Got to Madrid on Saturday. It is really neat here, more real life than Paris. The plane ride was super easy and there wasn’t any passport check or customs thank god. We did a little dinner at La Cervezeria a San Juan. It was SO cool. I wasn’t expecting much from the food here but we got this chorizo torta. It was HUGE and amazing, filled with cheese, sausage, and a creamy delightful tomato sauce, in huge fluffy pizza like pie. We tried different awesome beers including the Simpson’s Duff Beer and Kogel tried another one that came with its own chemistry lab to drink it out of. We eat around 10/11 here and then go out at around 2. We went to this seven-story club called Kapitol, amazing. It was seven floors but the first one was by far the best. I got to listen to my Swedish house mafia and aoki whilst getting blasted with a giant ceiling fire extinguisher, every ten minutes. Wore my wig and went out with the whole abroad crew. The only difficult thing was that you had to get drink tickets and then get drinks. Oh and also when I threw a mini-fit at the bar and I was pointed out to get kicked out. Luckily, I ran, took of my wig and lipstick, and they never found me. We stayed until 6 in the morning, it was amazing. Finally got a chance to sleep in Sunday but not for long before we went to El Rastro, the flea market. It was so overwhelming and cool. El Rastro sold things from power cords to purses to cool Spanish balloon pants to empanadas. I couldn’t stop picking things up and getting things here and there. So neat to see the locals who need things like underwear and pots and pans to shop around. Later Sunday we went to a bullfight. One of the most intense and interesting events I have ever been to. Once you get over how brutal it is to watch them trick and torture the bull it is kind of neat to see the Spanish culture and how much they enjoy these fights. The bull has absolutely no chance, it is dead before it even walks out and when this don’t go the fighters way, they just get means and mess with the bull. There is blood and guts and clapping. When a fighter does really well everyone throws roses and white hankies. After the fight we went to Plaza de Sol, the center of all of Spain. Went to another cervezaria and then dinner. For dessert we visited the famous churros and chocolate place. Yum. They give you a huge plate of churros and a mug of hot thick chocolate to dip in. Yesterday was our first day of class with Robert Robinson, Rob Rob. He is wonderful but the class is going to be a little rougher than Segalla’s cultural risk framework. We are studying the financial crisis, globalization, and other international trade/bank stuff. It will be interesting. Next to our hotel we have a department store called El Corte Ingles, a huge EVERYTHING store. I got a bunch of bags and such for my fwiends, but we are going to have to share because I already used one. We got dinner at Lateral, the best food I have had so far. We got things like; sirloin with caramelized onions, gazpacho, lamb meatballs, tortilla (egg, potato, cheese thing), apple salad, lots of sangria pitchers, and avocado and shrimp tartar. Tonight we are going to get some sushi at NoDo and then go to this bar called “The Cave Bar” with stalagmites and stalactites. They serve a special drink con leche that comes out of the ceiling cave rock. Should be neat. Peace & Love from Madrid.
lcd sound system blew the roof off on the main stage and i am still catching up on the others i heard. we danced together until the sun came up overhead the dj and hung out until the peak hours of nine in the morning strolling and joking about. it was absolutely the most wonderful ten hours of my life. its sometimes mind boggling how amazing people can be even on first encounters. saturday we went to the beach, after only three hours a sleep and a long siesta. i raved about my night all day, steph and alexa decided to check it out. round 2 sonar music festival was around the corner. we went at around midnight and i introduced her to the boys. we are madly in love with all of them. the night was just as magical as before and the girls loved it. i wouldn't trade this weekend in barcelona for anything. the chemical brothers were heart throbbing and started our night off good. many adventures happened that night and the boys entertained us along the way. not five minutes had passed and the sun was rising. the night went by in a flash. magical but the nostalgia began the minute we headed away for the metro. i think i have teared up a good fifty seven times thinking about not seeing all these wonderful people for such a long time. they were really really some of the funniest and best i have met along the way in life. i speak for all three of us when i say how amazing and lucky it was to be able to experience stuff like this in another country. fates got something on us. got five days left in madrid, went by way to fast but i am excited to be back home on my nola couch. peace & love from madrid & barcelona dreaming. 
