Above: Spainards watching a World Cup football match between Spain and Saudi Arabia.
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Chapter One: Day One in Madrid
Chapter Two: Weekend in Valencia
Chapter Three: Navigating Madrid on my Own
Chapter Four: The Hidden City of Toledo
Chapter Five: Shakira and Bullfighting Rings
Chapter Six: Arab Baths, Football, and Flamenco
Chapter Seven: Going Home
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~Prologue ~
The school year has ended in Hungary (at least for CETP teachers, that is). Many of us have decided to go “on holiday” as a celebration of our newfound free time. Some of us went to Germany to witness a World Cup match, others went to Turkey, some went to Croatia, Italy, and some of us went home to America for the summer or for good. For me, visiting two of my friends in Madrid, Spain was the perfect option. In this pseudo- “blogvelogue” (blog+novel+travelogue) I will log on and on for probably too long about my incredible holiday.
I. Day One in Madrid
Even though I was slightly nervous about my solo flight from Budapest to Madrid via Zurich, I didn’t have much time to be. I successfully managed to use the Blue line Metro to get me to the Ferihegy Airport bus that dropped me off only feet from the glass doors to the check-in counters. I’m always surprised when everything goes right when it comes to flying, navigating, etc. My only problem was having to toss my fingernail scissors in the trash, because I was carrying on all of my luggage. Mostly, I tried to sleep on my flights as I hadn’t been able to get any the previous night due to the early morning arrivals and chat of young 20 somethings who have just started to big city hop their way around Europe partying into the night and crowding hostels to their limits. The first wave of tourist season has begun! Catnaps helped me, but what jolted me awake was the jittery feeling of excitement at being able to see Alicia and Jon again. They were the first friends made in America that I’ve been able to see this year. FINALLY, I could show off my terribly shabby Hungarian and be able to pass it off as…almost good.
Before I knew it, the modern Madrid metro had whisked the three of us into the heart of the city. Spanish was verbally and nonverbally ubiquitous. We reached our stop and I walked up the stairs from the metro to get my first glimpse of Madrid. We were outside of the touristy area and at first glance, the city looked like any other European one. I immediately wracked my brain for any Spanish vocabulary that I might have retained from three weeks in middle school. My first new word was los bomberos (firefighters).
As I do in most new countries, I look around at the language, the people, the shops, the buildings, wishing my head could spin around my neck at 360 degrees. I love the foreign aspect, peeking into a new culture, observing the daily life of a Spaniard.
Alicia, Jon, and I talked about three miles a minute…we had a lot of catching up to do. Alicia used to work with me at Belleville East as a fellow English teacher and her husband, Jon worked as a Spanish teacher in a high school close to Belleville. We had all quit our teaching jobs in America to pursue different things. They decided to give their full attention to law school and ended up enrolling in month long law classes in Madrid. As the ending of the Hungarian school year coincided with their time in Spain, I thought it ridiculous not to meet up. After all, they were the friends who encouraged me to teach abroad in the first place…and I’m eternally grateful that they did.
We eventually arrived at the apartment that they had rented for their time in Madrid and as soon as I walked in, I saw a comfy bed next to a wall that had been set up for me. For a split moment, I thought about all the places I have traveled to during this past year and couldn’t believe I had made it to Spain to see Alicia and Jon. I had gathered some Hungarian goodies for them and unfortunately the Hungarian Boci chocolate didn’t travel so well in the sweltering June heat. Fortunately the miniature Unicum bottles and paprika did.
That night, we went to a very popular sandwich place in “Sol,” in the middle of Madrid. This is the location of “Kilometer 0”, which if I remember correctly, marks the middle of not only Madrid, but Spain as well.
We got a plate of 12 little sandwiches, all different kinds selected randomly by the maker. The perfect start to sample Spanish cuisine. This is also where I fell in love with the tortilla española, a thick tortilla made with potato and onion. Afterwards, we strolled around Sol and Madrid came together for me, distinguishing itself from the mass of other European cities. Yes, some things were the same, but the buildings started to look more unique and well, Spanish.
It was only day one, after all.
Coming soon…when I find more time: Chapter Two: Weekend in Valencia…and beyond!
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