First weekend of nightlife

As many people know, Spain and many other European countries have a very different nightlife than the United States. After very late dinner, it is customary to go out around 12 or 1 and stay out until 4 to 6 in the morning. Especially since the metro stops at 1 and starts running again at 6. In my few days here so far, I have experienced many aspects of the Spanish nightlife.

My first night in Spain, many people from my program went out all together to a small bar inside of a hostel. We much overwhelmed the Spaniards in the bar, mostly because we were out around 10:30, which is much too early for them. A lot of students were talking and laughing, and some were playing American drinking games. Eight of us decided to leave and get away from the huge group that was making their foreign status very obvious. A couple people had been in Spain earlier than me, and so they took us to an Irish pub nearby where you could get free shots, or chupitos. Men and women who work for the bars stand outside in plazas nearby and offer you chupitos to get you to come to their bar. They are very watered down but they get you inside the bar or club. We had a lot of fun just sitting around in the basement of the bar chatting and getting to know each other.

On this past Friday night, we decided to try our hand at a discoteca, or dance club. Some people recommended Kapital, a 5 story club with a 12 euro cover before 1 am. After lots of changed plans, we ended up a smaller one story discoteca near the center of the city, and the boys in our group each payed a 6 euro cover. That part of going out is still much like the United States: boys pay, girls don't. But once we were in, we danced all night and it was pretty fun. Getting home was a challenge because we had looked up buses from Kapital and we left well before 6 am. So after wandering around and taking 4 different buses, we got home around 5:30 am. A night well spent that taught us about the importance of planning a route home.

Saturady night, four of us decided to explore the gay neighborhood of Madrid, Chueca. It is known to have a very active nightlife. Upon arrival, we walking into a bustling plaza full of bars and people. After walking around eating gelato, we came upon a wine bar/restaurant. We spent many hours sitting enjoying a glass of wine, chatting to get to know each other. It was a very nice change from the crazy atmosphere of the discoteca, and it allowed us to just relax. After the bar closed, we walked to a bus station and went home. A much more successful night, transportation wise.