First Week: Mission Complete!

     Here we are on our first Sunday in Spain! We are lounging around and resting, since most of the stores are closed on Sundays. We walked around this morning and found a park where we watched a soccer game and some adorable children riding around on bikes. We also took a trip to the mall, Alcalá Magna where we treated ourselves to some ice cream. If you can’t tell by the picture above, the portions are somewhat smaller than in the US. The ice cream was  a delicious treat before returning to our nice host home to relax with Pecas, the very loveable dog featured in the picture.

Gran Via, Madrid

      This week was full of introductions: to the school, to the town, and to Madrid. We’ve started classes and taken tours, walked around the town and bought supplies. It is starting to feel normal here. Now, with our minds and bodies more accustomed to the time and the culture, we find ourselves saying, “Is it really only 10 in the morning in Florida?” instead of “Is it really 4 in the afternoon here?” So, we are more firmly planted in reality and accustomed to our life in Alcalá. In fact, we have even begun to make travel plans, creating lists of cities and destinations we hope to visit.

     On the topic of traveling, it is more expensive than I had originally imagined. While there are many options for transportation, such as buses, trains, and airplanes, they aren’t as cheap as I had hoped. For my “Must See” attraction of Barcelona, just the train rides there and back could cost over 200 euros each! So, at first, I was overwhelmed. What happened to the stories of backpackers and college kids who travel Europe on a cheap budget? So, while Barcelona, Granada, and Cordoba could end up being pricy destinations, they are only 3 of many we have found and the others run much more cheaply. So, I am sure that Sibley and I will have no problem finding amazing destinations to fill our weekends with fun and sightseeing.

     First week down, 14 more to go! Operation Spanish Semester has officially begun!  Hahaha!