Madrid has a street called "Gran Via" which is central in Madrid and has many shops, restaurants and landmarks. I was very surprised when I landed and discovered how warm the weather was! Everyone in the city streets was wearing shorts, sunglasses and summer attire! Since I'm from California, I'm used to the sun and the sunshine rays, but in early September the sun in Madrid felt even warmer. Luckily, there are so many delicious gelato shops around every corner and lots of areas where you can stay cool!
One of my favorite things about Spain is how safe it feels. Everyone walks everywhere or uses public transportation to get to where they need to go. Back home, I would always drive my car to get to places, but now I have a public transport card that I use to get around. The public transport card gives me access to the metro, bus and Renfe train, all for eight euros a month! The money used in Spain is called the euro, and eight euros is equivalent to about nine dollars.
When I first moved into my neighborhood, Getafe, in Madrid, I felt surpised to see how many parks there are in every street corner for kids. It's common to see moms and dads just hanging out while a bunch of kids just play in the park! If I walked down just one street for twenty minutes, I would run into at least four parks! Spain is very vibrant, and there are many water fountains in the park as well as clean benches where friends can sit and hang out. The water is safe and clean to drink here, so I have just been drinking straight out of the water sink in my kitchen, something I don't regularly do back home in L.A.!
The food in Spain is flavorful and nothing like anything I've ever had before! The ham and meats come in many different textures and flavors.
