Hello, Spain! Goodbye, Luggage...

When I studied abroad in Valencia, I studied with a group called ISA (International Study Abroad) that consisted of students from all over the US. Applying and filling out paperwork was a tedious process, but absolutely worth the effort. My close friend Kristen and I decided to embark on this journey together- I have known Kristen for about fifteen years now, and we had both travelled to Valencia on our high school's spring break study abroad program. We fell so in love with the city that we immediately knew we wanted to return to Valencia, so when another study abroad opportunity came up, we took advantage.

Before buying our plane tickets, everyone from the group was asked to meet in Madrid rather than the Spanish city they chose, so that we could appreciate Spain's beautiful capital before heading off to our new Spanish homes! We were asked to be at the hotel by a specific time in January 2010, so we were to plan our flights accordingly.

Kristen and I booked our flights the same night to ascertain we would be seated next to each other on the flight. Little did we know that the flight, when the time came, would be delayed from Philadelphia to London, which in turn would cause us to miss our flight from London to Madrid. We knew arriving on time wasn't an option at this point. When we finally did arrive in Madrid, I looked longingly for what seemed like eternity as no more bags emerged from the other side of the baggage claim. So, there we were, hours late, with the slow realization that my luggage was never on the plane. Now let me explain an important fact about Kristen right now, because I'm going to repeat this a lot in my stories: Kristen enjoys laughing uncontrollably when something goes horribly wrong, or something absolutely bizarre happens. Her laugh is absolutely contageous, and even though it's a situation where a panic attack should usually be taking place, there's no other option but to laugh with her.

So there we were in the Madrid airport, me empty-handed next to the baggage claim, and Kristen, standing next to me, laughing hysterically at me and our tremendous situation.

While waiting for my luggage (that would fail to arrive), we met some admirable people from our ISA group that were also in the airport as late as we were, because their luggage was also MIA. I didn't even attempt my Spanish skills as I vented to the customer service desk about my luggage, only partly because they greeted me in English. After giving her the address of our hotel in Madrid (which would end up being unnecessary since my luggage wouldn't arrive until I was already in Valencia), Kristen and I hailed a cab to the hotel.

We arrived late, but one of the ISA leaders was still in the lobby to greet us. She told us that we had a couple of hours to explore Madrid, so Kristen and I showered, dropped off (her) luggage, and made our first stop in Starbucks. Don't judge! Kristen and I attempted our first Spanish sentences to the young lady behind the Starbucks counter. I received the drink I asked for, so I'm going take that as my Spanish was decent.

We only had minimal time to walk around a couple of blocks before we had to be inside our hotel for the first group meeting. It was a cool but absolutely beautiful day, and the architecture was simply stunning! Other than Valencia, Madrid is my favorite city in Spain because of its unique and detailed architecture. It's very well-kept, sophisticated, and has such a distinct feel from all of the other cities in Spain. First of all, it's one of the biggest cities, but unlike Barcelona, it almost has a smaller feel, and every building is so well-done and unique. Barcelona is unforgettable too in its own way, but Madrid completely conquers Barcelona in its architecture. Another reason I get such a positive feeling from Madrid is because absolutely everything is so well-kept, and it's one of the best places to people watch. Everyone walks with a purpose in Madrid, and when they do get tired of it, they have hundreds of options of comfortable hole-in-the-wall tavern restaurants, unique cafes, art museums, and old detailed political buildings. I've now been to Madrid three times in my travels, and I never grow tired of it.

Will update you with more travel stories in Madrid soon!