Madrid and Toledo

I finally made it to Madrid after about 30 hours of traveling. In Frankfurt there was too much fog to land so the plane flew to Cologne, Germany and waited on the ground for almost three hours for the fog to clear before returning to Frankfurt. By then I had missed my connecting flight to Madrid and had to reschedule it. When I arrived in Madrid my study abroad program had already stopped their airport pick-up service so I took a taxi to the hotel. I negotiated a price with the driver before leaving so that I wouldn't get ripped off. I was a little wary of taking a taxi but it turned out great since the ride quickly turned into a guided tour of Madrid. The driver pointed out all the important sites to me and told me about places I should visit while in Madrid. He was so eager to show me the city that when I asked how far La Plaza de Los Toros (the bullfighting ring) was from the city center, he said he would take me there free of charge. I was really lucky to find such a nice driver.

The hotel the group stayed at was very nice and it was only a short walk from La Plaza Mayor where many historic ceremonies, festivals, and even executions have taken place. The first night in Madrid we had a group dinner that included 10 different appetizer dishes to be shared among groups of about four people (these plates are called raciones). We didn't know what a lot of the food was, but had fun trying different things like squid and octopus. We went to many restaurants in Madrid. At times it was difficult to know what to order. For example, one night a couple of friends and I went out to eat and ordered some raciones, one of which turned out to be something very VERY different than what we expected. When the waiter brought it to us we all gave it a try. The others ate a piece but I couldn't bring myself to swallow it. We didn't learn what it was until a few days later. We were disgusted to discover that what we had ordered was a cow's stomach lining!! The food in the picture is called paella - a typical Spanish dish that tastes very good and does not involve stomach lining.

We visited El Museo del Prado where we saw paintings by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, El Bosco and many other artists. The most impressive paintings to me were "El jardin de las delicias" by El Bosco and "Las meninas" by Velázquez. We also visited Parque del Retiro (Retiro park) - a popular place to go for a walk. It has beautiful pathways and a lake.

Another day we took a bus to El Escorial, the palace of King Felipe II. The drive was absolutely beautiful - lots of mountains and great architecture. El Escorial is very impressive. Besides having great architectural beauty, it contains many important artworks, a large library, and the tombs of nearly all of the Spanish monarchs.


In our free time, some friends and I visited Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. There I saw works by Dalí, Miró, and Picasso. The piece that I will always remember seeing is "Guernica" by Picasso. It is a very large painting that was inspired by the bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by the Nazis during the Spanish Civil War. As the museum brochure says "Guernica has become the universal icon, an accusation of every warlike catastrophe." The great size and intensity of the painting made it difficult to pull myself away. I could have stayed looking at it for hours.

El Palacio Real (Royal Palace) was another site we visited as a group. Many royal families have occupied the palace, but today it is only used for state functions. I enjoyed seeing the throne room that houses the King and Queen's red velvet and gold thrones. The Plaza de Armas was also a highlight - a large square by the main entrance that opens up to a great view of the city. The plaza connects the royal armory, the palace, and the cathedral.

After checking out of the hotel in Madrid we took a bus to Toledo - a city where Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived together peacefully for years before the Catholic reconquest. We toured many religious sites and saw how the different cultures each had a part in the formation of the city. We went to El Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes and La Iglesia de Santo Tomé, where we saw El Greco's painting, "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz." The central part of Toledo is surrounded by a river on three sides. From one viewpoint the city looks like a big island.

I had a great time on my tours of Madrid and Toledo and wish I could have spent more time exploring the museums and other sites. I can't get over how much history I'm continually surrounded by in Spain...it's everywhere! What's more, Spain is simply a beautiful place to be.

Here's a link to more pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176898&l=aabc8&id=27218371