By: Abby Stanley

I officially believe in the saying, “dreams really do come true,” as cliché as that may be.  Ever since I was a junior in high school, I said I would study abroad.  I never thought it would actually happen, but I’m here. I am in Spain!

The first two days we have spent in the capital of Spain, Madrid. The city is huge, and I still feel like I am in America to a certain extent. Obviously, the food is different, and the way people drive here is definitely different, but the city reminds me of New York City. There are lots of nice shops, museums, parks, etc. In fact, we visited the Museo de Pado, an art museum which has many world famous artists’ paintings.  We also saw the Botanical gardens, which was incredibly beautiful.  So many of the flowers are not like any that I have ever seen in the United States.

I was worried that I would not like the food while in Spain for a whole month, but I ate my first Spanish dish last night at a small restaurant across the street from our hotel.  We had a three-course meal for only nine euros, which is a great deal in Europe! My first course was paella, rice, vegetables and chicken. Then, I had steak and fries, and of course, dessert.  We did not finish eating until around 11:30 p.m. or so, which is totally normal in Spain. Then, we went back to the hotel to sleep off some of our treacherous jet lag from our nine-hour flight.

We were able to tour the Royal Palace in Madrid! The king and queen do not actually live in this palace anymore, but it was still realistic. I have never seen anything like it! The rooms are so elaborate, original and beautiful. Our tour guide ended up speaking to our group in English, so we actually were able to listen and learn without translating everything from English to Spanish. I mean, let’s face it. Not all of us, myself included, are able to speak fluently yet, so she was very helpful—and did an excellent job with her English, might I add.  After our tour, many of us went shopping in the Plaza Mayor, one of the biggest and best, in my opinion, shopping centers in Madrid.

We had a two-hour drive to Segovia, Spain.  Madrid was nice, but Segovia is better! It seems so much more personable and laidback here. The buildings are beautiful. I feel like I am in an old movie with all of the balconies and detailed buildings.  The cathedral is absolutely gorgeous, and the castle needs no words. It is a castle! This castle was used to model Walt Disney’s “Snow White” castle at Disney World. If that does not say enough, I do not know what will! Unfortunately, we only had one night in Segovia. You’ll get to read about Cordoba next time.