Buenos días! Yesterday was un día buenísimo! I had my art class at 11:30... Not gonna lie, I didn't understand half of what Senora Marina was talking about (but neither did the rest of the class, which is encouraging). It's funny because she expects us to know so much about European history but the entire class goes completely silent when she asks a question about the Byzantine Empire or Spanish monarchy. I took world history in 9th grade, lady! But if you'd like to know details about the American Revolution, ask away! After class my roommates and I took the metro home and had Spain's most famous dish for lunch: paella! It's a mix of rice, peas, red peppers, meat or seafood or both, and some kind of sauce. Our paella had chicken and chorizo in it. Favorite meal thus far!


After a short nap, We headed to the Opera station for our second class: Spanish food and culture which, as it turns out, is basically just a two-hour guided tour of Madrid's most renown restaurants and historical streets. We strolled around the old, cobble stone calles of Madrid and observed the quaint outdoor cafes and cute shops. It was so beautiful and made me feel super European :)
Our professor Ana brought us to Mercado de San Miguel, an indoor market that sells everything from vino to sushi to chocolate cake to fresh squeezed orange juice. I am DEFINITELY returning there to taste their famous smoothies!

After arriving back home and eating dinner, a bunch of us met up in downtown and went to a tapas bar called El Tigre. It was a very tiny but very popular establishment with a great environment and interesting decor (pig heads were mounted on the walls!). With every drink you order, you get a plate of overflowing tapas. Our tapas were sliced potatoes, bruschetta, pork, jamon, fried balls of something (?), and chicken wings. We left about 4 plates of food untouched. Lo siento, Espana.