My first trip to another country – Spain! This was Valentine’s Day weekend and what better way to spend the weekend than traveling with your 3 best friends?
The trip started early Friday morning with catching a train from Florence to the Rome airport. As unnerving as it can be traveling to a place that is unfamiliar, I truthfully prefer being on the train alone. There is something about the fast track that is so therapeutic yet exhilarating. I had time to myself to prepare for the trip, read, and listen to my music all before the energy of the weekend picked up.
Getting off the train at the Rome terminal was a little chaotic because since my train arrived late, I only had 5 minutes to get from Platform 2 to Platform 24. But, after getting a nice morning run-in at the terminal, I caught my train with 2 minutes to spare and a heart rate of 130. The train took me to the airport where I met Hunter to fly to Madrid!
One big difference between international airports and the airport in America is the large shopping area you must walk through to reach your gate. You pass about 15 of the top designer brands, hundreds of perfume options, many different candies, and a variety of alcohol- which you already know I took advantage of!
Once I boarded my flight I think I closed my eyes and immediately fell asleep after a long morning of traveling. After 2 and a half hours, I was in Madrid!
We didn’t have to go through customs or any additional screening when we got there, just a simple “travel health form” that Spain requires throughout this pandemic. After this, Hunter and I were on our way to our Airbnb! Our journey to Airbnb took a lot longer than we had expected, but after getting drunk on the best mojito we had ever tasted, we couldn’t be better.
A few hours later Allie showed up and we all walked around and grabbed some nachos (when in Spain… right?) before getting ready to go out to the notorious Spain clubs. Hunter and I also honored the Double U by having snorkels in our Airbnb, a very important detail of the trip.
The club, Teatro Kapital, was absolutely massive and defied all of my expectations. It was like out of a movie, but larger. The club had 7 (yes, seven) floors, and each floor and its own dance floor, bar, and lounge area but was completely unique. Each floor also was built up above the DJ and bottom dance floor/VIP section. There were tables and areas you could rent out, for $1000 of course, so naturally there were many different types of people (and levels of wealth) in this club.
After leaving, we grabbed McDonald’s, like the true Americans we are, and met up with Rachel who had just flown in and was excited to join us for the next day. (Side note: I was proud of my high school Spanish paying off. The language barrier is definitely real but getting to engage in another language, especially in the respective culture, is very rewarding. Except for the couple of times that I got my Italian and Spanish confused).
Saturday we all woke up and got ready for the day. 4 girls to 1 bathroom is usually a bit of a nightmare but we’ve become pros at it by now after doing it so many times in places like Colorado, San Diego & Grand Central (shoutout Taylor Garstecki).
We got lunch in the Plaza de Santa Ana at a restaurant called Lateral. After lunch we went to a cute little Gluten Free Bakery so Allie could get some sweets (which looked amazing) and then went downtown.
Downtown Madrid was one of the most beautiful and unique places I have ever seen. There was a group of guys dancing and performing fun songs in front of a crowd and the atmosphere felt so joyful. The buildings down the main stretch of Madrid were gorgeous. The best way I can describe it is that it looked futuristic. The buildings were well-kept, large, colored in pastel shades, and looked out of the Great Gatsby. Everything felt so large and there were open courtyards and streets lined with every shop and makeup store you could think of. So naturally, we had to stop.
At least 10 different times throughout the weekend I had an existential shock that we were in Spain. That is one thing I feel will never change throughout my whole endeavor here: the random moments where I stop in my tracks and realize I am actually in a totally different country.
After some shopping, we went back to our Airbnb and got ready for dinner & drinks before going back to the club for another night! Getting ready for a night out was exactly what I needed. It felt like we had never left Madison. We got a nice dinner near the Plaza de Santa Ana. There were a couple of miscellaneous performers playing instruments and guitars accompanying our dinner. We all toasted over a mojito (and after looking at the price of it, we realized one was enough) and headed to Kapital for a fun night.
We danced, drank, and danced some more. Around 2 am Hunter and I snuck us all into the VIP section which was crazy. It was on the first floor and surrounded by famous models and people who had reserved the booths and tables by the DJ. One thing I have noticed is that every club, bar, or restaurant I have gone to play a majority of American songs. It is definitely not something I expected but hey, I’m okay with it! The night was a total blast and one that made the morning a total struggle.
The owners of the Airbnb were supposed to come at 10 but with us waking up at 9:50 we got it pushed back a bit. Then we roamed on over to the Madrid palace which we were totally not dressed, nor in a state of mind for, but it was gorgeous.
It still is surreal that this is what my weekends are consisting of right now, but as my Instagram caption says, these must be those ‘good ole days’ everyone talks about.
sent with emphasis 