We made it through to Madrid with a flawless transfer though Paris where the group enjoyed snacking on croissants de chocolate. While the students tried sleeping on the flight it seemed many were unsuccessful and we had quite a tired bunch.
As soon as we arrived and started to see the historic streets of Madrid the students perked right up. We quickly dropped our things off at our hotel and gave the students the option of a picnic or eating at a restaurant nearby. Everyone chose to hold off on eating so that they could shop at the local grocery store. Students were very excited as they used their Spanish to order and purchase their own lunch ingredients.
We brought our picnic to a grassy area in front of the Royal Palace and a few students went off to play frisbee while others sat around and practiced their Spanish enjoying the blue skies on a sunny day. After a quick Spanish lesson on 'the park and our surroundings' we decided to head back for to shower and get ready for dinner. We walked from our perfectly located hotel to Plaza Mayor where the students were amazed by local theatrics and the old world Spanish architecture. The group sampled local tapas-- some students tried new foods such as calamari, paella, and croquettes. After dinner we were all exhausted and went straight to bed.
Today the group is off to a great start getting ready for our train ride up to the Northern coast and the fishing town of Luarca, where we will spend five days doing projects getting to know the local culture.
Hasta pronto!
-Bergen, Lane, and Kate
at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris
our Spanish lesson in the park.
The group in Plaza del Sol getting prepared to shop for our picnic
students with the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) in the background 