Tour of Madrid

The hostel where we stayed in Madrid offered a "free" walking tour so of course we decided to take advantage. I say "free" because although there was no fee, the guide was begging for tips before the tour even started. Nevertheless, it was a really nice tour and we got to see a lot of the major sites in the center of Madrid. 

 The osita (female bear), which according to our guide is like the "Statue of Liberty of Spain."

 Opera House

 Palacio Real, Royal Palace

 Spiderman, lol

Plaza Mayor

Best Pasta Ever???

On my second day at the hostel, I met Pierrick aka el loco. While Pierrick left us all with many fun memories, I don't think any of us will ever forget the pasta he made us. One day while we were at the beach, he casually goes "so I'm going to make yall dinner tonight." We were all like ok...sure (don't forget his nickname was el loco). We went to the grocery store and he wandered around for a bit, not really sure of what he wanted to make, and I'll admit that I was more than a bit skeptical about what he was going to cook. However, when I say he cooked one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had....

Dinner

Shrimp, clams, and chorizo

I had never eaten a clam a day in my life until he made this dish.

The chef, Pierrick

The aftermath...

First Day

My first day here, I didn't know anyone, so my day consisted of getting a cell phone, and walking around by myself trying to get my bearings. I got lucky because my hostel was in the center of town, and close to everything. 

As I began my walk in search of a phone, I casually walked upon some ancient Roman ruins.

The Teatro Romano was built in the 1st century by Caesar. The ruins were buried for centuries, and weren't discovered until 1951. 

I then continued my walk towards the area where all of the shops are, and saw some beautiful architecture. 

Since it was my first day, and I didn't know how to get to the beach, I just walked towards the water and headed towards the Port of Malaga. 

Day 2

Even though I was talking all of that stuff yesterday about how I wasn't tired even though I had been awake for a couple of days, when I finally went to sleep...it was a different story. I had plans to go apartment hunting with a girl I met at the hostel at 10 this morning, but I definitely didn't wake up until 1:30 this afternoon ;)

Since I got a late start, I just started looking for apartments on the internet, and calling to see if they were still available. Most of them had already been rented, or were too far out of the center. Luckily, the girl I met in the hostel, Andrea, has quickly become a friend and apartment hunting life saver. She has been here a few days, and has already been to about eight apartments, so she has seen what is out there.

I tagged along as she visited an apartment with a great price and perfect location in the center of Malaga; but just like everything else, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Although the apartment had a large, open, living room with french doors made out of glass leading to a balcony, the kitchen, rooms, and bathrooms were very small. 

Luckily, we now have a lead on an apartment from one of the guys who works at the hostel, and we hope to go see it tomorrow. After apartment hunting all day, I'm going to try to go to dinner with some other Auxiliares who are also here in Malaga, and go to a salsa club tonight with Andrea. 

Dinner and salsa lessons...sounds like a great night :)