Hey guys!
I’d like to prelude this blog post with a sincere apology that I haven’t uploaded these photos sooner. My SD card kept filling up so I had to store all my photos on my boyfriend’s laptop. The good thing is that I was able to take a million other photos. The bad thing was that he kept my photos hostage while school started back up. 
But it’s okay, I’m back again with my photos and I’ll be uploading all them throughout the week (yaaay procrastinating finals)!
Our second day in Madrid was absolutely beautiful. It was the warmest day that week. I think it reached 85F and I was so excited. Meanwhile it was snowing in Ithaca. 
Because it was so nice, we decided to go to the Real Jardín Botánico, the Royal Botanical Garden. There were so many beautiful flowers and interesting plants, but my favorite section of the garden had to be the green house with all the tropical plants. It really felt as if I was in the tropical jungle. The sprinklers made sure that there was a constant flow of mist and there was soft music playing that reminded me of something a mermaid or siren would sing. The whole experience was just incredible. I’m already a huge fan of botanical gardens, but the garden in Madrid took my breath away — both literally and figuratively. Because wow that mist was suffocating.
In addition to the mist, my allergies that day were through the roof. My boyfriend always complains about how bad his allergies are, but luckily for him, he’s not allergic to the flora found in Europe. Unluckily for me, I’m allergic to every kind of pollen in every single part of the world. 
At least my runny nose doesn’t discriminate… #equality
Unlike our gloomy campus, Madrid had clear skies so we decided to lie out in the sun for a bit. We lied in the grass by the Museo Nacional del Prado. We didn’t go in (don’t worry we did go the next day! We’re cultured we swear!!), but it was nice just being able to soak in some much needed sun.
After some lunch (that I forgot to take photos of, darn!) we went on a walk in Parque del Retiro. It reminded me a little bit of Central Park, but the plants and statues were incredibly unique. The trees were so cool looking; they reminded me a bit of something you’d find in a scifi movie, a completely different world with foreign looking plants. There was a small pond where people got on paddle boats and it was absolutely adorable. I would have loved to go on one, but it was way too hot for that. Besides, I lack the upper body strength so it would’ve been Justin doing all the work. LOL
One thing that never fails to impress me is Europe’s love for statues and fountains. You can hardly walk a quarter of a mile without seeing at least one. They’re all so beautiful and carefully detailed. I wish New York cared a little bit more about presentation in urban planning. But then again, I guess you can say that we’re saving water! 
Our walk in the park turned into a walk around Madrid as we left through the wrong exit and got lost. We even walked off the tourist map we were given. My sense of direction is horrible so I’m glad I was with someone who knows how to navigate. We passed by a sketchy area with teenagers huddled around a corner of a park covered in graffiti (sounds a lot like my neighborhood tbh LOL) so we tried to take a detour by walking around the park instead. But the road forked and these huge guys with tattoos and leather jackets were walking in the direction we wanted to go so we had to take another detour. We got even more lost and had to ask a woman for directions. It was like something out of a comedy film. I got so scared and panicked, but the teenagers and guys were probably all very nice people.
When we finally made it back to the hostal, we took a much needed nap, but afterwards we woke way too late for dinner. We got dressed up in the hopes of eating at a restaurant, but after an hour of indecisiveness the restaurants chose for us. And by chose, I mean all of them closed while we debated where to eat. So we ended up eating at a fast food Chinese restaurant. I thought that the name sounded familiar, and after a little research I found out that it’s the fast food place that I always pass by when doing fabric shopping in the Fashion District. Wok to Walk was so delicious. Neither of us were (and we still aren’t) huge fans of Spanish cuisine, so being able to eat cheap Chinese take out was one of the best feelings. 
This time I promise I’ll update the blog sooner!!
See you guys again soon,
Jamu
jamiesque 