Mi Último Día en Madrid

My last full day in Madrid was a lovely one - I woke up at a respectable time (11am *cough*) and strolled for about 30 minutes before reaching the Teleférico de Madrid (cable cars). This was more or less the last thing I wanted to cross off my list before departing, and I'm glad that I did. The cable cars themselves weren't overly impressive - they weren't especially high or spectacular, but the views in store certainly were. The cable car station is just north of the Royal Palace, so you get a great view of that, and on the other side and underneath you get impressive views of Casa de Campo - the largest urban park in Madrid. There's not really that much else to say - I rode the cable cars to the station in the middle of Casa de Campo, and got back on, as there wasn't much at the other end other than a ridiculously overpriced restaurant and a path leading to the Madrid Zoo and a theme park (not something I felt like visiting alone - especially in 30+ heat). So, here are some photos I snapped along the way to the cable cars, and when I was along for the ride...

Estación de Principe Pío, la Catedral de Almudena y el Palacio Real / Principe Pío Station, the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal palace

Rio Manzanares, la Catedral de Almudena y el Palacio Real / The Manzanares River, the Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace

After my short trip on the cable cars, I made my way back to my neighbourhood with the intentions of heading home to finish packing and cleaning my room. However, the tan on my legs is terribly uneven - tanned on my thighs and feet - but white in the middle (damn shadows!) Therefore, I decided that it was wise to give them one last chance to prove themselves, whilst treating myself to my last delicious Spanish ice cream. I'm usually one for Nutella (which my Italian friend says even rivals the best gelato!) but today I felt like something a tad fruitier, and decided to be bold and try a Blood Orange sorbet - it was a wise choice indeed! So there I sat, with my legs stretching out the side of the ice cream shop to catch the sun, a very refreshing sorbet in hand and my book - soaking in the 30 degrees heat. 

En el Metro / In the Metro

Sorbet de Naranja de Sangre / Blood Orange sorbet

After my sorbet shop, I finally headed home to get cracking, hoping that my legs had caught the sun. And that brings me to now, I'm packed, my bedroom is sparkling and I'm enjoying the football with a plate of beans on toast (how very Spanish of me!) Tomorrow, I'll be on my way on the airport come midday, and I'll be back at my kitchen table in Kent by tea time. However, do not fret! It is not all over yet... stay tuned for my next YA adventure....

Until then,

Isobel x

El nuevo rey // The new King

On the 19th June 2014, Spain welcomed in a new King, Felipe VI, and his wife, Reina Letizia.

I'm a huge fan of anything royal, so I knew that I wanted to go and see the newest head of the Spanish royal family. Felipe VI was officially sworn in at midnight, but later that morning, he attended the Congress building near Plaza de Cibeles, before being driven along Gran Vía, lined with supporters, all the way back to the Palace. 

Myself, Charlotte and Katya headed down to the Palacio Real at midday, and decided to join the huge mass of Spaniards waiting for the appearance of the new King, Queen, and they're adorable daughters; Princesas Leonor and Sofía. Much like in England when the Queen and other members of the Royal family step out onto a balcony at the front of the palace, we were treated to the entire Spanish familia real, including the former King and Queen, Juan Carlos and Sofía.  Being one of the hottest days of the year so far, the wait was a tad warm, but totally worth it in the end. Luckily we only waited for about 30 minutes under the hot madrileñian sun before the balcony doors opened and the new King presented himself to his people.

Photo courtesy of one of my friends, Lucy, as Felipe was driven between Congress and El Palacio Real.

Security to get nearer the palace.

Spanish flags galore!

Police on top of the palace.

Lots of press!

Trying not to get hit by a flag - and failing!

