Valencia and Exploring Madrid

Hola! I'm very sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but a lot has happened in the last few weeks. To start off, Valencia was an amazing day trip to the beach where I ate paella and drank orange juice by the sea. It was the perfect day for the beach as the sun was shining and the water was the perfect temperature. The drive was long and tedious, but we did get to stop at a diner type place where I got a cafe con leche and a croissant the size of my head. 

Once we actually arrived in Valencia, we immediately headed to the beach and we played some volleyball, swam in the ocean, and sunbathed for a bit. We even got to see dolphins in the distance which was a really cool surprise. And true to the European beach experience, we did see some people who were more appropriately dressed (or rather undressed) for a nude beach. Regardless, I had a lot of fun at the beach and really enjoyed my day there.

After another uneventful week of classes, we stayed in Madrid for the next two weekends. We went to an immersive museum that was themed after Japan. This was a cool experience because there were projections all around you as you sat on a beanbag chair and got to experience the mini show. After that, we got to explore one of the biggest street markets in Spain called El Rastro. This one of the most chaotic and crowded markets I've ever experienced, but I would like to visit it on another Sunday when it is open again.  I've since discovered my new favorite study spot at Retiro Park. It is absolutely beautiful at sunset and I love studying there in the evening. 

This last weekend I did one of the most spontaneous things I've ever done in my entire life. Me and my roommates were wanting to try the Taco Bell here in Spain, so we went to the one closest to our apartment which happened to be directly next the soccer (futbol) stadium. There also happened to be a game playing that night which we didn't know until we were eating our dinner. While we were eating, we looked at each other and decided that we wanted to go to the game, but only if the tickets were cheap enough. Since the game had already begun, the tickets were much cheaper, so we decided we should get some tickets. However, none of us expected to get 3 tickets, front row, at a Real Madrid game for 50 euros each. It was one of the coolest experiences ever because I had never been to a professional soccer game and I never thought I would ever be so close to the field. Real Madrid won the game 4-1 and even though we showed up after halftime, nobody had scored until the 2nd half anyways. 

That was one of my favorite experiences ever, but I don't think I will ever get lucky enough to experience that again. This upcoming weekend, I will be heading to Morocco which will also be an adventure of a lifetime. So sorry this was another short post and it was slightly delayed, but hopefully I'll be able to update the blog right after Morocco.