Quick entry to note that I went to Palacio Real (the Royal Palace) and a bullfight!
There are some pictures here. I’ll add more when possible.
P.S. Bullfights are cool and I know a restaraunt that serves bulls from the arena in meals. Those meals are good.
The school arranged a day trip to Toledo yesterday.
Early in the morning, we travelled by bus to the town.
Toledo is the former capital of Spain, until the seat of government moved to Madrid centuries ago. The old section of town still sits on the hill overlooking the Tagus.
Our guide led us through the winding streets, that were covered to block out the beating sun.
In Toledo, we saw the alleged site where nuns first made Marzipan, an old synagogue that was being reclaimed, and the Catedral del Toledo.
The cathedral housed many works by the painter El Greco and other relics. It also contained a Baroque addition of a painted dome that cascaded down the rear of the altar in marble and gold relief. I only thought I knew Baroque until I this work - called the Trasparente.
Today, I went to El Rastro- a large flea market that springs up every Sunday. An amazing crowd of people roamed between stalls picking over cheap goods. Nothing really demanded that I buy it.
Following that, I returned to the Prado. It’s free on Sundays. I finished up my afternoon starring at the works of Reubens and Bosch that I had missed.
Tonight, laundry and homework. It’s nonstop thrills here in Spain!
There are some new photos in the gallery from these two days, starting here. Just samples as I cannot upload them all in bulk from here.
So I put some new photos up.
Some are from a night of wandering Old Madrid.
Some were taken from the mountains overlooking Madrid. The school arranged a kayaking trip along the reservoir established up there.
Lastly, a couple of us students went to the Museo San Isidro - a museum dedicated to the patron saint of Madrid and the history of Madrid.
You can see the pictures added here.
This trip is already different than my previous ones.
I’m both going to school, doing freelance work, and putting in as much quality time as possible with the Amy.
It’s leaving very little time to tour.
Saturday, instead of relaxing and settling in, was spent hasseling the airport to retrieve my luggage. Exhaustion and frustration were the majority of my accomplishments that day.
Sunday was spent catching up on sleep, attending orientation, and unpacking. I needed a three-pronged adapter for my laptop (Something, I foolishly forgot to even think to buy). It turns out everything is closed in Spain on Sundays.
You’d think a mostly Catholic country wouldn’t have that problem.
Still, I was able to buy one from a novelty store. Internet has also been spotty, until I got an ethernet cable from the school’s IT department. They had to crimp it from scratch for me.
You can see my room here. That picture is the whole room; it really is that small. Still, its adequate.
My class schedule is not allowing me to have a lunch break. I’m always in class while food is being served, except for dinner. Dinner is from 7:30 until 9:00. They serve it early to accomodate Americans.
The food has been tasty, dorm food. Most of the sauces have been tangy. Tonight, we had stewed beef with chickpeas, couscous, some chicken dish in a white gravy (?), and a fish dish with baked tomatoes on top. A handful of vegetables are available, along with tuna in oil. The tuna is available at every meal, including breakfast.
Monday was spent in class, buying a souveneir, and working late into the night. I finally finished my work and school reading around 2 AM.
Still, I had no classes on Tuesday until lunchtime. So, a handful of students and I went to the Museo de Prado for the morning.
There, we wandered through galleries filled with works by El Greco, Titian, Velazquez, Goya, Reubens, and Bosch and others. After three hours of absorbtion, I still hadn’t seen half of the collection and had to leave for class.
My favorite pieces were the Las Meninas by Velazquez and The Garden of Delights by Bosch.
It was a rush navigating the Metro to class. I still arrived 5 minutes late.
It’s up and there’s a handful of pictures already posted.
You can check it out here.
10:03 Madrid Time
