Update

So, in the process of midterms right now.  Still can't believe its that time in the quarter.  So here's a brief summary of my life so far:

-Love the art here.  May or may not be living in the museums.  Thyssen was SUCH a treat and of course it helps that the Reina Sofia and the Prado are free at times.  Also, really fond of the free exhibition hall, CaixaForum.  But still have a ton more museos to visit.  I def need to step it up.  In other news, found this great little market with a delicious cheese stand...will be returning often to eat tapas and try cheeses.
-Granada was awesome.  Went for a day trip (6 hour bus ride during the night, arrived at 7 AM, set off without a map as the sun rose at 7:30 AM...walked for about 12 straight hours and then returned home at like, 2 AM to Madrid).  Huge fan of the Moorish quarters.  Did get accosted by gypsies but i was prepared.  Also, saw lots of pretty things, and the Alhambra is, as always, amazing.
-El Escorial was a super cute day trip.  Had a blast going with my friends.  Thankfully, was less walking than Granada was.
-Toledo was amazing.  Fell in love.  Also, bought a sword.  hahahaha.  well, more like a dagger.  Toledo is known for its sword-craftsmenship so it was totally justified.  Also, love that we saw a lot of El Greco and it was on the Don Quixote route (La Mancha).
-Portugal was an unexpected treat.  Kinda fucked up my Halloween weekend plans, and decided last minute to go to Lisbon.  Did not expect to absolutely love it.  What a treat...when it wasn't pouring.  Unfortunately, it was pretty bad weather.  But despite that, got to see the castle (and a really trippy sunset), the cathedral, the twin of the Golden Gate bridge, the twin of the Christ statue in Brazil, some awesome monuments (a UNESCO world heritage site) like a Tower, a Monastery and a huge monument to honor Vasco de Gama, and all the really cool plazas around the city.  It was a pretty successful trip.  ---Returned to Madrid for Halloween night at PACHA with Sarah, which was obviously awesome.  Reaaaally glad i decided to splurge on a good night out though.  Got robbed in front of my house as i was about to get home which really shook me up (though i honestly wasn't scared at the time...just angry, and confused.  Luckily the thief was a coward and i didn't have any money/things of value besides 3 euros (thank you, Pacha, for having a ridiculously pricey cover), a paper copy of my passport, my ISIC card and my monthly metro pass, which the guy can't even use).  Ugh.
-Morocco, Amsterdam, Bilbao, Barcelona lie in the future.  I'm so excited.  Hoping to also get a chance to get to Rome, but that might be too much of a stretch.  Otherwise, Eastern Europe and Paris it is for December!