Here are a few accounts of some of my first-hand, unfamiliar and shocking experiences while abroad in Madrid, Spain.
- I arrived to Madrid at Adolfo Suarez Madrid- Bajaras Airport at 6AM and the customs line was over 2 hours long. Be prepared for a long wait after your 8-hour flight. There were about 1,000 people in line at 6AM and people with US passports did not have the option for an expedited line like other passport holders. In my international traveling experiences, US passport holders typically are filtered out of the main custom lines, but at this airport, this was not held true.
- Nebrija residence halls do not have communal kitchens. The dorm living experience was initially pretty lack luster for me. I thought I would be able to prepare a few meals a day, given my food allergies and the option to opt out of meals from the residence all together, but that was not the case. Thankfully, Nebrija Universidad was able to accommodate this, and I was able to change my residence hall to one that was much better in location and amenities. With this, I would recommend considering an Airbnb for your term abroad– there is more flexibility!
- As a person who enjoys her daily iced coffee, I was disappointed to learn that iced coffee is not a common product to find here in Madrid. Hot coffee is the holy grail here, despite the very hot weather. With this, I made it my mission to find at least one place I could treat myself to once a week and I am happy to report that I found one small specialty coffee shop where I could purchase an iced latte. The iced coffee cost more than a regular hot latte at 5 euro compared to 2-3 euro, but it was worth it! Cold brew is also not a common thing here, so latte or “café con leche” is as close as you’re going to get. I have gotten used to a daily hot coffee here, it’s a great little ritual I have started while I people watch at my local corner café.
- Madrid should token the term, “the city that doesn’t sleep”. In my experience, a lot of people in Madrid are out and up until very late. There is active nightlife pretty much every day of the week here. With the siesta culture, I’ve experienced the city its most lively from 10PM to 4AM. During the weekdays, bars are full until 3AM, while the weekend hours extend all the way until 6AM. Madrid has one of the best night lives of any city I have visited!
