Just Call Me La Reina

So I have survived my first few days in Madrid! And so far I am LOVING every minute of it! The tapas bars really are as good as people say they are, and there are so many young people here to meet. I have never been to a more friendly place! Other than the pickpocketing…everyone in our group was warned to be extra careful, but unfortunately two students have already had some of their things stolen. It is so important to always keep an eye on your stuff around here, especially on the crowded metro. But other than that our time here has been wonderful! The weather today was especially beautiful, so my roommates and I decided to explore the city a little bit more. We started off by taking a tour of the Royal Palace, which was absolutely amazing.

My new home

The inside was gorgeous, and we got to walk around a lot of the rooms. But apparently the palace has over 2000 rooms! So clearly we did not get to all of them! Everything in it looked straight out of a fairy tale book, and it only cost 10 euros to get in. It is something that I would highly recommend to anyone who is visiting Madrid! I will probably take my parents there when they come visit in April.

The next site we visited was the Catedral de la Almudena, which was right across from the Royal Palace!

The beautiful cathedral (and my wonderful roommates!)

This is the first European church that I have been in, and I was not at all disappointed! The inside of the cathedral is beautiful, with religious sculptures lining the pews. The ceilings are painted very ornately in bright colors, which is something that I was not expecting at all. However, it just added to the beauty of the cathedral!

We finished off our day at the Plaza de España. This plaza is near the Palace as well, and is home to a statue of Don Quixote.

According to our history professor, this plaza is a huge tourist attraction. But we still had fun and it was great to see a new part of the city! While walking around, we saw lots of places that we’d like to visit in the future, so our list of things to do in Madrid is constantly growing! I can’t wait to check off some things on that list!

Tomorrow my entire class leaves on a nine day trip that takes us to four other major cities in Spain: Barcelona, Valencia, Grenada, and Sevilla! The best part is that we are getting school credit for the trip! Beware of my next post, because I’m sure it will be chock-a-block full of pictures. I can’t wait to continue my travels around Spain!

Happy traveling 🙂

Hola España!

I have FINALLY made it to Spain and am home sweet home in Madrid! The flight over was quite an experience (quite a long experience!) but nonetheless I have made it and officially have the first stamp on my passport!! Yay! Even in my first few hours, I have noticed how different things are from home. The cars are smaller, the buildings are closer together, and more people walk around the streets. Maybe its just because I’ve never lived in a city, but it all seems so new! I can’t wait to try out a little bakery that is just on the corner of my street. When I walked past it with my new house mom, the smells of fresh bread and pastries wafting out of it made me go weak in the knees.

I am a little afraid to try and navigate the metro system, since I have barely ever used public transportation in my life. But it will be a good experience and I’m sure that by the end of this journey I will be much more comfortable in settings that now seem foreign to me. My room is beautiful and the apartment where I am staying even has a pool! How neat is that?! And the largest park in Madrid is only a ten minute walk away, which is going to be extremely helpful in burning off all of that gelato!

Tomorrow we go on a tour of Madrid, and I will definitely be posting lots of pictures of that! I can’t wait to explore this new and beautiful city! Adios!

Happy traveling! 🙂

Its the Final Countdown

Cue the 80s keyboard riffs, because it is, indeed, the final countdown! I have T-minus 9 DAYS before I board a plane and jet off to beautiful Madrid! I am so incredibly excited, but still have so much to do before I leave. In my head I imagined that preparing to study abroad would be easy, just throw a few things in a suitcase and you’re good to go! However, it is not as simple as I expected, and I’m glad I didn’t leave the preparations until the last minute! So here goes my list of things to do/pack/get before my departure:

Converter & Adapter – The first and most obvious item on my list is a converter and an adapter for the outlets in Europe! The voltage and design of the outlets are different, so cords from the US won’t work abroad unless they have a converter and an adapter. Side note, I plan on purchasing some items (think hair dryer, phone charger, etc) abroad to avoid having any problems. I have read horror stories of people’s devices being destroyed, even with an adapter and converter!

One Large Suitcase and One Large Backpack – Yes, I am somehow avoiding a carryon bag! Originally I had planned on bringing one. However, after reading up on European traveling, I discovered that many European airlines have strict carry on bag rules, and the standard US carry on will not make the cut. Also, it will be easier to handle all of my baggage on my own in the airport since I will only have one rolling bag!

Beauty Products – Since I am going to be abroad for almost four months, I need to stock up on any beauty products that I plan on using. I have pretty sensitive skin, so I am picky when it comes to beauty products! Because of this, I have decided to bring enough to last me for all four months. Leave-in conditioner, face lotion (with SPF!), makeup, and facial cleanser are a few of the things on my list.

Prescriptions – These are important! I really don’t want to have to stop off at a pharmacy in Europe during my free time when I could be eating gelato, so I am bringing all of my prescriptions! If you have a prescription that can only be filled one month at a time, talk to your doctor. They will often be able to give you some suggestions on how to more easily fill your prescription abroad.

Passport and Euros – Okay, so the passport might be a painfully obvious one, but its good to be reminded! I want to travel to Europe with a few Euros already in my pocket for my initial taxi ride and a few meals throughout the first few days. If you go into your bank at home, they will most likely be able to order Euros for you in the amount that you would like! My Euros arrived the very next day and I wasn’t charged any additional fee for ordering them! It is so nice to have some Euros already and be able to avoid the currency exchange at the airport!

Camera – Who even uses digital cameras anymore? Me, thats who. At home, I normally just use my phone. However, so many of my friends have had their phone stolen abroad that I have decided to bring a small point-and-shoot camera. I bought one used off of a local classifieds site for only $25! That way, if it gets stolen I won’t be out a ton of money!

School Supplies – Since I am studying abroad, I will actually need to do some studying (weird, right?) so I am bringing a few school things with me. I am bringing a few textbooks that I ordered ahead of time, my computer, a notebook, and a few pens. The rest of the stuff I will be getting abroad. However, I want to be able to get started right away and wanted to be prepared for the first day of class!

Gift for my Host Family – I am bringing the family who is hosting me a small gift from my hometown, just to show how grateful I am for their generosity. I always think it is a nice gesture when people make the extra effort to show their thanks, so I want to make sure my host family knows how thankful I am for them!

A few other things that I have done or will do before I leave:

Get A Haircut – It won’t last the whole time that I am abroad, but at least I won’t have to get a trim until I am comfortable with the city!

Plan for my Return – But I haven’t even left yet! Why should I be planning for my return? Well I am coming back right before summer begins, at which point I will be broke, homeless, and in need of a job. So I have set aside a bit of money to not be spent in Europe so that I will have some spare change when I get home. I have also applied for jobs ahead of time. My potential employers know that I will be abroad, but I wanted to get a head start on applying for jobs for when I get back! I also have started looking for places to live, and have found a roommate for when I come home.

Call My Bank – The last thing I want to deal with during my stay abroad is a hold on my account. So I have made sure to call my bank ahead of time and let them know that I will be in Europe. That way, my card will continue to work and I should not have any problems with my account (fingers crossed!)

So you may have noticed that I seem to have forgotten to pack any clothing for my trip abroad. But not to worry! I am going to make a separate post for clothing when I actually get around to packing that stuff! So these are all the things that I have thought of to take abroad! I hope that any travelers have been helped by this list. If you have anything else that you would pack or recommend bringing, leave me a comment!

Happy traveling 🙂