After a much-needed night of sleep following our 36-hour straight endeavor, myself and the rest of the group woke up eager to get to our first activity- cooking class! We all met in the lobby, with butterflies in our stomachs, and were greeted by our lovely guide Alicia, along with Professor Julian. We went to the metro station, which surprisingly is kind of like New York City, just without the rats, stench, fighting, and yeah you get the point. As we filed aboard the crowded shuttle to get to our destination, one of my dearest classmates took the “butterflies in the stomach” a little too literally and happened to let them out all over on the metro floor. She was perfectly fine after some shared some laughs together, so we proceeded with our activities.

When we arrived at our escuela de cocina, we were greeted by a lovely girl from England who gave us our tremendously fashionable aprons. We were instructed that we were going to make four dishes, paella, gazpacho, tortillas, y tarta de Santiago. We got divided into separate groups and were all tasked differently to help pull together the meals. My specific tasks included chopping tomatoes, blending them with garlic and water for the gazpacho, then I helped peel potatoes, and flip the tortilla, along with some other cool things like that. Once the meals were collectively finished, we sat at the dining room table and had a taste. The food was amazing. We started with a taste of gazpacho which is comparable to a chilled tomato soup, it was delicious and refreshing. The tortilla was perfectly tasteful (and I’m not just saying that because of my gracious flip), and so was the paella, which would have to be my favorite. Everything went together perfectly, and the tarta de Santiago, a famous Spanish cake, was a great finish to the meal leaving us full and energized to head onto the rest of our day.

Once we got back to the hotel by the metro, a couple of us broke off into groups to explore the neighborhood. We asked Professor Julian for some tips on what to do and he replied, “get lost in the city to find yourselves,” and that’s exactly what we did. We ventured off down one of the streets. This was a great way to get a taste of the culture of the city, and by taste you can say I had the best macaroon I think to ever exist. Who knew that you could put ice-cream in a macaroon? The Spanish do it different here, and I am loving it. Along the way there were different shops that we bobbed in and out of, purchasing souvenirs here and there, overall just enjoying the neighborhood.

Later in the day after trying some tortilla at Cocina De Neptune, the separate groups merged into one to tackle the Museo Nacionale De Prado! Sadly… tickets were sold out and we did not get in. To our surprise though, this was a complete blessing in disguise because it led us to adventure in El Retiro, a beautiful garden located nearby. I have never witnessed any garden as beautiful, and big, as this one. The paths are padded with sand and the flowers and greens paint beautiful patterns to admire. Not only was the garden itself stunning, but in the midst of it all is the Crystal palace. A glass covered building with arched ceilings and beautifully crafted pillars on the inside. It made for a great photo op. Myself and the group admired this building for a while and the surrounding views, and then stumbled upon a pond with adorable boats that people were using. We added it straight to the to-do list for the rest of the week, because the heat and walking was definitely getting to us at this point. The only thing that saved our feet in this time of struggle, and my personal favorite find of the trip- The Birds. Now, I know what you may be thinking, what do birds have to do with this? But I must clarify, it’s a type of electric scooter that you are able to pick up on the side of the street for only 0.23 euros a minute. What a steal! We soared back to the hotel in half the time, feeling, dare I say it, as free as a bird. We ended the night at a breathtaking rooftop café on the Gran Via, I was absolutely flabbergasted at the views. Madrid is a beautiful city, and I am grateful for all the activities we are able to accomplish in the course of a day. Truly the real city that never sleeps.