Madrid

I arrived in Madrid almost a month before my university semester starts in September to get set up in Spain and find accommodation and take advantage of the beautiful summer weather. I decided to stay in the centre of the city instead of the university’s student residency. This meant that I had to spend hours searching accommodation websites like idealist.com, madrideasy.com ad erasmusu.com. After finding a few I liked I called up the property owners and organised some inspections. Here is a little tip for you, never trust photos online. All photos make the place look enormous when in reality Spanish apartments are very tiny and old. Doing the inspections completely in Spanish was quite difficult and intimidating, asking important questions was very difficult. I managed to find a room in a student residency in a really cool part of the city with countless bars, restaurants and plazas around every second corner.

So I would spend my day searching for apartments and my evenings exploring the city. There is a lot of walking to do in Madrid. The architecture is amazing and the city puts a lot of work into making sure it’s all well maintained. From the churches, crypts, terraced facades, statues and monuments, Madrid has a lot of beautiful buildings to see. The palace in Spain is a must see. The outside is an amazing piece of stonework with great detail and the inside is a mixture of beautifully painted ceilings and gaudy displays of wealth.

Now I have some spare days so I am travelling around the rest of the Mediterranean to enjoy some sun and beaches. The climate here is amazing with 35 degree weather every day.

I am very keen for the university semester to start so I can meet more locals and make friends. I am nervous about my timetable being finalised and which classes I can get into. Overall I am feeling great, I am enjoying Madrid and am excited about the whole exchange experience.

Marcos Carrasco, 11971013, Business