MADRID

Hola!
This past weekend, I visited Madrid with CIEE! It was quite a contrast from Alicante, being the capital of Spain. There were tons of people, both Spaniards and tourists, and the city had a completely different feel than Alicante. There was so much to do, and we pretty much spent the whole time doing something. Not that I minded, I had plenty of coffee to get me through... and I may or may not have found a Dunkin Donuts.

After Friday´s six hour bus ride, we had a couple hours to explore the city on our own. Some friends and I headed to the Real Jardin Botanico, home of 30,000 different plant species. Of course, I am sure the garden is a little bit better later in the season, farther away from their recent snow storms. After our stroll through the park, we met the whole group at the Museo del Prado, Spain´s most famous art gallery. Velaquaz, El Greco, Ribera, Goya, and many more artists have their most famous paintings there. It houses more of the classical themed paintings completed by Spanish artists. After the museum, we headed back to the hotel and got ready to go out for the night. I went with a group of people to have Tapas... Calamari, Jamon, Gambas, and different samples of Spanish foods, and wine of course. After talking awhile, we headed out to some different places to dance and explore the Madrid nightlife.
The next morning was quite a drag, considering we had a 2 hour tour of the Palacio Real at 9:30, and most people had stayed out until nearly 4 or later. The Palacio Real was amazing... it´s a huge Palace with more than 2800 rooms, and home to the world´s largest armor collection. We had a tour of it in Spanish, and learned all about which rooms are used for what (because they still use the Palace today) and the reasons behind why things were designed the way they were. After our tour, we had a few hours to walk in the Plaza del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and past a few famous monuments. I also took a quick nap and got a cup of coffee so I´d have enough energy for the afternoon and night. The whole group met back up again to head to another park, famous for it´s glass building and beautiful trees and greenery. After a couple hours in the park, we headed to Madrid´s famous Reina Sofia museum. Looking at these pieces of more contemporary art was seriously the highlight of my trip. I counted over 50 different Picasso pieces, and his famous (and MASSIVE) work Guernica is housed at the museum. There were also works by Dali, Goya, and a number of more abstract painters. I bought a Picasso matching game that I am stoked about playing, because it´s a lot of Picasso´s works on tiny little cards, and a challenge... it´s like a matching game for adults. After the museum, some friends and I ate dinner at a little Italian place near the museum, and I had some very good Pesto. The rest of the night was spent hanging out with friends and exploring Madrid!
It was difficult waking up Sunday morning, considering the hotel beds were so comfortable, and I was so tired. I eventually managed, and met my other zombie looking friends down in the hotel lobby for breakfast. We got ready and headed on our city walking tour. My head was not entirely comprehending our Spanish tour guide´s words, but I managed to get most of what she was saying about the history of some of the most famous buildings in Spain. We then headed to the rasto, a HUGE flea market that is held every Sunday in Madrid. It is a pick pocketer´s paradise and easy to bargain for a good deal. It was fun looking at all the different things people were trying to sell. Some were just mass production souveniers, and some were things straight out of people´s houses that they were trying to get rid of. The last picture on here is of our feet in the very center of Spain, where all the streets are measured from! It was quite a lot to pack into one weekend, but well worth the visit. Now I have to write a paper about my trip (the only downfall to taking a trip led by your school) so I better get started!




Hasta Luego!