The Pale Girl's Guide to Surviving Spain

Natalie Penry
Jun 13, 2022
3 min read

Hola hola Coca Colas!

This was *meant* to be a Sunday night post, but a very busy schedule delayed me until now…let’s dive in!

The 15 Day Forecast

The first question most people have asked me during my ~2.5 weeks here is “How is Spain???”

My gut response nearly always is: Hot. Spain is hot.

Yesterday, for example, reached 100F, which really felt mean when the apartment lost power (a.k.a the fans stopped circulating lukewarm air).

To find respite from the heat wave Madrid is currently experiencing, Liz and I have found our ways into several lovely gems with air conditioning:

Basilica of San Francisco

Finder’s credit goes to Liz here - I had no intention of seeing this Basilica, but I ended up being so grateful to enter it. Absolutely breathtaking artwork from floor to ceiling. We had the added bonus of stumbling in hours before a wedding, so there was a fairytale ambiance, complete with a string quarter and a royal red carpet. Since photography isn’t allowed inside the building, the exterior shots will have to suffice, but I’d give this a strong recommendation to any appreciators of art, architecture, history, or religion.

Museo Cerralbo

One of Madrid’s renowned house museums! To quote Liz, “I really can’t imagine living here.” I mean, unless you have three art galleries chilling on your second floor, I’m guessing this statement applies to you as well. Regardless, I loved meandering through the well-maintained mansion. It almost felt like walking through a life-size dollhouse, with every room decorated and designed with the utmost of care and caution. Shoutout to the statues that, unfortunately, lost their noses and are banished to the renovated garden.

Renoir Cines Princessa

I would lose my Film Student Membership Card if I didn’t drag Liz to the movies sometime during this trip. Snaps for her, she endured an un-subtitled Spanish film, “El Comensal” out of the goodness of her heart. Naturally, I had the time of my life. Did I understand every beat of the script? No, absolutely not. Still unclear as to why the main character flashed back to her younger self three times throughout the film. But I got most of it! And if anyone is looking for a foreign film with particularly well-developed set dressings, hair, and makeup, I’d recommend!

CentroCentro (Museum)

Our last official reprieve from the heat came at CentroCentro, Madrid’s cultural center. I saw some lovely architecture, but the real treat was the photography exhibit: Public Photography in the 60s. How cool to immerse yourself in cultural history from across the globe! Standout favorites included the Album Cover Wall and the black & white Eros spread. The other key exhibit just opened last week - Hybrids: Forging New Realities as Counter-Narrative. This floor was dedicated to multimedia projects from artists everywhere. There were elements from film, photography, sculpture, painting - you name it - and they all coalesced to create thought-provoking themes on an artist’s role in the ever-changing landscape of 21st century pop culture. A nutritional landmine of food for thought!

The Madrid Metro

A comedic afterthought: Liz and I became *extremely* familiar with the underground tunnels near Plaza de España, due to a couple of misdirections on our way to the museums. It is remarkably cooler in the Metro tunnels, but as soon as you start ascending towards the ground floor, the air turns aggressively hot, like you’re standing in a convection oven. What joy.

Salamanca: Spark Notes

While the aforementioned stops were great for hiding from the sun, UV exposure is inevitable while touring Salamanca. The entire program made the 2-hour journey Friday morning, and enjoyed an inescapably sweaty walking tour in 102F.

Despite the heat, I A) managed to avoid being sunburned and B) learned a lot about Salamanca’s history with Syphilius. Gross, but informative. Salamanca also has a thing for frogs - their hidden in some of the ornate architecture of the buildings, and symbolize good luck for students of the University City. Coolest parts of this excursion:

Plaza Mayor. Just a super cool plaza full of cafés and chairs and sculptures
The Seashell Building. Now a study space for local students, the outside of this building is adorned in shells as part of an old feud with the church across the street.
The Cathedrals (old & new). We got our daily flights of stairs in here, hiking all the way up to the tippety top of the bell tower. The perfect mix of stunning views and adrenaline-inducing spiral staircases!

There is so much more to explore in Salamanca, but limited time & a long bus ride meant we got the spark notes version.

Three weekends down - time is beginning to slip away at that alarming pace again…but it’s all for the chase of that alluring adventure, no? This next week is full of mini-excursions with the regretful addition of midterms, lovingly christened Hell Week as a tribute to the theatre world/Tonys. Expect an exhaustion-fueled update from me sometime Friday night or Saturday morning.

Adios from Madrid!