Submitted by Cameron Kravitz on the 2022 spring semester program in Madrid, Spain…
This week in Madrid, we spent time exploring more attractions around the city and seeing new places! We went to El Retiro which is a beautiful park filled with monuments and statues as well as a huge lake where you can rent boats to sail in. The park was such a peaceful place to be in and it seemed like the perfect spot to have a picnic, read, do homework, or just relax. We also went back to the restaurant that we tried our first night in Madrid where we asked our waiter to select his favorite tapas for us to try. The dishes included patatas al roquefort, pulpo a la gallega, huevos rotos con chistorra, and finguers pollo, which were all amazing!
One difference that I have noticed between Spain and the United States is the times that we have meals. In the United States, lunch is generally around noon whereas dinner is around 6:00 pm. However, in Spain, lunch is at 2:00 pm and dinner is not until 8:00 pm or later. I did not have a huge problem with this when arriving because I have always liked to eat later, but it is definitely an interesting distinction and I can see it as being a difficult transition for a lot of people. Overall, the past few weeks in Spain have been unforgettable and I am so excited for the rest of our time here!
