WALKING TOUR WITH A LEGAL TWIST

By Nicole Tiger

Brandeis University

Hi from Madrid! It’s only our second day in Spain and we’re already off running…or biking, I should say. After sightseeing the city from the awesomeness of our bikes, Cristina gave us a walking tour with a legal twist. We saw the buildings that house some of Spain’s most important legal institutions, such as the Congreso de los Diputados. As we learned later in our Legal language class, the Congreso de los Diputados is one of two “cámaras” in Spain’s legislative body. It contains 350 diputados, or representatives, and has more backing in its decisions than those of the Senate, o “Senado”.

While we also glimpsed sights such as the Ayuntamiento de Madrid and the Palacio Real, what really stuck with me were the cultural observations that emanated from every block. While in Plaza del Sol, basically the heart of Madrid, we learned that Spaniards are rather quiet when the clock finally strikes on January 1^st to mark the New Year because they’re busy stuffing their mouths with grapes. In Plaza Mayor, it surprised me to learn that all the balconies surrounding the open courtyard were once public property. If one were empty, anyone could simply knock on the apartment door and be led out to the balcony for a spectacular view. It’s so strange to me that you can own your apartment but not the balcony right outside.

With all of these cultural differences, it was nice to notice at least one similarity in the form of Madrid’s own walk of fame. On our walk to a picnic in the park, we passed a movie theater with about a block’s worth of stars in front. Between directors and actors, I only recognized the names of Almodóvar and Penelope Cruz. It was just nice to see a little reminder of home here in Madrid, me being from Los Angeles, California. Once at the picnic, I was again caught off guard when a “latero” came around with a bag of beers for 1 euro each. It’s so cool that because cervezas are a natural edition to any meal, you don’t have to look very far to buy one. Overall, I really enjoyed the tour and feel that it’s nice to have pictures to fit the descriptions we’ll be studying in our Legal language class.