Saturday: Picnicking in Retiro

Slept in today, which was wonderful! Alice was already gone to Segovia for the day with her program and Patricia was away picking up her granddaughter Mia for the day. I got up and made my toast and coffee and then ate it leisurly in bed. I took easy all morning--doing homework, working on blog and photos, taking a shower, etc. 

Around 2ish Amanda and I left to meet everyone in Sol at the Apple Store. This is a good place to meet because it has ac, free wifi, charging stations, they don't kick you out and it is centrally located. 

The plan for today was to spend the entire afternoon in the beautiful Retiro Park. Some wanted to tan, some wanted to read, everyone wanted to eat... 

  

 

Megan, Rhiannon, and I rented a boat for 45 minutes:

 It was hot, a little crowded but also really fun.  

Disney is huge here. My host mom is taking her granddaughter to the Disneyland in Paris next weekend. 

This is just above the Metro entrance to Retiro. 

Amanda and I finally coerced Alice into joining the gang for an evening out, she agreed but got us to join her in meeting up later with a group from her schoo Hunter College. 

We met everyone except Tanner, who was watching the big Real Madrid soccer match with his roommates, at the Apple store at 8:45. (We were actually a bit late.) From there we headed over to the very ritzy streets of Gran Via and then onto ?C.... once again in search of something to eat. It took us an excessively long time to settle on something and then no one other than Amanda, Sierra, and I ordered something to eat... and we were sharing it. 

By the time we had finished our plate of something similar to nachos (chilequiles I think) it was time to met the Hunter group. So the group split....the other 4 went on to have a fun night going from place to place again while we 3 went back to Sol. 

La Osa y la Madrona 

  

We were out quite late with the Hunter girls. It was a lot of fun. There were 4 at first and then towards the end of the night two more came....I think we are all planning to do more things together in the future. 

What is really great however is that Amanda, Alice and I got some bonding time...since we will be living together for 2 months it is nice that we are getting to know eachother and subsequently becoming very good friends. 

Night life in Madrid is amazing. Partly because it is so hot out during the afternoon/early evening and partly because it is still light outside until 9:30 or so, people don't really begin coming outside for food or for socializing until 9 or 10. This meant that regular people were still thronging the streets off of Calle Mayor when we three headed home past midnight. And even more incredible is that there really weren't any creepy people hanging out in the dark corners. It is such a surprisingly safe city apart from the pick-pocketers. The only common irritant so fat however has been warding off street venders by repeating "no, grasias"

(This is to reassure anyone who was concerned for my well being, which I know was fully out of their love for me. Thank you and no worries!)

Much love,

 Emily