Orienting Myself in Madrid
One piece of advice I keep hearing is about the magic of getting lost while traveling. The splendor of roaming off the beaten path; turning down an avenue at random, and coming across a secluded cafe tucked behind the trees. Although I agree, aimless exploring can be fun, I do not like the idea of being completely lost. I am not trying to relive the spatial disorientation I experienced the first day when I struggled to locate Piedad’s apartment located just 20 ft away. For this reason, I have decided to familiarize myself with the geographic locations of barrios, the major cross streets, and large landmarks in Madrid. I will save the exploring for the small streets which diverge from the major streets; this way I am getting “lost”, but within the realm of reason. To help familiarize myself with Madrid’s geography I have printed maps, annotated maps, and now I really want to create a map however this may be pushing my artistic capabilities. Marking up the map I received during orientation has provided to be extremely helpful. Over the past few days, as I have walked around the city, I have brought the map with me and marked places on it that I deem notable.
I have found learning the locations of the barrios to be particularly helpful because it provides an easily understandable point of reference for me. For example, if someone recommends a place for tapas I can ask them what barrio it is located in and then have a rough sense of how far it is from my house. Learning about the geography of the barrios has also been interesting because the location of the barrios also sheds light on each neighborhood’s distinct history and culture. For example, I live in the barrio La Latina, which is the oldest in Madrid. It is located close to the Royal Palace and is the oldest of the barrios. Many of the buildings were built in the 18th century. The streets are made of cobblestone, and as you traverse through alleys lined with cafes and tapas bars, the air filled with the smell of fresh baked goods, you feel as if you are crawling back in time. La Latina also boats the famous Rastro, Madrid’s Sunday flea market. I visited the market with Laura early in the day to avoid the notorious crowds the market draws. I enjoyed walking down the beautiful main-street where the flea market takes place. There are so many towering trees lining the street. They are not only beautiful but offer which provide much needed shade. Tree’s are certainly in abundance throughout Madrid. Evidently, Madrid has the most tree’s of all major European cities. I believe it!
Study abroad in Madrid 