Tengo 21!!!!

Yesterday was my 21st birthday, and I was lucky enough to get to spend it in Madrid. I spent the morning in El Parque de Buen Retiro, which is like the Central Park of Madrid, but I think it might be a little bigger. I only walked though about 1/4 of it, but it was BEAUTIFUL. Complete with lake and young couples rowboating in the water. It was a very peaceful way to spend the morning.

Later in the day, my host mom offered to take me and the other girls of the house out to a market and around Madrid. It turned out that I was the only one that was able to join her, but it worked out well. I was forced to practice my Spanish without anyone else there to help me, and I got to know Quili a little better. She took me to the Plaza de España where there was a little market. Then we went to Parque Oeste, which has an Egyptian building in the middle and a really great view of the area outside the city.

Next she took me to the Roseleda near the park, which is like a giant rose garden. It was really gorgeous, and something not many people know about. After stopping to smell the roses, we went to sit at a park bench, where Quili cracked open fresh walnuts for me to eat and taught me about foilage in Spain. She also gave me lots of advice and insights into life. Sometimes she is very direct and you kind of have to take everything she says with a grain of salt. She has good intentions though, so it's kind of endearing. At times, if you're not used to someone telling you that you have big fingers or that you should leave your boyfriend and see other things, then it can be a little off-putting. I have gotten used to it, though and I think Quili and I have a sort of special bond now.

After walking all over the city, we returned home very tired just in time for a 9 o'clock dinner and a little rest. My host dad bought me a tarta for my birthday (a cake) and they sang to me in two different languages and with 3 different songs. It was really sweet. The girls I live with bought my a new pair of earrings and another got me a new pair of boots :) It was very nice of all of them, and a great gift for my birthday.

After dinner we had about an hour or two to get ready to go out on the town. We didn't leave the house until almost 11:30, but since my birthday lasted until 7am this year, we figured it was appropriate. (since Chicago is 7 hours behind Spain, we just extended my birthday a little bit).

At first we went to a little tapas bar called El Meson de la Guitarra to eat...well tapas and drink sangria. The bar was one of the bars they call the Cuevas (caves). They are very close to the Plaza Mayor, which is a really cool little area. We were lucky enough to sit next to a table full of handsome Spanish guys. As soon as they heard it was my birthday, it was all over. I think I heard the happy birthday song about 100 times last night in both Spanish and English, and then I heard the song from the Simpsons (Lisa, it's your birthday, happy birthday Lisa) about another 50. It was cute though.

We enjoyed some sangria with our new amigos, and then wandered out into the streets near the plaza. Our new friends joined us to the next place (and also helped us find a place), which was another bar, but this one had dancing. It was kind of like a night club, but not quite as large or fancy. We had a lot of fun just dancing and being silly. At one point, I think the bar played the Grease medley, which was a little surreal but cool.

After leaving the bar at..ahem...4am we headed out to La Puerta del Sol, where a lot of people hang out after going to the bars. Madrid is called La Ciudad de las Calles, meaning people just go out into the streets to be with their friends. Apartments tend to be very small and the people tend to stay out very late, so even at 4am the streets are filled with people. After La Puerta, we decided to call it a night.

All in all, it was a great birthday. I had a lot of fun and we got to meet real Spaniards. :) Even though a 21st birthday doesn't mean as much in a country like Spain, I'm really glad I got to spend it here. This is something I will never forget. I am really starting to feel at home here in Madrid. I must say I love the city and the culture. It took me a while, but it has finally set in that I am actually here. I already don't want to leave...

I am in the process of uploading more pictures, so check them out...