Madrid Madness

I was so surprised...we survived today.

Oy, did we have a heck of a day today. Last night, as expressed yesterday, we went out for fiestas. Here's a quick recap of our night: lots of walking, on cobblestone streets in heels; lots of dancing; Giana, Caroline, and Michael shoving me on a boy who was not having it; and a fun little jaunt in the park. We were a little...happy...so the park was definitely the best part. Giana and I swung around in the baby swings again, we climbed the jungle gym thing, and generally made people feel awkward. Apparently college-aged Spanish kids don't play on playgrounds like Americans... (Again, I have pictures, but my camera is dead and I am about to pass out for the next 12 hours--you'll get them tomorrow, sheesh.) :]

But anyway, it was a fun night, and a long one. We were pretty tired by the time we dragged ourselves up the stairs at 5 in the morning (before you judge, remember that you literally cannot go out before midnight). You can, however, still judge us a little, since we knew full well that we would need to get up at 7:30 to go to Madrid...

Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep, and Giana and I slept like the dead through alarms and Yolanda's knocking on our door for breakfast. I swear I didn't hear a sound until Caroline's "You guys!" Well, we hurried ourselves along, got ready, and bolted out the door, waited an extra hour to get on the buses--because T&E is full of idiots that don't know how to start anything even remotely on time. 

Anyway, we passed out on the 3-hour bus ride to Madrid, and began our journey in Spain's capital city. Giana wasn't feeling very well--a lot of alcohol plus two birth control pills plus two hours' sleep apparently equals a bad day. Who knew? So we kept an eye on her as she trudged along behind us, drinking 2 1/2 bottles of water before finally answering us and joining conversations. 

There were so many statue people! Everywhere!

I personally felt a little rushed, a lot tired, and really hot during our two-hour tour, but it was still very interesting and a pretty city. We also got to see the protesters that have been flashing on the news everyday. An interesting experience--if you don't know about it, Spain has a terrible unemployment rate right now, and there are people camped out in the Puerta del Sol in Madrid. There has also been a lot of footage of violence with these protests, so we were a little worried. Nothing happened, however, no worries. 

Protest signs. In person!

After our tour, we were released for lunch, and we parked ourselves in McDonald's, adding fries and Coke to our packed lunch (picnic) of sandwiches (bocadillos), some little bread thing we love, and water. We hung out there for a while, then walked around the Plaza Mayor and down a few streets. Finally, we met again with our group and had to wait half an hour for a couple people who'd apparently gotten lost (leaving us with sunburns, thank you, stupid people). When they made it, we walked forever to the Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. We all would've preferred to go to El Prado, but we accepted Reina Sofía, and still enjoyed ourselves.

Though we spent all day there, I have to say that none of us really feel like we got to experience Madrid like we should. I suppose we'll just have to go back again someday. :] 

Finally, exhausted beyond reason, we trudged our way back home, scarfed down some food, and finally chatted with the new kids living with us. This time, we get two American boys (15 and 16) from New Jersey. They're super cute, and really funny, so we're pretty sure we're going to enjoy having them around. Peguy likes them, too, and we all laughed quite a bit over dinner tonight. These kids are seriously so obviously from Jersey (not the terribly annoying kind; just clearly cocky and funny)--it's hilarious. 

Tomorrow, after I charge my dear camera, I will upload more pictures for you guys. :] Sorry this post is a little random and awkward...Please keep in mind that I'm deprived of sleep...haha Hopefully I'll also go through and edit this for you tomorrow, but I may be too lazy--let's discover together. :] Anyway, we're gonna jump in bed now, so you all have a great...evening...So weird. Night!

**UPDATE: I finally added a couple pictures. Madrid, sadly, didn't give me quite as interesting pictures as the other cities...Also, I'm too lazy to edit. So just accept this terrible post. :]