Let's see. I got into Madrid on the 27th of August, a Thursday. After arriving at the hotel, I immediately took a nap. My plane ride (where I had planned to sleep) was extremely uncomfortable, but everybody was in the same boat, we were all tired. Spain is so much different than the US - much more beautiful. Lots of fountains, and beautiful, big buildings (which turn out more often than not to be apartment buildings).
On Friday, we were able to tour the city. We went to the Prado Museum! I saw paintings by Goya, Greco, Velazquez. All painting I have learned about in my Spanish classes, so that was really exciting. We had some free time in the afternoon and walked to the Puerta del Sol and La Plaza Nueva. La Plaza Nueva has some neat shops and cafes; it was fun to walk around. Next, we toured the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). It's amazing to think that people lived such extravagant lives at one time. It was weird to think that so many kings and queens of the past stood right where I was standing. The palace was beyond huge. The kings had an entire room set aside for getting dressed. One king had 3 living rooms. Don't ask me why.
We were on our own for supper that night, so Alex, Melissa (friends from the program), and I went exploring and found a great little side street with tons of bars and restaurants. We were the only tourists in the place. It was really nice. I was surprised at how many people in Madrid speak English. Many times throughout the day, we had to say, "No, please speak to us in Spanish; we are trying to learn." The same has not been so in other cities here. Night life is pretty huge here, by the way. People come up to you downtown in the city and give you free drinks or shots if you check out there bar. Lots and lots of people in the streets, till all hours of the night.