Weekend in Madrid

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The first week back at lectures is always a bit of a drag, never mind when it's hot and sunny outside. It took a few days to get back into the swing of it, but luckily Rosy and I had a trip to Madrid to plan, which occupied our thoughts during the dull classes. We spent the time outside lectures sunbathing in the park, or on the sofa watching films.

The Spanish people were just beginning to reflect some signs of the summery weather in their clothing; the winter coats were disappearing, and occasionally there was a flash of arm or leg as someone braved shorts or a T-shirt. They were mostly still far too overdressed for the weather; we were in skirts and strappy tops. But the older generation didn't seem to approve; while we sat with cool drinks in 24 degree heat, several old ladies on the table next to us commented disdainfully on our outfits, unaware that we could understand what they were saying. At this point, we began to speak loudly in Spanish, but it didn't seem to put them off. Our outfits definitely marked us out as foreigners, but honestly, how the rest of them don't die of heatstroke I don't know!

Then on Friday morning, the first day of the week where it seemed that the weather was turning, Rosy and I hopped on a coach to Madrid. A mere 5 and a half hours later, we arrived. It is difficult to remember that Spain is actually a pretty big country. OK, so it's dwarfed by the USA and Australia, but in European terms, it's a pretty big place. And in-between the cities, pretty empty. Once you get past the very beautiful northern mountains, there is nothing for about four hours. It's just an empty, dry landscape. The sky seems huge because the land is flat; even the odd hill is falt-topped. A few scrubby bushes and the occasional farm are the only things to break the monotony. And then you hit the outskirts of Madrid. Basically rows and rows of houses for miles, a shopping centre, but nothing that could be called a community or a town. And you're still an hour away from Madrid proper. When we finally arrived at the estacion sur, we took the metro across to our hostel, which was in a nice quarter of the city, and just two minutes from Puerta del Sol, the heart of Madrid. The hostel itself was lovely as hostels go, but we were hardly there. We checked in, dropped our bags off and changed into cooler outfits (we arrived at four in the afternoon and it was 27 degrees Celcius). Then we went straight out to explore Madrid. We decided to get tickets for the tour bus, which is the best way to get a feel for the city and to see the places of interest.

So we spent a very happy afternoon riding around Madrid on the top deck of an open-topped bus, snapping merrily away, getting lots of very wonky photos in the process. Once we'd done the whole tour, we stayed on until we got back to Gran Via, the main street in Madrid, with lots of shops, cafes and restaurants. All the main shopping and tourist streets link Gran Via and Puerta del Sol. We started off with a drink and some nachos at a cafe, then wandered along the streets for a while, window-shopping and getting excited about all the starbucks and even a ben and Jerry's shop (usually I'm dead against American commercialism taking over the world, but the thought of an actual proper vat of cappucino was too much for my idealistic principles). Then, looking for somewhere to eat, we settled on the outdoor restaurant of the Hotel Europa. We had a lovely, and surprisingly inexpensive, meal of tapas and wine, served by a jovial waiter. Afterwards,although we were full as could be, we just couldn't let the oppurtunity of the Ben and Jerry's shop directly opposite pass us by, although we did limit ourselves to one scoop each. It was a great evening!

After a difficult night's sleep, due to the two very loud and inconsiderate Americans in our dorm (I can't wait to go to America and meet some Americans who don't confirm my stereotypes) we hopped on the second bus tour of 'modern Madrid'. Where the trip the day before of historical Madrid had us oohing and ahhing at the beautiful architecture, this one saw going 'yuk' at the 'functional' architecture (read ugly). But we did go out to the north of the city and saw more areas than the day before. It was a bit chillier that day, so afterwards we 'had to' go to Starbucks to warm up (ok, thank you, America). Soon after, our friends from Perpignan arrived, who are now living in various parts of Spain. It all got confusing with three Katy/ie's: It was one Katie's birthday, which is why we were in Madrid. It was great to see them, and it felt just like old times, like we'd never been apart. We sort of formed two groups, there was quite a fe who had arrived that morning, were going to pull an all-nighter and then fly home, whereas the rest of us, Katie S and her boyfriend Danny, Katie G, Sam, Rosy and I, were all staying over. The others went off and did their own thing more or less, which was a bit disappointing, but it would have been a bit unmanageable otherwise.

We had a great afternoon at the Prado museum (made even better by the fact that we got free entry because we're students) and although it was the kind of art I'm not usually blown away by (lots of 16-18th crucifixion and kings, you know the sort) but some rooms in the Prado really captured me, mostly when I realised that I was seeing for real some of the famous works I'd seen in books and studied in class. Velazquez's 'Las Meninas' was definitely a highlight, as was seeing some of Goya's famous works. There were also three medieval paintings that I chanced upon, which of course delighted me.

When we'd finished in the Prado, we'd been walking non-stop for several hours, and we were hot and tired, that kind of fractious feeling that makes you want to act like a five-year old. So we grabbed some cold drinks (Mine was a frappuccino - talk about a Starbucks overload) and collapsed onto a bench in the park. Katie G then proceeded to astound and amuse us with her quick-fire facts of 50 different celebrities, after she'd set the less celebrity-knowledgeable Sam on a task to name 50 actors. Finally, as the temperature dropped, we roused ourselves and made our way back to the hostel to get changed for the evening.

Several tequila shots later, Katie S and I were boogying away on chairs - not something I often find myself doing! We'd found this nice pub-type place, called in the tequila, and that was more or less where we stayed. We didn't experience the full range of Madrid's nightlife, but it was a great night, the best fun I've had in a while.

We crept back into the hostel at 4 a.m. and were checking out the next morning just after ten. We met the others in Gran Via, where we had some difficulty crossing the road because Madrid was hosting its answer to the London Marathon, but eventually we managed to dive in-between two groups of runners and make it to the other side. It was a relaxed day, where lunch followed coffee, and shopping for cheap souvenirs followed browsing in a bookshop (the coolest bookshop ever, where the shleves move) and then it was time to get back onto the coach and spend another 5 and a half hours staring at a barren landscape.

And now we're back in Oviedo after what feels refreshingly like a mini holiday. And it's raining again. I'm sure the sun will come out again soon, but for now, the citizens of Oviedo are wearing very smug, knowing looks, and the winter coats have made a rapid return.

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