My usual café visit last Friday quickly screeched to a halt when I saw a shuttered storefront accompanied by a handwritten sign saying they’d be back in a few hours. Having just walked 30 minutes and still craving something sweet, I decided to make the most of this setback and went searching for a new spot to eat in the area. My search led to another café about ten minutes away where I got a fantastic bagel sandwich and some strawberry matcha. The people at the front counter were very curious about how I had found the place, and after I answered, they mentioned that it had only opened three weeks ago!
Rehydrated and wanting to take advantage of the cool weather (which, during my time in Madrid, has now become the mid-80s), I decided to take the hour-long walk back to my room after eating. This took me straight through Parque del Buen Retiro. While I have visited the park a few times before to read or meet up with friends, I have only seen a fraction of its over 300 acres. I spotted an archway out of the corner of my eye and was delighted to stumble across the rose garden. I immediately rerouted, eager to add to my collection of flower photos. What started with disappointment quickly turned into one of my favorite afternoons, reminding me that a lot can be learned from breaking routine, whether intentional or not.
Day Trip to Barcelona!
This was a day trip in the truest sense: we caught a 6:30am train and returned to Madrid at midnight. As someone who usually takes the weekend as a chance to sleep in, I had to triple check that my alarms were set. Luckily, I ran into no issues and my friend and I were able to meet up and board our train.
While we initially wanted to see some famous sites such as the Sagrada Familia, our search a few days before heading out had shown that tickets were sold out weeks in advance (though that didn’t stop us from admiring the building from the outside). Instead, we took a deep dive into other famous works by Antoni Gaudí.
Our first stop was Casa Battló, a mansion that Gaudí had completely remodeled for Joseph Battló. The best way to describe Gaudí’s designs would be organic. The audioguide on our tour through Casa Batlló described his design process and the inspiration that he took from natural elements (particularly marine life for this building). On display was a model that Gaudí had shaped by hand, further demonstrating his fluid approach to architecture. Below I have included two images I took in Casa Batlló showcasing how Gaudí’s designs extended from floor to ceiling, helping the building blend into a fluid, whimsical structure.
What came next was by far the largest struggle on this trip: battling the Park Güell website for tickets. We encountered almost every technical issue imaginable, with pages randomly going blank, notices that we had timed out only a few seconds into ordering, and available timeslots appearing and disappearing at will. After numerous attempts on both of our devices, we decided to walk to the park and see if it was possible to get tickets there. Upon arriving, we found out that the only way to get tickets was through that website, and after a few more tries it miraculously went through! I’m glad it did, because this park was the highlight of our trip. In addition to more beautiful structures and plentiful mosaic designs, we were granted a stunning view that extended to the water. Although we only spent a short amount of time in Barcelona, I’m glad that we were able to fit in this trip.
As for the work week, I have been having a great time getting to know the other interns as well as the supervisors. The office has a very friendly dynamic, and adjusting to the different cultural communication has not been as hard as I thought it would be when first arriving. We were told that criticism would be more blunt in Spain, and while I have found this to be true, I don’t consider it a bad thing. Mistakes are corrected quickly, and even if things are presented in a more direct manner, I have found that my supervisors are very open to listening to alternative approaches and ideas. Spain also places a stronger emphasis on building relationships with your coworkers compared to many offices in the United States, and this has likely contributed to the pleasant atmosphere.
So many things in Madrid have become the new normal for me. It’s surreal to think that in less than two weeks time I’ll be back in Pennsylvania, unpacking and repacking as I prepare for classes in August. In the meantime, I’m going to try my best to work through my (slightly ambitious) bucket list. I’ll see you next week for my final blog post from Madrid!