Adventures in England: Back from Spain!

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week! I just got back in England today from an amazing trip to Spain! :) We had a great time, saw lots of neat things, and took TONS of pictures, so I'm going to devote the next few days to posting about Spain. I'll start with Madrid:
On Saturday afternoon, I took the train to London and met up with Mary Virginia and Tooley. It was so fun getting to see Mary V.! She brought me a bag of Baked Lays chips from home (you can't find them ANYWHERE in Europe!), and the three of us hung around London for the night. Early Sunday morning, we headed to Gatwick Airport to fly to Madrid! We flew Easy Jet, a discount airline in Europe that's very popular. We arrived in Madrid around noon, so we had the whole afternoon to explore. Madrid was nothing like I expected! Actually, I don't know what I expected...maybe sombreros and bull fighting? You can find all of that, of course, but Madrid is actually a very big, beautiful, clean city! It's hard to explain...the city is very modern, but thanks to the old, beautiful architecture, it has a very unique feel to it. You know that you're in a big city, but the monuments, plazas, and buildings remind you that you're actually in SPAIN! Everyone in Madrid was very nice, even though hardly anyone could speak English. We had no trouble getting around, though...Tools navigated through the city and Metro, and I got a chance to put my Spanish minor to use, which was really fun. I really liked getting to speak Spanish! Although my Spanish isn't the best (I can read it and write it MUCH better than I can speak it) we got around the city fine, it was nice not having to find someone who spoke English whenever we needed directions, price information, etc. Our hotel was very nice, and on the Gran Via, a huge street in Madrid with great shops. Our first stop was El Rastro, a big outdoor flea market that is held every weekend. They sell everything from pottery to t-shirts to purses to pots and pans. We roamed around El Rastro for awhile, and then headed to the Plaza de Toros, a big arena where bull fights are held. Apparently they don't have bull fights in January, because a big circus tent was set up both inside and outside of the Plaza de Toros. Next, we went to the Plaza Mayor, a big, square plaza in the middle of lots of shops and cafes. We saw artists selling their paintings and lots of people sitting outside drinking coffee. We walked around the Plaza and through some of the streets along side of it, and then went to the Prado Museum, where they had lots of paintings by Velaquez, Goya, and El Greco. On the way to the Prado, we passed through La Cibeles, a big island in the middle of a busy street with a huge statue of a woman riding a chariot. We were pretty tired, so afterwards we went back to the hotel and got a good night's sleep. The next morning, we ate breakfast and headed to the Palacio Real, or Royal Palace. It was gorgeous! The Palace was white on the outside and looked a little similar to Buckingham Palace from the front, only a little bigger, and the inside of it was breathtaking. The ceiling in every room had a different mural on it, and no two rooms were the same! We got to walk through the royal apartments, courtyards, and even the chapel. After the Palacio Real, we went back to the Plaza de Toros so that we could actually go inside (it was closed on Sunday). We spent the rest of the afternoon eating and shopping...fun! Spain, like every country in Europe, has wonderful pastries! That night, we went to buy snacks for our train ride to Barcelona, and guess what I bought...Oreos! They were much cheaper than the $10 boxes they sell in England. It's funny to see which American items you can get in some countries that you can't get in others. Dunkin Donuts is a very popular chain all over Spain, and they had the usual Burger King, McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Subway. I discovered a new energy drink that I like...Pink Fish! I'm a big fan of Red Bull, and Pink Fish looks and tastes like Red Bull, except that it's cherry flavored! I think it's a Dutch energy drink. Hopefully I'll find it again soon! Also, if anyone goes to Spain, remember this: do NOT order hot chocolate (chocolate caliente) unless you're at Starbucks. Spanish hot chocolate is very thick and almost bitter. We tried it at a few places, and I'm just not a fan. Overall, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised with Madrid! I would love to come back and visit! Tomorrow: BARCELONA - such a fun city!