The Language Learning Spain C crew has made it through homestays and we have jumped right into a full week in Madrid. Our students had a great time with their homestay families-- some even cried as they said goodbye to their host families. It was just as touching to see how excited they were to come back together as a group!
We had a busy week in Madrid, filled with many cultural events. Our first day in the city, we did a tour of Real Madrid´s stadium Bernabeu; Real Madrid is Spain's world renowned soccer team. It was a fun chance for everyone to see how important soccer is in Spanish culture and to grab some souvenirs for home.
On Sunday we toured the best weekend market in Madrid, el Rastro. Later that day we attended our first bull fight. While not everyone stayed for all 6 rounds, it was an extremely eye opening experience that our students were glad to have witnessed.
On Monday we took a train to Segovia, a historic city about 30 minutes from Madrid by train. Here the group saw the beautiful church, the ancient Roman aqueduct, and the old Alcazar palace. During our daily recap we learned that there wasn´t a student in our group who didn´t enjoy this day trip.
For the past two days we have woken up early to visit the Prado, where we learned about Spanish artists such as Velasquez and Goya, and the Reina Sophia, where we saw the amazing works of Picasso and Dali. But of course all of this learning wouldn´t be as fun without a few surprises. . . Our students were doing so well with Spanish that we decided that the group deserved an evening off-- we surprised the group with a trip to a small amusement park. Roller coasters and water rides were a welcomed treat! And this afternoon´s language lesson was actually a scavenger hunt in Madrid´s famous park, Parque Retiro.
Tomorrow is our final day in Madrid. We plan to check our the Thyssen art museum and then break into groups to see a Sorolla exhibit at the Prado and another important contemporary artists at the Caixa Forum.
We hope you enjoy the photos below. We will check in soon with updates from Sevilla!
Saludos,
Bergen, Kate and Lane
Students before their first bull fight
About to enter Segovia´s Alcazar palace
Students under a statue of Velasquez outside of the Prado Museum
in Parque Retiro
Students before their first bull fight
About to enter Segovia´s Alcazar palace
Students under a statue of Velasquez outside of the Prado Museum 
in Parque Retiro