Madrid is one of the most happening cities on Earth when it comes to nightlife. It has more bars per capita than any European city, with plenty of clubs, late-night munchies spots, and a vibe that satisfies all ages. Take for example the seven story Kapital club, which plays a different genre on each floor, accompanying a gigantic rocket engine that intermittently blasts sweaty dancers with mist on the main dance floor. Madrid’s Joy Eslava, and many others, make it easy for students to get in free. All in all, Madrid clubs are unlike any clubs I’ve experienced in Seattle or San Francisco, and prices are reasonable if you do not plan on buying a drink. Also noteworthy to mention was the very efficient, economical Madrid Metro, which I used all the time.

The food opportunities in Madrid are mouth watering. Madrid, although land-locked, has the second highest consumption of seafood in the world, after Japan. It is famous for its Bacalao (cod) tapas, croquettes, and so much more. The La Rioja region in Spain offers exceptional, economical wine and Extremadura to the southwest provides jamoñ ibérico, the finest ham in the world. A typical late night or early morning treat is chocolate con churros (chocolate with churros), which surprisingly hasn’t caught on in the U.S. The truth is that one has to spend a little extra to be able to seek out and experience the truly inventive cuisine Spain has to offer. Within close proximity to San Sabastian and Barcelona, arguably the two most progressive culinary epicenters, Madrid holds its own and delights foodies if they are willing to pay. I only make this point because many of my friends felt that the Madrileño cuisine was not good (fried, nothing too interesting, not lots of options). This is completely false as I witnessed in disbelief many of my friends consistently opting for the cheap food that was boring and unoriginal.

Just as food is critical in getting to know about another culture, so is the opportunity to live with a native speaker. In my case, I lived with a single Argentinean man in his early thirties. This was unlike the housing situations of my friends, who lived with Spaniards. The difference was that Madrileños are concerned with confianza, or trust, and if they wanted to have a friend stay the night, they would have to get permission beforehand. In my case, my Argentinean host was indifferent to who I had over to the house. I found it interesting that most all of the socializing between Spaniards occurs outside on the street, in the cafes, in bars, and the home was mainly used for family and get-togethers with close friends. I lived in a spacious studio apartment, and most all of my fellow CIEE program mates were satisfied with their living situations.

This was my last week in Granada. I will be flying home shortly and have just finished my finals; it is such a bittersweet feeling. On one hand I am very excited to get home and see all my friends and family but I will really miss the friends and life I have come to know.

This weekend I took a road trip to the north of Spain with friends from Granada. We rented a car on Thursday and returned to Granada on Sunday afternoon. It was quite an adventure because only one of my friends was confident driving a stick shift. Once she was tired we weren’t really sure who was going to drive. I had driven one a few times before so I was the lucky one. Unfortunately and inevitably I stalled at the first few tollbooths (pretty embarrassing) and they had to reopen the gates but I quickly learned, and we were on our way.

San Sebastian is such a beautiful city. The architecture and layout of the streets reminds me a lot of Paris. The feel of it is quite different though because it is right on the water with a clean and soft-sanded beach. Lush mountains also surrounded the city. The food there was so delicious, we had pinchos for just about every meal. Pinchos are slices of bread with your choice of topping that can include meat, fish (my favorite), cheese and/or vegetables.

The next day we drove to Bilbao for our last stop. We stayed in the old, most beautiful part of town. The buildings were much like those of San Sebastian. We visited a beautiful three-storied market. It seemed like the fresh produce; meat and seafood went on forever. I have seen more beautiful markets but nothing on this scale. The Guggenheim museum was really interesting. It gave you more art history than other museums, which I really enjoyed. There was a lot to read and hear about so we spent a great deal of time there.

The next morning we took the long drive home; this time in daylight. I really enjoyed seeing the countryside. Being in a city for so long its great to get out into the countryside. The olive farms are really beautiful, we stopped to taste a raw olive…not a good idea, I don’t recommend it. We made it back to Granada safe and sound.

Done with finals and heading home in a couple of days, this will be my last blog. Thanks so much for reading. I have really enjoyed my experience and feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity.

This weekend I took a trip to the country of Morocco. We went with a group called StudyTravel and I highly recommend this because it was much cheaper and faster than traveling alone. We got to visit three cities in three days; it was a jam-packed weekend.

We started our journey in Malaga where we met with the group. Once there we drove to Algeciras to take the ferry down to Cetua. Cetua is still run by Spain so we had no problems there but once we drove from Cetua to Tétouan the border was packed. We spent a good two hours trying to get across the border. The driving there is insane, it looks like there is going to be an accident any second. Finally, we crossed the border and made it to Tétouan where we took a bus tour of the city and went to our hotel. The cities instantly look different once you cross the border because Morocco is a Muslim country so all the signs are in Arabic. They also used to be run my France so the only other language on the signs is French. This would make it very difficult to get around without a guide. The nice thing about it being so close to Spain is that most people speak Spanish. Once at the hotel we had a traditional Moroccan dinner of meat, vegetables and couscous and went to bed exhausted after a full day of traveling.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the city of Tanger. This city is quite a bit smaller than Tétouan. First, we went into the small center of the city, which is a market. It is gated off so that only people on foot can get though. At some points only one person at a time could walk along the passageways. People of Tanger like to get their food fresh every day so the market is open 7 days a week and they have everything to make their traditional food: huge bags of spices, the freshest produce and very fresh chicken (in fact, they kill it there on site). After this we went and saw where the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans meet. The view was spectacular but I only wish there hadn’t been such a down pour or we would have been able to enjoy it longer. We also got to take a camel ride a long the way. We headed back to the hotel again for some R&R because we had to get up pretty early the next morning.

On our final day we headed to Chechaouén. It is a very small city way up in the mountains. Our tour of the city was breath taking. Their neighborhoods are all painted one shade of blue or another; there are also magnificent views of the countryside below from almost anywhere in the city. The center of town is the cathedral and a bunch of cafes where the locals all sit and drink tea. Its something you need to see for yourself but I really hope to return someday. I am so glad I took that trip it was a last minute thing for me but sometimes those turn out to be the best.