Vamos a Madrid

First day of class? Piece of cake. And no homework to boot. Mondays and Wednesdays, I have Spanish grammar. Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Iberian civilization and culture. We start at 1000 BC and work our way up. That class is especially useful here because on our trips we visit many of the places we discuss. Talk about visual learning.

Today as a group, we went on a visit to Madrid. When traveling in groups of 35, it’s very difficult to not look like tourists, especially when all of us stop at the same time to take a picture of the same building or statue. So much for blending in. Ah, well. This little trip was mostly to help us get familiar with the ferrocarril (train) system. Starting on May 1, we’ll each have a pass that lets us take the bus and trains around Madrid and Alcalá for free. Well, not for free. We did pay for those passes. But you know what I mean. It takes around 30 minutes to get from Alcalá to Madrid. We weren’t there too long. Maybe three hours. We visited El Palacio de Cibeles and El Prado.

That’s right. I was in a palace today. I told the guy I’d take it, but his asking price was too high for my budget. Maybe some other time. Anyway, I’m honestly not sure what purpose this particular palace (there are many) serves or served. It was beautiful though. The architecture of every building here is incredible.

El Prado is a museum of art that houses the works of artists such as Velázquez, de Goya, and el Greco (click here to see some of their work). I have so much respect for these artists who can create such amazing works of art. I can’t even comprehend the skill, talent, and patience that it takes to create just one of those paintings or sculptures. I’ll be honest though, I’m not really one of those sit-down-and-interpret-the-painting kinda people. I can appreciate the work for what it is and move on to the next in the space of five seconds. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy these museums. I mean, come on, seeing the original “Las Meninas” was pretty cool.

I have a confession. I’ve been speaking a lot of English. I know, I know, why haven’t they sent me packing yet? Well, it’s just when we’re with other members of our group that it’s hard to speak in Spanish (it’s not just me!). I feel like I have no personality in Spanish, and many other students feel the same way. I can’t be goofy, or funny, or sarcastic. It’s hard to express myself. So I think as we’re trying to get to know our fellow travelers, we use more English so we don’t come across as a bunch of dull people. Don’t worry, I still use plenty of Spanish at school and en casa and around the city with the natives. But I’m working on avoiding English and so is everyone else. I want to be a more better speaker of Spanish! (I'm picturing my mom and brother when I say this)

Here’s a little taste of Madrid!