Hiii!! Or should I say hola!! I’m Dhanai and I am a senior graduating this May, 2023, with a Bachelors in Biology. Last semester, in the Fall of 2022, I finally got to study abroad in Madrid, Spain. I have been back in Boston now for almost 5 months, and as each day goes by, the more I miss Madrid and my life abroad. I traveled so much around Spain, Europe, and Africa that I decided to document and talk about all of it in these blogs.
Top 5 places to go to in Madrid that are my FAVORITE are Retiro Park, the most gorgeous park in Madrid, the beautiful Royal Palace of Madrid, RIU rooftop skybar for 360 degree views of Madrid, La Casa de Campo for more nice scenery walks and restaurants, and Plaza de Mayor! And of course if you love shopping… Gran Via/Sol is a must. My absolute favorite restaurant in Madrid that I miss so much is called Chiquita and is right next to Plaza de Mayor. That restaurant was always my go-to to the point where the workers there started to recognize me as a regular which was cute! To immerse yourself more in Spanish culture, you must go to a Flamenco show, which is a popular dance that is a part of Spain’s identity. I loved it.
Top two foods that you MUST try while in Spain are paella and tortilla de patata. I am obsessed with tortilla de patata and have tried so many around Madrid. I had a tortilla de patata hunt while in Madrid, trying to find the best one I have eaten but I still have yet to find a place that makes a 10/10 tortilla… to be continued and will resume next time I return to Madrid. But the best homemade tortilla de patata I’ve had was from a Spaniard and it was delicioso!
Now let’s talk about my travels apart from Madrid. Other places I visited in Spain were Barcelona (school trip included by Suffolk), Toledo (class trip), Segovia, Valencia, and 2 of Spain’s islands which were Mallorca and Menorca! If you are wondering which I like more, Madrid or Barcelona, I’d pick Madrid for many reasons. It’s cheaper, safer, fewer tourists, better transportation, better nightlife (unpopular opinion), more authentic Spanish food, and when it comes down to personal preference, it is the only city that felt the most home to me. Every time I would come back to Madrid from a weekend trip, I felt so happy and relieved to be back, that’s how much I love Madrid and why it’s my favorite city in Europe. It has everything I like and want. Barcelona was nice and I would go back to see more of the city, especially the beaches. FUN FACT! The Number 1 bar in the WHOLE world currently is in Barcelona named Paradiso! When I went in September it was Number 2 in the world, but then was re-ranked Number 1 around October. It is a must if you are there. Amazing vibe, cool interior design, kind workers, and such cool, unique drinks!! It was definitely an experience.
Apart from Spain, I visited 7 other countries during my time abroad:
- Porto, Portugal
- Rome, Italy
- Vatican City (smallest country in the world!)
- Paris, France
- London, England
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Tangier and Chefchaouen, Morocco
In total, I have visited 13 countries in my life so far!
My second favorite city from my travels is Stockholm. I went at the beginning of December and it was so magical to see all the famous Christmas markets! I also am a huge fan of ABBA and Avicci so I went to the ABBA interactive museum and the Avicci experience. The ABBA museum was so much fun since it included a lot of singing and dancing! The Avicci experience is a new interactive museum that opened just recently when I was in Stockholm that shows Avicci’s music career, personal life, personal items, some unreleased music that you can listen to, and see what it was like in his shoes performing in front of millions of fans. Stockholm had gorgeous views and is known for a christmas holiday destination but it is also beautiful there in the spring and summer, so I will definitely be going back. All the people there are super kind and mostly everyone speaks English as well! For the most authentic Swedish dinner, you must go to Stockholms Gästabud restaurant. For a cool underground cave bar experience, you must go to Misteln Cave Bar in the old town of Stockholm. I got to meet the owner and she was the sweetest!! Many restaurants and stores in the old town of Stockholm are family owned which is even cuter. You also need to try the famous Swedish cinnamon rolls at Skeppsbro Bakery! They were SOO good that I brought 2 back to Madrid with me!
After traveling constantly for 4 months straight, I have developed such stronger interpersonal communication skills and travel hacks considering the airport has been my runway for a semester! Even though I am not in Madrid now, I still try to practice my spanish everyday to keep up with it. My goal is to try to be more fluent in Spanish next time I visit Madrid. I made a playlist while in Madrid of all the songs I have heard in Spain that are my favorite and now everytime I listen to the playlist, it makes me think of memories of my time abroad. For any of you reading this right now that are in the process of studying abroad next semester, at Suffolk Madrid especially, (or in the future) please don’t hesitate to reach out to me by email (dgjini@suffolk.edu) or instagram (@_dhanai) if you have any questions about my time abroad in Madrid and/or my travels.