New place like home: Paella y Pickpocketers

We kicked off our first full day in Madrid with a little piece of home as we visited the US Embassy of Madrid. We had the distinct honor of meeting with the outreach coordinator and financial advisor of the Embassy to discuss the current financial hardships Madrid is facing. In the debriefing, we discussed the important role of the US in foreign affairs, specifically how interconnected the US and EU economies are. There are many similarities between the US recession and Spain's current financial situation, yet the bottom line remains the same for both countries, what is the best solution for such a complex problem? I don't have an answer at the moment, so maybe I will save tackling the global economic crisis for another post...

Outside of the US Embassy in Madrid!! Our little taste of home!

On a smaller but equally significant scale of crises, Jenny got her wallet stolen by a pickpocketer while we were ordering our lunch at a small sandwich shop. Although we were mortified at the time, the incident directly supported what we learned earlier that morning at the Embassy about the unfortunate economic woes in Spain and how many Spaniards are resorting more and more to desperate measures just to get by. Regardless of the secret pity I felt for the mysterious pickpocketer, I felt one hundred times worse for mi amiga Jenny that had to deal with being robbed abroad. After handling the pickpocketing situation as best as we could, we were back on track for our full day of sightseeing with the group.

Since climbing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it is tough to impress our group with tall buildings; however, La Plaza de España caused us to look twice. The large square is home to Madrid's two most prominent skyscrappers- El Torre de Madrid y El Edificio España. It has grown to be a very popular tourist destination as well due to its street vendors, fountains, and a beautiful monument honoring the poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. The stone tower in the center of the plaza features a full-body statue of Cervantes which overlooks smaller bronze sculptures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Jenny and I ventured up close and personal to Don Quixote's oversized statue to take advantage of a photo opt with the infamous character on his horse. It was well worth the silly stares.

Running around the Cervantes monument of Don Quixote

CHEESE!

Our next stop, the Temple of Debod, was quite a surprise for me, as I did not expect to see an Egyptian temple in Madrid. Comparing the Temple of Debod to my vast knowledge of temples acquired from watching The Mummy trilogy countless time, I concluded that this temple was very primitive. But what was it doing in Madrid? Turns out the temple was a gift from Egypt to Spain in 1968 for their help in saving the temples of Abu Simbel when construction was threatening historical Egyptian monuments. It is one of only a few authentic, ancient Egyptian works that can be seen outside of Egypt! Well, some don't call it authentic since it was taken apart and reassembled in order to transport it to Madrid but to me, it's still the real deal.

It is standard for our group to be on our feet all day, using walking as our main mode of transportation. Once our blisters scabbed over and we invested in better shoes, the long days of walking have become customary and expected, so ending our day with a cable car tour over La Casa de Campo was a real treat. We got to sit our tired behinds down in a ski-lift like cable car and fly over La Casa de Campo with a squeaky little Dora the Explorer like voice narrating our ride. The first thing Dora taught us was that the famous preserved land we were gliding over translates in English to 'House of the Field.' Ironically, the field more closely resembled a desert since Madrid is in the midst of a severe drought this summer. Nonetheless, our panoramic views of the city and the rolling hills of dried up field were much more breathtaking than you would think. The ride in our baby blue tramcar allowed for a relaxing end to a busy day!