Madrid Madness

So I have been the worst at updating my blog. Things have been going super well and I have been kept very busy through my course. I’ll start updating backwards from the last month because that might seem like a less daunting task.

One of the girls that I had studied abroad with in Costa Rica is teaching near Cadiz, Spain so we decided to meet in Madrid for the weekend. I arrived on Friday night and we didn’t waste much time. I had heard about these chocolaterias that sell hot chocolate so thick that you can rest your spoon on top so that was our first stop. Due to the consistency of the hot chocolates the restaurants serve an order of churros with them so you can dip the churro and absorb chocolately goodness. Since it was pretty late by the time we had finished we headed back to the hostel.

The next day we spent the morning at the Prado. It was so exciting to finally see paintings that I had studied like Las Meninas by Valezquez full size. From the Prado we went to Parque del Retiro. It is a beautiful tree lined park, filled with grassy areas and paths for pedestrians. There are also plenty of fountains and in the middle there is a manmade lake with a huge monument of Alfonso the XII behind it. Many people had rented boats and were wasting away the colorful fall day. Neile and I stopped for some ice cream and partook in the siesta or midday break with the rest of the Spaniards and tourists. After our ice cream we headed to the Palace Real or the Royal Palace. Here we were a bit confused and went through a side exhibit for about 5 min thinking that was the main attraction. Once we found the main entrance the palace was a bit more impressive. All the rooms had color schemes and themes. Our favorite part was the courtyard though because not only was it simple with a gorgeous view but the light posts had seats protruding off of them which was much appreciated after a long day of walking. Since we were so tired from walking around we decided to catch a quick movie. Conveniently enough High School Musical 3 was released this weekend and we are both moderate fans of said phenomenon… Yes, we saw HSM3 in Madrid, Spain but if it is any consolation it made the plot more exciting since we viewed the whole film in Spanish. Afterwards, we enjoyed a leisurely late dinner, watched the end of a dubbed Denzel film and passed out.

Today we didn’t have much time since we were both heading back to our respective cities early this afternoon. We did spend the morning at the Reina Sofia Art Museum though. This museum is home to the artists that represent movements of the 20th century. The greats include Picasso, Miro, Dali and the like. One of the most notable works in Reina Sofia is Picasso’s Guernica. The painting took up an entire wall in a separate room from all the other works. It was indescribable to see the brushwork up close and Picasso’s sketches leading up to the final work. After a quick lunch Neile and I headed our separate ways. Now I’m back in Barcelona ready to start my 3rd week of class. We have been student teaching a lot so like I said they have been keeping us busy. I’m really enjoying it though. My class is small but diverse. The eight of us represent four different countries: the US, Italy, Mexico, and the UK. I will write more about my weeks backpacking and my time here soon though! Hope everything is going well and you are enjoying the best season the Midwest has to offer! Love and miss you all!