When I finished my semester in Brussels, I was so in love with Europe, I was not ready to go home. Instead, I decided to find a job as an Au Pair. As an Au Pair, I lived with a family, in exchange for watching their children and teaching them english. It was an absolutely amazing way to get to see inside a culture. I lived with two families for a month and a half each. One family lived in Guadalajara, a gorgeous small traditional Spanish town, and the other family lived in the bustling capital city of Madrid.
If natural scenery and tradition are your go-to scene, then Guadalajara is the place to be. When I arrived in early June, I had never seen so many flowers in my life. Rolling fields of lowers crawled up their mountains and hills. Most homes had balconies, all which grew their own flowers. Farms surrounded the town, blossoming with fields of wheat that danced in the wind. Not many people in the town spoke english, so I would advocate for having a little bit of Spanish language skills before visiting, but honestly it was my absolute favorite place in Spain. If you’ve seen the movie the Gladiator, you would remember the beautiful and ideal Spanish farm where Russel Crowe’s character lived—Yeah, it really looks just like that. The food is the best food I had in Europe as well. No one cooked paella as well as the merchants in that town. A gypsy market takes place on Thursdays and Sundays, and here you can find anything from rare homemade candy and cheeses to knock-off Adidas. A laid back environment always surrounded the town. Some of the best landmarks though include a central summer palace, including its own maze and unique architecture. A Duchess’ Grand Tomb lays behind a massive and scenic park. Churches and old city walls dating back centuries buzz with the locals, as they are still used.
Madrid marks a completely different way of life. A busy and urban environment, Madrid’s streets sprawl with confusing patterns and intricate neighborhood layouts. In the center of Madrid lies countless museums and restaurants, all of which are worth visiting. My personal favorite was the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. It’s the best contemporary art museum I’ve seen. The trip to Madrid alone is worth it just for the Reina Sofía. The Retiro Park marks the almost equal second place attraction for Madrid. It has fantastic rose gardens, a glass palace, a giant lake in the middle you can take a peddle boat across, and even an open-air book market! Seriously, this park is like something from a dream. For the nightlife, Madrid de-liv-ers! La Kapital is the chief club around—it is in an old grand theatre, and has 6 floors of balcony, as well as reggaeton and techno! For the bars, the thing to do is tapa hopping in the Latin Quarter. While Belgium seems to maintain a strict “no eating” bar policy, Spain offers the exact opposite. In tapa hopping, the technique is simple. You go to a bar with your friends. The size of the group does not matter, but the more the merrier, right? You order the bar’s specialty “tapas”, or small appetizers, and a beer. You finish this, and move on to the next one. Repeat these steps until its the early morning hours. In Spain, this social event is so culturally ingrained and accepted, it’s not uncommon to see parents bring their children, or even their babies (I mean a literal infant here) with them.
Another interesting cultural observation about the Spanish is how much of night owls these people are. I would walk around Guadalajara at midnight, and I would see young small children playing alone in parks, or kicking balls down the street, as if it was noon on a Sunday. My families in Spain both usually ate dinner around 9 or 10 pm, with lunch being around 2-3 pm.
Some foods to try in Spain: Paella, churros with melted chocolate (or rolled into sugar if you’re soul-less enough to not like chocolate) and jamon!!! Jamon is their specialty ham. I mean honestly comparing it to “ham” is a gross understatement. It’s a gourmet art, and a reputable piece can cost thousands for a single leg. As for a drink, I would recommend a Tinto Verano! It’s a red wine mixed with a lemon Fanta or tonic water, and its popularity peaks in the summer.
Some places you must visit that are close to Madrid include Toledo and Alcalá de Henares. Toledo, known as the "Imperial City",is an ancient city and was the main home to Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. It is extremely impressive! Honestly, I was more amazed by Toledo than by any other city in Europe. The ancient city lies on a hill above the plains of Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain, and has the three influences of mArab, Jewish and Christian cultures. It was also the home of painter El Greco, and contains and impressive museum dedicated to him. Alcalá de Henares is another ancient and picturesque city in central Spain, right between Madrid and Guadalajara. Alcalá de Henares features the University of Alcalá, an esteemed Spanish University placed in a decadent 16th Century Palace-like structure, and is the home of Miguel de Cervantes, the writer of Don Quixote. Every year, the Spanish king travels here to give out the Cervantes literary prize. Also, fun fact, Alcalá de Henares has storks EVERYWHERE! if you look at the tops of any tall building, you are sure to see giant stork nest and those humongous birds flying between buildings.
The main center of Alcalá de Henares
Plaza Major, Spain. The center square of the city
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