
Another huge win for my little pod is the perfectly located, jaw-dropping, top floor apartment we secured. Directly next to Plaza Mayor, our place is equipped with three balconies, tile floors, and–most surprisingly for Europe–a dryer. A day has yet to go by where I haven’t felt immensely lucky to live where we do, with the group of friends I have as roommates, and to have all of this for a whole semester. It’s a lovely feeling while abroad to not have to cram a whole city’s worth of sights and museums into a limited timeframe. There is no pressure to constantly be out exploring–and with the apartment we have–taking some time to rest is very enticing. While I love wearing my fur coats, I am super excited for it to warm up so I can tan and journal on our balcony.
A couple takeaways in my first week here are that the Spanish I’m accustomed to speaking and hearing from my summer in Barcelona is very different than what is used in Madrid. This makes sense considering the influence of Catalan. Secondly, professors here (at least mine) have a lot of energy and excitement for their respective fields. While I have yet to experience this myself, my roommates have noticed that students talk a lot more during lectures than we are used to.
Everyone keeps asking me whether I like Madrid or Barcelona better. I don’t know yet, I feel more welcome as a foreigner in Madrid (no water guns used on tourists here) although, I’ve only been here a week and the anti-tourist sentiment didn’t bother me too much in Barcelona because I was there for so long I didn’t feel like a tourist. Maybe I’ll have a solid answer by the time I post my last blog.
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