My first official morning in Madrid found me up and out the door early to take a walking tour of the city with Danielle. Petite and reserved with big brown eyes and long dark hair, Danielle is very different from me in both nature and stature. I was excited to get to know this new friend, and since neither of us spoke Spanish very well, we decided to take the English tour. We were led by an enthusiastic American named Jamon who has lived in the city since moving here with his Spanish husband three years ago.

We started the tour in Plaza Mayor and wound our way through the narrow streets towards the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral. All the while we heard tales of the Spanish Robin Hood (Luis Candelas, who stole from the rich and gave to shady ladies), cookie-selling closed nuns, Inquisition era Catholic converts with last names like “church” and “bottle,” lovers who jumped off of bridges only to break their ankles, the formerly anti-monarchist queen, and the debated history of tapas. It was an incredibly interesting and informative tour, and afterwards I felt much more acclimated to the city. Going with a group of English speakers also allowed me to be as touristy as I desired, snapping pictures of monuments against the crisp, clear sky.

When Danielle and I returned to the apartment, our other roommate Gabby had arrived. Since we had met before through a mutual friend, her arrival helped Madrid to feel a little bit more like home!

That night was the evening before Three Kings Day, the official end to the Christmas season and Epiphany. In Spain, gifts are exchanged on Three Kings Day rather than on Christmas, which is usually spent relaxing with family. Gabby, Danielle and I met up with Juan and the rest of the UF study abroad students who had arrived that day to watch a Three Kings parade march down Gran Villa. The crowd was so thick when we arrived that we couldn’t see the floats—we should have brought a step ladder like the family beside us! If we had been able to see  we would have caught a glimpse of local groups singing and dancing, and the city’s most important figures dressed as the three kings. We were able to watch an acrobat floating and tumbling beneath a cluster of white balloons at least a story tall. When she finished her routine, the aerialist landed in front of an ornate building lit in purples and blues and let the cluster of balloons disperse into the night sky.

We eventually left the parade to seek out the next best thing: CHURROS! Our large group bustled into San Gines, a famous chocolateria with high, mirrored walls and deep green accents. The eight of us squeezed into a corner booth and laughed together as we filled our bellies. The churros were divine, and served with hot chocolate so thick it was practically syrup. When people couldn’t finish theirs I graciously helped them out, and was dubbed the “Queen of Churros.” Not a bad title for only 48 hours in Madrid.