Monday, Day 2
Well, today we had a bit of time to sleep in during the morning to try and catch up on some much needed sleep. Some people slept very well, and others not so well. (I'm afraid I fell into the latter category ) The hotel is in a great location, but being in a great location can also mean that people are out and about and making a lot of noise on the street. Apparently Spaniards (at least some of them) never sleep!! After meeting our guides Blanca and Mariajo, we started off with a walking tour of downtown Madrid. We started at the Puerta del Sol, and saw the oso and the madrono tree (symbol of Madrid) and "kilometro cero" (the center point of all the highways). We meandered through some historical neighborhoods and saw the oldest part of Madrid dating back centuries. We learned a lot of history today. We even stopped at a convent to try some cookies from some cloistered nuns. They are never seen, as you have to order and pay for the cookies through a revolving door, and never see them. They were great! We then headed around to the Plaza Mayor- Madrid's main square. It is always busy and full of life. We stopped for some snacks at the Mercado San Miguel, a beautiful glass market located just outside of the Plaza Mayor. The place was beautiful and full of some good looking food!
Next we had to get to our appointment at the Prado- Madrid's premier art museum. We saw the major works of El Bosco, Goya and Velazquez. I thought that Blanca did a wonderful job of explaining all the details that you might not realize about the paintings. I hope that the students appreciated it. You can spend weeks in the Prado and not see it all, but we spent a little under two hours. We hope they will want to return and see more! One of my favorite pieces is the "Giaconda" a painting nearly identical to the Mona Lisa. It may have even been painted by DaVinci, but they aren't sure. To me, it is truly a spectacular work of art. But, the best by far is Velazquez' piece, "Las Meninas." One can never get tired of seeing such a masterful work of art.
We then had quite a bit of free time. Some of the group wanted to eat closer to our hotel, and I took a group through Retiro Park. The park is similar to Central Park in NYC. There are beautiful gardens, and a pond that you can rent a rowboat on. We had some lunch, but passed on the boats.
We came back to the area around our hotel for some more shopping, or resting. This evening, we had tapas, (or Spanish appetizer plates). We had salad, croquetas (a potato and ham filled fritter), calamares, and the famous Spanish omelette. I loved it all! I don't think some of them were the favorites of the students. We made up for it by going out for churros and chocolate afterward. There is no better treat in Spain! It's time for bed as we have an early morning tomorrow. Buenas noches!
Next we had to get to our appointment at the Prado- Madrid's premier art museum. We saw the major works of El Bosco, Goya and Velazquez. I thought that Blanca did a wonderful job of explaining all the details that you might not realize about the paintings. I hope that the students appreciated it. You can spend weeks in the Prado and not see it all, but we spent a little under two hours. We hope they will want to return and see more! One of my favorite pieces is the "Giaconda" a painting nearly identical to the Mona Lisa. It may have even been painted by DaVinci, but they aren't sure. To me, it is truly a spectacular work of art. But, the best by far is Velazquez' piece, "Las Meninas." One can never get tired of seeing such a masterful work of art.
We then had quite a bit of free time. Some of the group wanted to eat closer to our hotel, and I took a group through Retiro Park. The park is similar to Central Park in NYC. There are beautiful gardens, and a pond that you can rent a rowboat on. We had some lunch, but passed on the boats.
We came back to the area around our hotel for some more shopping, or resting. This evening, we had tapas, (or Spanish appetizer plates). We had salad, croquetas (a potato and ham filled fritter), calamares, and the famous Spanish omelette. I loved it all! I don't think some of them were the favorites of the students. We made up for it by going out for churros and chocolate afterward. There is no better treat in Spain! It's time for bed as we have an early morning tomorrow. Buenas noches!