In late May of 2018, I began my journey to Europe. I flew from Chicago to Iceland, where I had a six-hour layover in the airport before I jumped on a different plane to head to Madrid. Upon arriving, a friend met me at the metro train station, and from there we started my one night tour of Madrid. My friend was raised by a Hispanic family in Illinois, and he had been studying abroad for the past few months. Without this connection, I would have missed out on experiencing a beautiful night in the capital of Spain.
First, we walked around the fish market, and I saw the most ugly, huge fish I have ever seen. I couldn’t believe it used to be a real-life monster! With all the excitement and jet-lag, I completely forgot I had not eaten since I had been in the Chicago airport the day before. Have you had calamari before at a restaurant? Well, I had a delicious calamari sandwich, and a small cerveza with lemonade. Then we toured around the Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s main public square, where groups of people huddled around unique street performers. The plaza was shaped like a huge arena with walls on every side. Centered in the very middle, there was a giant statue of King Philip III on a majestic horse that has stood there since 1616.
