That one time I forgot to blog

I would like to publicly apologize to the blog world for falling so behind on my blog.  This apology is really only applicable if anyone actually cares.  I think some people do, but is admitting that narcissistic?  So many big questions to ponder.

Ok, well, back to my life in Spain.  Two weekends ago I went to a Carnaval celebration in Cádiz, which is in southern Spain.  I went with an organization called European Vibe which organizes trips and parties for (mostly American) students studying abroad.  It had its plusses and minuses, but it was definitely nice to not have to plan much on my own.  After a slightly excruciating 8 hour bus ride, my friends Emily and Olivia and I, along with about 250 other college kids, arrived at our hotel.  There was a party at a local bar organized by the trip that night which was fun but not all that exciting.

The next day we literally soaked in the beautiful weather that Madrid had been depriving us of and laid out in bathing suits in the sun.  After a day of lounging, we dedicated some time to getting our costumes ready.  Everybody in Cádiz dresses up for Carnaval and it seems like the crazier the better, as you can see from some photos.   We reboarded the bus (ugh) to head to the center of Cádiz, where we found a city square that resembled the biggest Purim carnival or Halloween party ever.  It was super fun to hang out and meet people in the city square, but honestly, we were kinda confused about the lack of music or the lack of an event.  We walked around the area a bit, saw the beach, and met some new Cádiz friends, both Spanish and American.  Apparently there was a parade in the middle of the night but the busses had already taken us back to the hotel.  Should've done a little more research, but overall, I had a super fun night.  Unfortunately, it took another 8 hours to get back to Madrid.  Really think that we should learn how to aparate to places.

I spent all of last week and this past weekend in Madrid for the first time all month!  It was really nice to stay in one, relatively familiar place.  In the middle of the week a bunch of us went out to Ethiopian food to celebrate a friend's birthday.  Ethiopian food is one of my new favorite types of food after truly discovering it in all its glory through my ethnic dinner club back in Berkeley.  Madrid's version was good, but couldn't really compete with Berkeley.  But then again, not much food can.

We went out on Thursday night to some really cute and fun places to keep the celebrations going.  Getting to sleep in on Friday was pretty glorious, since I hadn't gotten to do that for the past 3 weeks.  Friday night I went back to Chabad with my friend Jessie.  I saw some of the same people from last time and met some really great new people.  I definitely think I'll keep going whenever I'm in Madrid on a Friday night.  It's a really nice community and a great sense of familiarity.  From there I went to the airport not to travel but to pick up my friend Caitlin who came to visit me from Milan!  It was pretty late so we headed back to my place to rest up for a long day of walking ahead.

On Saturday, we walked through El Parque Retiro (a big Central Park type place), around Sol and Gran Via (big shopping centers) and to El Palacio Real (the royal palace).  We stopped to watch a lot of the street performers including a Mariachi band and a man on a unicycle.  There was one particular guy who we saw dancing in front of two different music groups.  He was certainly in his own world.  It was exceedingly amusing.  Overall, a super fun day of exploring and picture taking.  That night, we went to a tapas place and then to a big night club called Kapital.  It was a fun experience, but definitely a bit too crowded and overwhelming for my taste.  7 stories, tons of people, and long lines.  But fun dance floors and a karaoke room, so I was happy.  Stayed out until 6 AM which isn't so weird here.  I still think it's weird.

On Sunday, we pretty much spent the day recovering.  We went with my friend Jessie to a famous tapas bar at night called El Tigre which has ridiculously huge portions for not so many euros.  It's in an area called Chueca which is super cute and is the gay neighborhood of Madrid.  Definitely a fun night spot.  Then, on Monday, I went to school and sent Caitlin off on her own to explore.  Overall, it was a really fun weekend with a best friend. :)

And now, I have to do school stuff.  I know my friends at home are going through midterm hell right now but I must say that the lack of intellectually stimulating coursework here certainly makes me appreciate Berkeley.