I went to Madrid (another IES trip) this past weekend and it was wonderful. It's so much more "Spain" than Barcelona is. We took the Renfe train down-- about 3 hours at speeds around 300 km per hour! Our main mode of transport in Madrid was either walking or the metro. We had a guided tour around the city to get ourselves oriented and saw a lot of cool buildings such as the cathedral, the royal palace, and the Plaza Mayor. Madrid is so pretty, with colorful buildings and mixed architectural styles. After lunch we went into Las Ventas bullring, where we learned about what bullfighting is all about and how it's carried out. I don't agree with this sport but it was cool to get a better understanding of this important part of Spanish history.
The next day, we went to El Prado museum, where we saw a lot of cool paintings ranging from the Roman period through to the Renaissance. El Prado is huge and has so much art, but sadly we didn't have that much time to explore it. Afterward we went for tapas(yum!!) and had the rest of the day to explore. A group of friends and I took this time to explore the royal palace (for 5 euros we went inside and saw different salons and rooms within the palace; it reminded me of the palace at Versailles and was full of intricate and ornate decorations). After that we headed over to the temple of Debod, which is an Egyptian temple in the middle of a nice park. We went inside and around which was really cool. Next we passed by another garden park and played around in the hedge maze. The day concluded with an "obligatory" trip to la Chocolateria San Ginés- a world famous site known for their churros and hot chocolate. Literally probably the best part of the entire trip for me. They give you a pile of churros on a plate as well as the thickest most delicious hot chocolate that also serves as a dipping sauce.
Sunday was cut short because we had to make our way back to Barcelona at 4:30. The morning was spent at the Reina Sofia museum, which is a modern art museum. Here we were able to see some select pieces by Picasso and Dalà (cubism and surrealism) which were beyond cool to see. I definitely wish that we had been able to spend more time in this museum also. Afterward we had a lovely picnic at El Retiro park, which is basically the Central Park of Madrid. The weather was so great, and my friends and I ate by the lake watching people on rowboats and feeding the fish. On the way back to the hotel we passed by an outdoor flea market which was also really cool to see. And so concluded the weekend in Madrid.
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The next day, we went to El Prado museum, where we saw a lot of cool paintings ranging from the Roman period through to the Renaissance. El Prado is huge and has so much art, but sadly we didn't have that much time to explore it. Afterward we went for tapas(yum!!) and had the rest of the day to explore. A group of friends and I took this time to explore the royal palace (for 5 euros we went inside and saw different salons and rooms within the palace; it reminded me of the palace at Versailles and was full of intricate and ornate decorations). After that we headed over to the temple of Debod, which is an Egyptian temple in the middle of a nice park. We went inside and around which was really cool. Next we passed by another garden park and played around in the hedge maze. The day concluded with an "obligatory" trip to la Chocolateria San Ginés- a world famous site known for their churros and hot chocolate. Literally probably the best part of the entire trip for me. They give you a pile of churros on a plate as well as the thickest most delicious hot chocolate that also serves as a dipping sauce.
Sunday was cut short because we had to make our way back to Barcelona at 4:30. The morning was spent at the Reina Sofia museum, which is a modern art museum. Here we were able to see some select pieces by Picasso and Dalà (cubism and surrealism) which were beyond cool to see. I definitely wish that we had been able to spend more time in this museum also. Afterward we had a lovely picnic at El Retiro park, which is basically the Central Park of Madrid. The weather was so great, and my friends and I ate by the lake watching people on rowboats and feeding the fish. On the way back to the hotel we passed by an outdoor flea market which was also really cool to see. And so concluded the weekend in Madrid.
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El fin de semana
pasado fui a Madrid (otro viaje a través de IES) y fue maravilloso.
Definitivamente es mucho mas “España” que lo es Barcelona. Nos fuimos en el
tren “Ave” que nos llevo a Madrid en mas o menos 3 horas a velocidades al
rededor de 300 km por hora! El transporte principal en Madrid para nosotros fue
el metro, además de caminar. Nos llevaron por una visita guiada de la ciudad
para orientarnos y vimos muchos edificios padres como la catedral, el palacio
real, y la plaza mayor. Madrid es realmente una ciudad muy bella, con edificios
de colores y una mezcla de varios estilos de arquitectura. Después de la comida
fuimos a la plaza de toros Las Ventas para conocer un poco sobre el toreo. No
me agrada el deporte pero fue interesante aprender sobre esta parte importante
de la historia española.
Al dÃa siguiente
fuimos al museo El Prado, donde vimos muchas pinturas bonitas desde el periodo románico
hasta el renacimiento. El Prado es enorme y tiene una gran cantidad de arte,
pero desafortunadamente no tuvimos mucho tiempo para poder explorarlo. Después
fuimos a comer tapas (que rico!!) y tuvimos el resto del dÃa para explorar. Un
grupo de amigos y yo aprovechamos de este tiempo para entrar al palacio real
(la entrada nos costó 5 euros y vimos varios salones y habitaciones llenas de
decoraciones intrincadas y floridas; me record mucho al palacio de Versalles). Después
fuimos al templo de Debod, un temple egipcio en medio de un parque bonito.
Entramos y exploramos el parque un poco, y luego fuimos a otro jardÃn donde
jugamos en el laberinto. El dÃa concluyó con una visita “obligada” a la
ChocolaterÃa San Ginés—un sitio conocido por todo el mundo por sus churros y
chocolate. Definitivamente la mejor parte del viaje para mi. Te dan un montón
de churros en un plato y una taza de chocolate espeso y delicioso que también
sirve como un aderezo para los churros.
El
domingo fue corto por que tuvimos que regresar a Barcelona a las 4:30. La mañana
nos la pasamos en el museo Reina SofÃa, un museo de arte contemporáneo. AquÃ
vimos algunas obras de Picasso y Dalà (cubismo y surrealismo), y estas fueron súper
padres de ver. Lamento que no hubo tanto tiempo de ver mas obras por que mee
hubiera encantado. Después tuvimos un picnic en el Parque del Buen Retiro, que
es básicamente el “Central Park” de Madrid. El tiempo estuvo hermoso, y mis
amigas y yo comimos al lado del lago viendo a la gente pasear en lanchitas y
alimentando a los peces. El parque también tiene un monumento dedicado al Diablo.
Al volver al hotel pasamos por un mercado al aire libre muy padre. Y asÃ
concluyó el fin de semana en Madrid.
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