February Freedom

After being so sick for so long, I was incredibly excited to roam Madrid once more in Early February. Even if I just had time to kill and no one with me, I would wander around. These times are when I made my best finds, actually. My favorite thing to do is get off at random metro stops or just hop on a bus to see where it takes me. By the time I leave Spain, I would love to have seen each metro stop within the city. Each one comes with its own surprises and good finds.

Walmart of Spain

Probably my favorite find so far has been Alcampo. This place is essentially the Walmart of Spain. They have literally everything you can imagine. They have produce, meat (ridiculous amounts of ham), fish (also absurd amounts), fresh breads but then they also have electronics, clothing, a pharmacy, you name it. Why is this place my favorite find? Because I can shop like an American. I can get everything I want in one store. Also, unlike the local markets, I can find a larger selection of foods and so I can find more American tastes, example: peanut butter. I'm still am lacking money for good food, so it looks like PB&J days will last at least another semester. What's awesome is that this place is located on my subway ride home AND its on the bus route I live on. Its all around convenient. Also, I've made some great candy-finds. Kinder bueno bards are amazing, and I even bought the kinder eggs (where some come with a spongebob surprise) as a recommendation from Kevin. So good.

Cookies n' Creme bar INSIDE a chocolate bar

Kinder chocolate just melts in your mouth...

Another great find of mine has been the mall at Principe Pio. My newest roommate, Ronni, and I wandered one day and we made a lot of good finds just by luck. When we got off at a random metro stop, we found an entire old train station that was converted into an indoor shopping mall. Its ginormous, and one of the coolest buildings I've ever entered. It also has just about every major clothing store you can find in Madrid...dangerous.

Part of the outside appearance

Inside the train station

Complete with the old-time clock

So you can still find McDonalds ("Mac-doe-nalds"), Burger King, KFC, and Starbucks in Madrid. I actually expected more American stores, but those are the most present. And they are no where near as present as you will find in the US. What's interesting is that they have the “McIberica” burger: two beef patties side-by-side with jamon iberico, Manchego cheese, olive oil, lettuce and tomato. Also, their McFlurries come with syrup (chocolate or caramel).

McDonalds!

In through Madrid runs the Manzanares River. I was fortunate to stumble upon this river during an exporation one day, and though it was beautiful, as is everything in Spain. You could even see the palace up on a hill from the river, so naturally I walked in that direction next. Back in the medieval ages, Madrid was a strategic location because the city was built on a large hill with the palace overlooking a cliff. 

The river!

Throughout my adventures, I always find interesting locations. May it be a giant Spanish flag in the middle of a plaza that I've never seen before, a gorgeous building, a breath-taking church, or the Arab influence contrasting the European influence of the city. Every single corner leads to the debate of which direction to walk next as every view displays another beauty.

One interesting location that I specifically set out to find one day is the Debod Temple. This is an ancient Egyptian building that was originally built over 2,200 year ago as a single-room chapel dedicated to the god Amun. It was later extended to become a temple. As I am a huge fan of the musical Aida, I was very excited to learn that it is from the region of Nubia. 

"In 1960, due to the construction of the Great Dam of Aswan and the consequent threat posed to several monuments and archaeological sites,UNESCO made an international call to save this rich historical legacy. As a sign of gratitude for the help provided by Spain in saving the temples of Abu Simbel, the Egyptian state donated the temple of Debod to Spain in 1968."

Sunset

But all in all, I'm back in action and ready to explore this city to its fullest!!