Last week Thursday we hopped the good ole’ ESTEVE bus for our last excursion to Madrid, laden once again with bags of tinfoil-wrapped “bocadillos” (sandwiches) and fruit, cameras, rain jackets, and móviles (cell phones). If there is one thing Spanish life has taught us it’s how to pack for a weekend vaca.
Our arrival brought us to a clean, modern “albergue” (hostel), where we dropped our stuff and headed down to the Prado Museum. Even though we had left the coast, the Spanish sun was still shining and we soaked in the sounds and smells of Madrid during our walk. I was surprised/delighted to find that Madrid is a city full of green spaces, and it wasn’t unusual to smell orange trees on the breeze there. Prado museum was incredible and overwhelming. Around every corner was another unbelievably famous piece of artwork by Velázquez or Rafael that I have seen countless times in art or history classes. So cool! Thank you liberal arts for allowing me to spend two hours in an art museum without falling asleep!
The next day we headed down to Toledo. Truthfully, the town looked like something out of a fairytale. The town itself is set up on a hill that is nearly surrounded by a river. Looking at Toledo from across the river, it looks like rows upon rows of salmon-orange houses, stacked one on top of the other up the hillside. Una verdadera maravillllla as our trusty guide Enrique said. Once again we were fortunate enough to soak up yet another beautiful day while we wandered through the historical buildings and streets.
Saturday brought an early morning trip out to El Escorial and Segovia. I can’t help but mention that yet again, we had gorgeous weather – all sunshine and barely a cloud to be seen. El Escorial was somber and cold, but still fascinating. My favorite part was the library – one of the best in Europe at the time of its assembly, and full of books written in Latin and sitting old and wise in rows and rows of cases. It was a real bummer that here, like so many other famous places, it is absolutely forbidden to take pictures (something they usually take very seriously). After El Escorial, we headed over to Segovia, where we got to take pictures in front of the Alcázar (google it) – the absolute epitome of fairytale dream castle – blue roofed towers and all. Then we headed deeper into the city where we witnessed one of the marvels of modern Spain – the Roman aqueduct. It is still nearly whole, and awe-inspiring to behold. Thanks to my History of Art class here, I was able to applaud their incredible engineering and practical spirit with a deep appreciation. Finally, we headed off to La Granja de San Ildefonso, a summer palace for the Spanish royal family. Those of us who had been to Versailles (I have not) say that it is very similar. There we witnessed the shooting off of fountains in the extensive gardens there. I use “shooting off” here because that is exactly what they did --- they would turn on a fountain, and then gradually increase the water pressure until it absolutely soaked the onlookers. I was unluckily trapped in a corner and had to endure the rest of the day with wet feet --- thankfully though, I had remembered my trusty rain coat, which has come in very useful over the past few months! =)
Finally, Sunday. We could hardly believe it was already our last day! In the morning, the group split between heading to the Parque de Buen Retiro and the Rastro – a famous flea market. In the afternoon we had our appointment to enter the royal palace. I was extremely surprised to find that this was one of my favorite sites. The rooms were visually overwhelming - not only in size, but in luxury and decoration. It was fun to picture royals and nobles of the 18th and 19th century wandering in and out of chandelier lit salons and throne rooms. There was also an armory with metal armor for adults, horses and even children! After the royal palace, we jaunted over to the Gran Vía (a main street in Madrid) to grab some cheap lunch and then head back to Denia! (Once again --- PERFECT weather!)
Yet another adventure completed, but definitely “aprovechado” (enjoyed to the fullest!)
-Written by Anne Bouman
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