Submitted by Janine Burdette on the 2016 winter session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
In my junior year of high school, I was able to participate in an Spanish exchange program with students who lived in Madrid, and I luckily became best friends with the girl I was paired with! Her name is Irene and she is now studying medicine at the University of Madrid, so this weekend I traveled to Madrid to see her! She has her own apartment, so I was able to stay there for free, which was really amazing. We took the subway (el metro) to her apartment which is close to the Plaza de España; I am always nervous on the subway, but it is a very practical and quick way to get around the city. Irene was telling me that recently the Madrid government created a metro card which costs 20 euros, but has unlimited use for a whole month! I think that’s such a fantastic idea, and it really helps cut down on pollution and the need for personal cars.
The first night I met many of her friends who came over to do a gift exchange, as a belated El Día de Reyes Magos celebration (Three Kings Day,January 6th). On Saturday, Irene was my own personal tour guide through Madrid! Although I had visited some of the sites years ago, I really wanted to see some things again. She took me to the Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real Madrid, the Puerta del Sol and the Templo de Debod. The Palacio Real is Madrid’s largest building and officially the residence of the royal family of Madrid, but is now only used for ceremonial purposes. The Plaza Mayor is absolutely enormous and has a lot of little vendors around the perimeter, as well as the gypsies that approach people for money and pictures. Architecture-wise Madrid was not my favorite city, it still has some Spanish charm, but it does not have the antique feel that Granada and Seville do.