VISITORS!

It's been an exciting, exhausting, and hectic last two weeks because I had visitors (while also being in the middle of a stressful testing period)! As fun as it's been traveling to other countries for 8 weeks in a row, I was extremely looking forward to seeing a few familiar faces. First up, my boyfriend, Ryan!

After picking him up from the airport, we met up with a few of my high school friends, Addie and Vika. Addie was visiting a friend in Seville and made a pit stop in Madrid! My friend Vika is from Portugal and was an exchange student my sophomore year of high school! The four of us got a few tapas and drinks to start off the week.

Then, we checked into our Airbnb! Ryan and I were sharing an Airbnb with my friend Karly and her boyfriend Ben, who was visiting for spring break as well. 

We dropped off our bags and went to the grocery store across the street to get groceries for the week. Doing so, we learned how the keys worked for the Airbnb. We ended the night by watching a movie and going to bed early. The next morning, we did a little bit of shopping around Gran Via. Later that night, we went to our tapas cooking class, which I was so excited about! 

We went through the group "The Cooking Clubhouse Madrid,"  and it was so much fun! We got to make 5 different types of tapas, such as tomato toast, shrimp, chorizo, and mushrooms on toast. The best part was the bottomless wine.

I'm not sure who allowed 20 drunk adults by stoves and knives, but it was still a lot of fun. Ryan and I both agreed that the shrimp was our favorite.

Once we were done making the tapas, we went downstairs and had a meal with chicken and potatoes. For dessert, we got a creamy, orange dessert. 

After, we walked back to our Airbnb and got changed to go out. We went to Kapital which is a club in Madrid that is 7 stories tall!

The next morning, we woke up and went to El Rastro, which is a huge area with a lot of vendors to buy various knick-knacks, kind of like a flea market. 

 

We weren't looking for anything in particular, but it was still nice to walk around. Ryan was on the lookout for a soccer jersey. We got some delicious waffles and spent the rest of the afternoon lounging around because Ryan was still a little jet-lagged.

For dinner, we went to Bresca, which was nearby our Airbnb and got pizza and pasta! Later that night, Ryan and Ben went to the grocery store to get other groceries and necessities. Not only did they get the wrong size garbage bags, they also bought laundry machine cleaner instead of laundry detergent. Good thing my towel wasn't in the wash already, but Karly and Ben's was!

My spring break isn't until the end of March, so I still had classes. So, while I was in class, Ryan was able to sleep in. But, after my classes, we were up and doing things around Madrid. 

One day, we went to Retiro Park to walk around and row boat on the pond. I didn't realize that you could reserve them prior to you getting there, so the line was super long. Instead, we went to the Palace of Madrid.

We weren't at the Palace for very long, but it was gorgeous, and it was actually my first time going there as well. 

After, we made dinner in and had yummy chicken, pasta, and garlic bread. 

The rest of the week was spent with me going to class. So we weren't able to do a lot during the week which I left bad for. But, Ryan was starting to get sick so he spent most of his time catching up on sleep. 

I got out of class early one day so we were able to do more sightseeing. We went to Plaza de Sol to get some of my favorite gelato. 

It's so cute because they make the gelato into a flower! This day was also exciting because we went to the Atlético Madrid vs. Inter Milan soccer game. 

The tickets were a little expensive, but this a must-do when you're in Madrid. Ryan obviously was very excited, as was I because it was my first soccer game in Madrid! 

Ryan picked out the best seats, and we were sitting right below the opposing team. All the locals were turning around and yelling and flipping off the opposing fans. The environment during this game is nothing like I've experienced. So much dedication and love for the sport is in the stadium and there is never a moment of silence. Everyone is cheering and chanting constantly.

Of course Ryan and I had to snag a picture. The game so was much fun and a nail-bitter. After the first half, it was 1-1 and during the last 5 minutes of the second half, Atlético scored and won the game 2-1! It was so good being able to see Ryan, and I am so beyond blessed that he came to visit for the week. We didn't get to do a lot around Spain, but it was just nice having him around. Just when I thought I would have a moment to myself, I had to turn around and pick up someone else from the airport. My twin sister, Connelly! Timing could not have been more perfect. Ryan flew out on Friday at 10:00am and Connelly landed at 8:55am on Friday. Or, so I thought... Connelly had a few flight delays which ultimately resulted in her having to spend the night in Chicago and fly out the following evening. This meant that I would still drop Ryan off at the airport but pick up Emilia because she was also visiting this weekend! Once we took the metro back to the city center, Emilia and I grabbed a quick breakfast before walking around Retiro Park again! I needed to go back and work on some homework, so Emilia did her own thing for a bit. We got a quick dinner and watched the movie to end the night. 

Finally, on Saturday morning, I went to the airport to get Connelly. We met up with Emilia to get breakfast and spent most of the day shopping. Safe to say we did some damage at those stores, especially Connelly...

We got tapas and sangria to end Connelly's first night and introduce her to authentic Spanish food and drink. She was skeptical and first, but ended up really liking it. 

I mean, look at how good everything looks!

Pictured: patatas bravas, jamón ibérico de bellota, brochetas de pollo teriyaki, and lots more!

We ended the night by coming back to my place and watching another movie while I got work done. The next morning, we woke up, got Starbucks for a quick breakfast and went to El Rastro! Connelly and I got a watch, and Emilia and I got bracelets. After, we did a little bit more shopping after going back to my favorite gelato place!

Once we were done shopping, we got pizza for lunch. Connelly and Emilia went to a rooftop bar while I studied for a few hours. 

Here are two pictures they took while I was studying.

We met up around dinner time and went to 100 Montaditos for one euro sandwiches. The next day, I had class, again, so Emilia and Connelly explored for a while, and we met up to go to a sky bar to get drinks once I was done.

While Connelly was here, it was beautiful weather in Madrid, at least 70 degrees each day. It was the warmest weather it's been since I arrived here. 

The waiter called me a tomato and Connelly a strawberry for how much sun we got...

The rest of the night ended with saying goodbye to Emilia, dropping Connelly's stuff off at my friend Jack's apartment, and grabbing dinner with our family friend, Kyle. The next day wasn't anything eventful, Connelly wasn't feeling well, and I had to study for an exam, but we met up to get dinner together. The next day, we celebrated me completing my exam by getting our nails done since it's less than 30 euros to get acrylics. Since I have clinical soon, I can't get my nails done, but I did get gel on my toes! 

We ended the night by going to get tinto de verano at one of my favorite restaurants and Dubliner's for one euro shots! 

Best Part of the Trip: I feel bad that I didn't get to do a lot with Connelly, but the soccer game and cooking class with Ryan was so much fun! Both were pricey, but the experience made it worth every penny. Shoutout to Connelly though for being a good sport and switching her living situation not once, but three times! I also felt awful taking time away from her to study for my exam, but she was really supportive about. Gosh, I love my twin sister. 

Worst Part of the Trip: Saying goodbye... enough said.

Overall Thoughts: I'm so happy that I was able to have Connelly and Ryan visit over their spring breaks. We didn't get to do a lot, but it was much needed just having them there. I'm also glad I got to have some time in Madrid getting to try new restaurants and explore more. That being said, I'm looking forward to having a week off of classes for spring break! The best part, my parents are coming with me!