La familia real - Juan Carlos, Princesa Leonor, El Rey Felipe VI, Reina Letizia, Princesa Sofía, y Sofía

The security surrounding the palace was pretty strict - helicopters circled the sky, police everywhere and several bag checks before you could get anywhere near the main event. This is understandable, as there has been a lot of debate as to whether the Spanish monarchy should be abolished in favor of a a republic. In fact, just after Juan Carlos announced his plans to abdicate, tens of thousands of people took to the streets demanding a referendum on the future of the monarchy.  However, those in favour of the monarchy seems to completely outnumber those against it, and a new King was coronated!  

Post royal ice cream - it was so hot!!

After the doors had closed and the cheers died down, we tried to escape the madness in the swiftest way possible - although most people seemed to have the same idea. In the end it only took us about 20 minutes to escape the crowds, and we then headed on our merry way, with an obligatory ice cream stop on the way! Overall it was an amazing experience - the atmosphere was insane and you could really feel the love and respect the people have for their King. It was great to be part of such a historical event, and it has to have been one of my most memorable experiences during my entire Year Abroad.

Until next time,

Isobel x

Sevilla: Día 3 - The finale

Breakfast and the Metropol Parasol:

On the third day of our trip, we had fairly limited time (our bus to Madrid left at 2pm), so we made sure to tick as many things off of our 'to-do' list as possible. Personally, I was dying to visit the top of the 'Metropol Parasol' - that funny wooden structure I posted a picture of on day 1 - where you are supposed to get great, 360 views of the city. So, after a lovely breakfast opposite la Catedral de Sevilla, we went on our merry way to what the locals call 'Las Cetas', or the mushrooms to you and me. If I'm not mistaken, the ticket to get to the top of the Metropol Parasol was 3€, but that also provided you with a free drink voucher, which we wasted no time redeeming! The views were absolutely stunning, and the blue skies over Sevilla made the experience just that bit more amazing. The Metropol Parasol is a bit of a controversial topic in Sevilla (as you can see, it sticks out a bit like a sore thumb) but I personally think it's a lovely contrast to the gorgeous architecture to the city. Plus, it attracts tourists and provides on of the best views in Sevilla (Grace says she prefers the view from La Giralda, but then you can't see La Giralda so it's a bit of a toss up!) Like I said, the 360 views are spectacular, you can see La Giralda, El Alcázar, and many of the wondrous winding streets down below. Well worth a visit in my opinion. 

Some sort of procession that we bumped into on the way to breakfast.

The trip home:

Before long, 2pm had rolled around and it was time for Catherine and I to jump on the bus that would take us back to Madrid. I was a bit uncertain to say the least, as the journey was going to take just over 6 hours, but to be honest, it went by pretty quickly. The bus was really comfy - a fair amount of legroom, free (if not slightly rubbish) wifi, and decent toilets on board made the journey much more pleasant than I was expecting. After 2 hours we stopped in the middle of nowhere where we had 15 minutes to stretch our legs, take in a bit of sun and grab a bite to eat from the cafe/canteen whilst they swapped drivers. Unfortunately, once we were moving again, I discovered that I had managed to buy perhaps the soggiest sandwich known to man (seriously, I couldn't even pick it up without it breaking), but luckily we had thought ahead and packed some extra snacks. After a few hours of napping, gazing at some incredible scenery out of the window, and watching the entire Top Gear Burma Special, the end was in sight, and just after 8pm, we we off the bus and headed home on the metro. 

All in all, our trip down to the incredible city of Sevilla was one of the best experiences of my life - the city was amazing, the weather gorgeous, and I got to spend a few days catching up with my favourite girls over countless glasses of Tinto de Verano. If you plan on visiting Spain anytime soon, I simply can't recommend Seville enough. Hopefully you have seen from my photos what an incredible place it is, and if I have the chance to go back one day, I'll be jumping on that opportunity!

Thanks to the lovely Grace for being a great tour guide - if not a bit shaky at first ;) and if you want to see more about life in Sevilla, you can check out her YA blog to see what she's been getting up to! 

I'm a bit bogged down with uni work at the moment, so nothing really exciting has happened since that trip, but if anything does, I'll be sure to update you all!

Until next time,

Isobel x