Los primeros días...

Well the last few days have been nothing short of loco. It feels like we’ve been in Spain for weeks when actually we’ve only been here since Monday. So far, we’ve been acting like typical American tourists---visiting museums, taking pictures of everything and everyone we see, and seeking out Wifi hotspots. I have to admit, I’m not big on museums or art, but the things we have seen so far have been nothing but amazing…

Yesterday we went to El Museo del Prado and saw a whole bunch of Spain’s most famous paintings. It felt like we were back in grade school on a field trip because we actually learned the entire time. After that, we went to El Palacio Real (the royal palace) which turned my new life goal into becoming a Spanish princess so I can live there. It is absolutely massive and has about 2,600 rooms (of which we only saw about twenty).  They all were decorated in gold and silk…Needless to say, the Spanish monarchs have been livin’ it up for hundreds of years.

We finally went out last night in Madrid…We had dinner and sangria with some new amigas and then went to a bar afterward. All of the fun dance clubs are closed on Tuesday nights so we went to a pretty low-key little place and had some chupitos (shots) but took a taxi home because we had to be up early this morning.

We came to Toledo today— a city built on a mountain surrounded by giant stone fortresses. There is so much history here, but more than that it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. I took a million pictures, but none of them seem to do it justice. We took a bus tour around the city and then walked through downtown with our guide Quique (short for Enrique) through an old cathedral and a synagogue.  After our tour, they gave us some free time for lunch (today was the first time we didn’t drink sangria with a meal) and then we had some time to explore. And by explore I mean shop. All of Spain has “rebajas” right now…Which basically means that everything in every store is on sale. But unfortunately, Ann and I had to restrain ourselves because all of our bags are packed to the brim. So we just ended up with a couple of scarves and some jewelry. Toledo is also famous for its swords so every single store sold them…Yes, like actual, authentic swords. We thought about buying one but didn’t think we could get it past security when we came home.  
Anyway, I’ve rambled for long enough, but I’m just so excited about everything I’ve seen so far. Of course I’m already missing my family and my novio (boyfriend) but I’m very thankful for Skype!  I will try and upload some pictures eventually so you all can see all the amazing things that I have.

On a different note, I’d like to wish a very happy 28^th birthday to my beautiful hermana (sister) Audra!

Until next time,

Natalie