Spain Trip 2015

These two days we spent in this fabulous and cosmopolitan city.

Day 7 was rainy and cold. We went to the two great museums Madrid has to offer: Reina Sofia for the contemporary art and then the Prado for the Spanish great painters.

At Reina Sofia we saw the famous painting by Picasso called Guernica in which Piscasso expresses his sadness about the Civil War in Spain. We also saw some paintings by the genius Dalí and also Miró. After the Reina Sofia we went for lunch walking under the rain to a Starbucks! Got some mugs from Starbucks-Spain... Cute!

During our afternoon this day we went to the Museo del Prado with a specific guide who showed us paintings from three great and famous Spanish painters. We started with Murillo, then El Greco, later Velásquez (with the famous painting called "Las Meninas" and how did the painter created this Master piece) ending with the opinionated and controversial Goya. It was a great visit. I enjoyed seeing all those famous paintings that I have seen in pictures, but now the originals. I think the kids enjoyed too analyzing a bit of the technique and topics with the help of the excellent guide.

In the evening we had one of the most fun activities of the tour, in my opinion. We went to a school of cuisine and prepared our very own Spanish meal with the help and instruction of awesome Spaniard Chefs. In groups we prepared Paella, Spanish Omelette (Tortilla Española), Chocolate pudding, some starters and lemonade. It was a great experience.

Later we went for shopping and walking in downtown Madrid to "Gran Via" and "Sol", then took the Metro back to our hotel.

Day 8 and our last day, we had a free day in Madrid. The other group went to Segovia, so the six of us planned our day together and moved everywhere in the city by Metro or walking. We started our day with a visit to the "Palacio Real" (Royal Palace) We discovered this amazing and luxurious Palace with breath-taking decorations of the most exquisite kinds, including a room all covered in Porcelain, and another one all in tapestry (including walls and ceiling) Absolutely out of this world. One of the interesting facts was that the rooms there are still in use for special events. Particularly luxurious was the dining room with the table that was set with beautiful China, cutlery made out of solid silver and fine Crystal cups.

After the Palace visit we found one of those "living statutes" of two soldiers and this is what happened:

Then we went walking down the "Avenida Mayor" to "Cava Baja" for a bit of the traditional "tapas españolas" where we have some lunch. All of us expect for Adam... He had two cokes and waited to find a Starbucks... Ha! (You make your own conclusions) the waiter was a Cuban and treated us very well.

After lunch, we continue walking to the "Plaza Sol" and went into the traditional Spaniard department store called "El Corte Inglés" where the kids "got lost" shopping for a couple of hours.

We then went for frozen yogurt and kill some time waiting to meet the rest of the group for dinner at a really nice place called "La Catedral". The last session of shopping started and that is when one of the girls from the other group, unfortunately lost her wallet with her Green Card in it (she had a Swedish passport) The guide and leader of the other group went with her to the Police to declare the lose so she could take her plane back. Meanwhile the other teacher, chaperone and myself guided the rest of the kids back to the Hotel through the Metro. It was a breeze, we were experts by that time!

Our guide Amanda being funny at 4am for us. Thank you for being so amazing!

Packing time arrived and the terrible wake up call of 3 am... Ouch! Yes, we left the hotel at 3:45am and we WERE very tired.

Goodbyes are never sweet, so we hugged everyone goodbye with the joy of having made good friends and hopes to maybe see them again for a casualty.

The time to take planes, search for Terminals and gates got too soon, but we left with a sweet flavor of having had not only a blast, but also a door opened to the world outside, with its promises of a better future.

¡Hasta pronto España! ¡Gracias por ser tan bella y ofrecernos todas tus maravillas y tu gente amable! ¡Volveremos!

Today we woke up in the lovely and grand Toledo. A town founded by the Romans with the name of Toletum. We started our visit with a panoramic view from the outside of the town.

Then we went to a factory where they make swords and jewelry with the Toledan typical technique of Damasquinado. Incredible pieces of handmade work.

After that we walked it's streets and visited "Capilla de Santo Tomé" where the famous El Greco painting called "El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz" is exhibited. Then we saw The Synagogue of Santa Maria, and lastly the breathtaking Cathedral. This church was built in pure Gothic style and its interior has the "Tesoro" showing fabulous pieces made out of gold and silver; you can also find what is believed to be the Virgin Mary's actual footprints on a rock; and paintings by El Greco in the sacristy, and the most deliciously Baroque style piece showing the whole Bible on a statute. One of my favorite European Cathedrals I've ever been to.

We then had lunch in a nice restaurant recommended by a sweet lady, Carmen (I know, all Spanish ladies seemed to be called Carmen) She was the owner of a store where the other teacher of the group, Cindy and I bought some things. When we asked if she could recommend a place to eat she actually walked us to her nephew's restaurant called El Gallo. That is the Spanish warm and welcoming personality right there.

After lunch, we traveled for an hour or so on the bus and arrived in Madrid. Our hotel in Madrid is really nice. We all took the subway to the restaurant where we had dinner. After dinner we walked the streets of downtown Madrid at night. We had the best of times with the kids. Went to a Market place called "Mercado San Miguel". Walked to Palacio Real (Royal Palace); a Plaza with a statue of "Don Quixote de la Mancha" and the place called "Las Cuevas" where the oldest restaurant of the world is found (according to the Guinness Book of Records) "Restaurante Botín". We walked back to our hotel.