THE LAST DAYS IN MADRID!

As I look back on my final days in Madrid, here are a few of the highlights! I had two final exams, so I had a lot of free time to squeeze in the last moments of Madrid. 

April 30th, 2024

On this day, it was the last day of school! I went out with a few friends for a celebratory breakfast at a creperie.

I got a strawberry nutella crepe!

We all took a quick picture at school in honor of the last day. I'm going to miss this school so much! I was so lucky to have fun (and also difficult) classes with great professors.

Later that night, my entire apartment went out for a Madrid bar crawl. Before we left, we all took a photo at the door to our place. Before leaving, I was sort of a ring leader, making sure everyone had a key and was downstairs to be in the photo. I mean, someone had to do it!

I lived in a host apartment with 17 girls from SLU, and one boy from UVA (He's a good sport about it.)

We thought it would be a cute idea to all wear I 💗 Madrid shirts, because obviously, we all love Madrid.

We started at El Imperfecto, then went to Dubliners, and finally to La Fontana de Oro before ending the night at Icon. We even got our host mom, Fabiola, to join us! It was an absolute blast! I'm so glad I got to get closer with a lot of these girls. I absolutely loved living in Gran Via, and I would not have wanted to live anywhere else. 

Katie and I with our host mom, Fabiola! She is the best!

May 1st, 2024

The next day, I went to a bull fight with Karly, Sarah Jane, and Katie. I didn't know a lot about what a bullfight all entailed. And boy, were we in for a surprise. I didn't realize that they end each round by killing the bull, and we had to watch it six times.

The start of the fight started out well; we got to see all of the matadors and people on horses. But then the first matador came out, and, long story short, there were complications with the entrance, and the bull escaped too early. (GRAPHIC PICTURE WARNING!)

The matador was on the ground, and the bull ended up charging at the matador and throwing him across the arena. He suffered from two impalements from the bull's horn and was immediately rushed out of the arena, gushing blood. We were traumatized. Then, we had to spend the next two hours watching six other bulls get slowly killed. It was definitely a big culture shock, but I'm still glad we were able to experience it.

I'm so serious when I say this happened the first minute into the bullfight.

May 3rd, 2024

On this night, we tried out a new bar, and it has become one of my favorites. It was underground, and it looks like you are inside a cave!

It was super cool, and one of their iconic drinks dropped from the ceiling. It's called Panther's Milk, and me, Karly, and Emma split 2L of it!

May 5th, 2024

I started off the morning by going to my last ever El Rastro Market! I have loved spending my Sunday mornings there. However, I usually show up around 9 a.m. because right around 10 a.m. is when it starts to get packed. After, I grabbed brunch with friends!

Later that night, I met up with Leah, Jack, Sophia, Vicky, Keaton, and Liv to get Italian food! I got the carbonara, and it was so delicious. 

May 6th, 2024

The weather looked promising this day, and I took my last final that morning. I was super behind on my travel journal and needed a change of scenery. I stopped at a grocery store to get a few snacks and found a spot in Retiro to relax for a bit.

As the morning went along, it started to get chillier and looked like it was about to rain. I must've picked the right time to leave because it began to rain right when I got home.

Later that night, I met up with Karly to try a restaurant that I had been wanting to go to all semester called Bel Mondo.

I had friends who went here and raved about their tiramisu martinis and truffle pasta. I love listening to any and all recommendations for food, so I had to try it for myself.

Everything was, no surprise, delicious. 

May 7th, 2024

I don't know how it took me 4 months to figure it out, but there was a Milwaukee burger and beer joint in Madrid! A group of my friends and I spontaneously went for dinner this night, and it was so good!

I was obviously so excited to eat that I forgot to take a picture before I took a bite! The place was super cool, and they had Spotted Cow ON DRAFT! 

Brewers, Packers, and Bucks decorations were all over the restaurant. The only downside was that there were no cheese curds.

May 8th, 2024

I met up with Karly once again to try Nolita for breakfast one morning!

I got yummy pancakes and sat and chatted with Karly for a bit before I went back to Gran Via to pack up the majority of my things.

By some miracle and many attempts, I was able to fit the remainder of my belongings into my carry-on suitcase and travel backpack. Thankfully, I had family friends in town a few weeks ago that were kind enough to bring my checked bag home full of stuff!

After packing, I met up with Kyle to get lunch at one of my newfound favorite restaurants.

They have the best garlic shrimp, red wine, and patatas bravas. I'm really going to miss this place!

Once we finished at lunch, I met up with Grace and Katie to go to a rooftop bar to hang out for a bit.

We got a couple of sangrias and chatted while looking at the gorgeous view.

It was a full-circle moment because this place was one of the first bars I went to when I came to Madrid.

Later on, a group of us went out to watch Real Madrid vs. FC Bayern Munich at Dubliners.

It was packed, and I could barely move, but it was worth it because they won!

After that, we went out clubbing for the last time. We tried a new place called Barcelo, and it was a lot different from other clubs I've been to. They played more Spanish music, and there were fewer study abroad kids there, so it was a super fun change of scenery.

May 9th, 2024

My last day in Madrid! I started off my morning walking around Retiro Park with Grace for the last time.

After, we took the metro to Casa de Campo, which is another park on the opposite side of Madrid. It was huge! 

At this point, we were starving and went to Brunchit for a late lunch, and it was so needed.

For my last meal in Madrid, I went to none other than Tiki Taco. It's practically across the street from Gran Via, and they are known for their one-euro tacos. Of course, I had to get my last tinto de verano with it.

Finally, to end my night, I went to the Temple of Debod to see one final Madrid sunset.

It was packed with people on the lawns sharing drinks, and there was even live music.

It was, without fail, the best sunset to end a perfect semester abroad.

I'm getting teary-eyed just writing this, but this place has become a second home to me. I cannot fathom how quickly four months have gone by. I'm so beyond grateful for this opportunity, and I know that not a lot of people are able to do the things that I have done. It was not easy by any means, but I wouldn't change a single thing. I learned a lot—not just school-related, but life lessons that I will continue to use moving forward. But the travels are not done quite yet. I have five more countries to visit before I make my way back to the States!