Submitted by Joseph Hinton on the 2018 fall semester study abroad program in Granada, Spain…
This past week, was packed full of things to do, for one it was Halloween on Wednesday and to help combat the feeling of homesickness for me and others not being able to celebrate our favorite holiday back in the States with our friends and family, we all decided to dress up and go out like normal. It was a great night and awesome to see Spain’s take on Halloween, a holiday they only really have been celebrating for 10 years or so and it certainly helped me feel more at home. Later that Saturday was the day I have been most looking forward to… Game-day! Saturday, I traveled to Madrid to explore the city and of course see my first Real Madrid game. Getting up and leaving early I got to Madrid at noon where a friend and I visited the museum Queen Sofia, where we saw many great and interesting paintings and sculptures including the famous Pablo Picasso painting, Guernica, depicting some of the horrors and destruction of the Spanish civil war. After the museum we caught a taxi to El Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, a beautiful fortress of football that still gives me chills to think about. Once inside, we grabbed our seats and watched as the stadium slowly filled up with people and the sound and smells of game-day, once the game kicked off more than 70,000 people, myself included, could be heard chanting Real’s theme “Hala Madrid” towards the path of victory. After a tough, hard fought game, Madrid won 2-0 against Real Valladolid and my mission in life was now accomplished and I could die happy. After the game, I had several hours before my bus back to Granada, so I went and got dinner, churros and chocolate of course, and explored the city, seeing the royal palace and the Plaza Mayor. After all that, I caught the first available bus back home to Granada at 1:30 in the morning and my 24 hour trip to Madrid was complete. It was a long and tiring day, but a trip I will never forget.
