Week 11: From Castles to Costumes to Catching the Train

This week I spent some time reassessing my goals for the rest of my time abroad and also my long-term goals for when I return to San Diego and beyond. This exercise in self-exploration also made me realize how much I care about this blog. So, I am excited to announce that I will be returning to my regularly scheduled posts on Mondays and Thursdays (but cut me some slack if I miss a Thursday). 

Cable Car and Castle Montjuic

My roommates and I have created a bucket list of things that would like to do in or around Barcelona before we leave. With all of our guests visiting we decided Monday was the perfect day to cross one of the biggies off the list. We had seen a gondola traveling back and forth and it turns out it was a cable car that leads up to Castle Monjuic. The cable car was a super fun experience because of the amazing views and relaxing ride. At the top, we got to tour the castle!

Castle Montjuic was used as a battle fortress and saw its first battle during the Catalan Revolt in 1641. The old fort was demolished in 1751 leaving behind the shell of its structure. It was rebuilt in the time between 1779 and 1799. The castle was used as a military prison until 1960 when it was returned to the state and later became a historical museum. To learn more about the castle and plan your visit, click here. 

Halloween!

Lauren and Taylor were still in town on Tuesday for Halloween as well as two of my roommates’ friends. Of course, we had to show them a fun time! We all got dressed up (for the second time) and we went to our favorite spots, Dow Jones and Ovella Negra, then headed over to Razzmatazz. This was 100% my favorite club experience yet. First, we discovered a new entrance to the club which was so cool! Razzmatazz has many different levels with rooms on them that all have different music and even after the many times that we’ve been there, we haven’t discovered all of the rooms. When we stumbled upon this new entrance that led to a new room, I knew it was going to be a fun night. After that, we enjoyed a night full of dancing and the best music. We all agreed that it was the best night of going out that we’ve had. 

Madrid Highlights

On Thursday I took the train by myself to visit two of my UCSD friends living in Madrid. The train was a great experience, clean and comfortable. On Friday, we visited the Claude Monet Museum. This was probably one of my favorite museums that I’d ever been to. Claude Monet was a French painter who created timeless landscapes in the impressionist style. All of the paintings were so serene and relaxing to me which I enjoyed. I also liked learning about his painting style “the cloak of fog.” During the time that Monet was creating these paintings, it was the industrial era in London which caused the area to have a lot of fog. The way that Monet knew to use colors differently and reduce the contrast is very interesting to me. 

My absolute favorite part of the museum was one interactive room that digitally displayed different images of Monet’s paintings and they would change every few minutes. There was one specific image that I loved and I kept saying, “This is my dream, this is my dream.” On our way out of this room, there was a description on the wall that I hadn’t noticed before and it said “Enter Monet’s Dream.” Who knew we had the same dream?!

After the museum, we headed over to Mercado San Miguel. This market is very similar to the one in Barcelona but it is surrounded by glass walls which I thought was super cool and it’s a bit smaller. I found it to be really clean and it seemed more social than the one in Barcelona. I enjoyed a pork bun and we shared some fruit at the end. Both super delicious! 

Madrid Eats

The first stop that I had to make when I got to Madrid Thursday night was Tiki Taco. Even though it is not necessarily a “Spain” thing, we had Tiki Taco in Ibiza and I knew they had some locations in Madrid so I wanted to try it. The vibe is always great, it reminds me of our fun times in Ibiza and it is super inexpensive! 

We also went to Zenith’s location in Madrid! Although it is the same menu as the location in Barcelona, there are so many things on the menu that I want to try so I’m happy we went back. I always have the hardest time deciding. This time, I got the veggie bagel but added chicken (so obviously not vegan). I was hoping for a bagel that is similar to the ones I get at home but that was not what I ended up with. It was way bigger but thinner. It was still super good though and didn’t disappoint regardless of being different. 

The dessert that we got at Okashi Sanda was the highlight of my food experiences in Madrid (aside from the market food). All of their deserts are vegan and gluten-free which I don’t necessarily need but my friends do, and they were to die for! I got the chocolate and matcha brownie with matcha ice cream on top. They also had a carrot cake that looked amazing and a matcha cookie that also looked good. If you are gluten-free and/or vegan, you should check this place out! They also offer dinner, and the decor was super cute giving it a good vibe all around. 

Madrid vs. Barcelona

Overall I loved Madrid and am already planning a time to go back! The main differences that I picked up on in my short time there were the weather, the use of Spanish, and the way that the stores looked.

First, the weather is much colder and rainier. I think it was just starting to get colder right before I got there so maybe Barcelona will catch up soon, but for now it’s still pretty warm in Barcelona compared to Madrid. Madrid also uses Spanish way more than Barcelona. Part of this can be explained by the use of Catalan in Barcelona, but I also just think more locals speak English in Barcelona. I don’t think I’ve gone to any stores or restaurants where if I didn’t know a word in Spanish and had to resort to English, the employee and I wouldn’t be able to communicate. Last, and maybe I just didn’t spend enough time there, but I thought that the restaurants and stores in Madrid stood out during the day and night. In Barcelona, I always say that it’s a different city by day than by night. Even just walking around my neighborhood, I notice new restaurants every day because during the day I can’t see them. It’s the same with stores in the way that I wouldn’t see them at night but by day they stand out to me. It’s all because of the lighting and when they are closed or open, but I felt that in Madrid everything stood out all of the time, especially restaurants. I liked this about Madrid a lot because all of the cute decor for each store and restaurant gave me something to look at at all times of the day.

Both cities are amazing and I think anyone that is in Spain for a good amount of time needs to see both!

I’m Tired

While I was in Madrid I got the chance to FaceTime one of my closest friends, Kinsey, who is in the year above me and studied abroad in Madrid last Fall quarter. She’s given me all of the best advice on studying abroad, including many things that I’ve mentioned in my blog. I explained to her that I was only staying in Madrid until midday Saturday because I was still so exhausted from all of the visitors we’d had the whole week before. She told me that she had the same experience of being a bit worn out by November. This made me feel so much better because I had been feeling like how can I waste a single second while abroad? But with her reassurance, I then took the rest of my Saturday after returning from Madrid and the whole day on Sunday to simply read, work out, catch up on chores, and watch The Good Doctor.

Some advice I’d like to give future study abroaders is that it is totally okay to take time to relax and literally just rot in your apartment, catching up on yourself. Adjusting to somewhere new is exhausting in itself and when you add traveling to a new city every weekend on top of that, you’ll get even more worn out. Part of the learning that I’ve experienced while abroad is learning what I need to do to keep myself happy and healthy. Taking the time you need to maintain your energy is always important, but when you’re abroad I think it is really easy to start to feel homesick once you’re tired and overwhelmed with everything you have to do. So, take the time to figure out what you need to keep your sanity and do it!