Tuesday, June 28

After a few kids and I took a quick morning run, we hopped on our bus heading to Madrid. Many people used this long 6 hour bus ride as an opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. After a couple of hours we stopped at a local gas station, to eat our "bocadillos" that the hotel had given to us. Then after another couple of hours we stopped again at a small restaurant on the outskirts of Madrid. The claw machine in the corner of this restaurant got a great deal of use during our quick 15 minute break and after the stop we only had a quick 30 minute ride to Madrid. I’ve attached some photos to this post from our long 5-6 hour bus ride from Granada to Madrid, but to be honest I was asleep basically the whole ride, so don’t expect much.

At 9 o’clock we all took a twenty minute walk to a restaurant named "Galopín". Inside we found one older man who was ready to take on the challenge of serving all 25 or so of us. The chicken and potatoes that I had was very good, and I’m pretty sure almost everyone else was very happy with their choice as well. Throughout the dinner many tables were playing a card game called "Kemps" which has become very popular on this trip. I won’t go into any details, but this card game has been a favorite for the entire group. After some ice cream for desert we headed back to the hotel at around 10:30 to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be our last full day in Spain and I know it will be bitter-sweet for all of us.

-Grady Hayes

This is my second and last post, and I did not love this part of our trip, but know that I enjoyed visiting the stadium while not being a soccer fan (I could be arrested for saying that in public). I believe Grady has accurately described the bus ride, but admittedly I have not read his account. Either way we hopped of the bus a bit tired and walked a few flights of stairs to see the view of the stadium from a high vantage point. Sadly the field was occupied by workers setting up for a Placido Domingo concert. Then to my surprise we met a tour guide, who was prepared to flood us with knowledge. As she began to speak the artist below began to check sounds, making it difficult to hear but we pressed on to the lower parts of the stadium which showcased their many trophies and awards. Again our guide was having difficulty speaking over the different videos that automatically played throughout the small museum. She never lost hope and even started to shower us with questions. Either we could not hear her, or her questions were way to difficult for sup par soccer aficionados. I was surprised to see so many golden shoes, cups and balls. I was convinced this stadium was the true show of wealth in Madrid. As our group was in a fit of awe and daze by the magnitude of love put into this sport, our guide asked a question and received to answer. She gave a snarky remark asking if we knew how to say no. We continued in silence, having been incapacitate by the awe inspiring success of the one and only Real Madrid. She was not pleased by our modest silence. We continued to a video room where a player said something along these lines: I wear this badge because it is a winner, and I am a winner. I’m happy RM is staying modest. On our last legs of the tour we we asked in English if we wanted to take pictures with players (it was just a green screen). We asked how much the photos cost but they refused to answer, and yes we asked in Spanish too. Then finally we went to the post game conference room. A few student sat where the professionals sit and we fired a few questions at them, like if they could imitate Juan (Our amazing guide who has been with us since day one. I really hope someone talked about him in heir blog but regardless, is a kind funny man). After a few imitations, we were prodded along into their official gear shop. The jerseys on average where 100 euro. To put this in perspective, euros are worth more than dollars and the Spain’s economy isn’t doing well. Real Madrid, the team for the people, ever so slightly takes advantage of their fame for major profit (I’m getting a feeling this is the Yankees of soccer).

-Elson Ortiz

trip to madrid

trip to madrid

madrid

Monday, June 27

Today we spent our first, and sadly, also our last day in Granada. After meeting early in the morning in the hotel lobby, we took a bus to the big attraction of our time in Granada: the Alhambra. A medieval fortified city, the Alhambra is strategically situated at the top of a hill that we were all too glad to ascend in the bus. I can only imagine what it would be like for a Spanish soldier approaching the fortress. Juan had our tickets ready, and we received some jealous looks from other tourists as we entered without having to wait in line.

After entering the city we said hello to our tour guide, Susana, the owner of a seemingly limitless supply of knowledge about the Alhambra. She was also cheerful and enthusiastic and a wonderful tour guide throughout our time at the Alhambra. We began our tour walking through the different streets of the fortress. Our tour culminated when we reached the highest point in the fortress, la Torre de la Vela, which in the past had provided the Moors with a good scout post, but now provided us with a great photo opportunity of all of Granada. Along the way we learned how the Alhambra was constructed on the foundations of ancient Roman fortifications, and that it is a great example of the wonders of Moorish architecture. With perfectly symmetrical arabesques lining every wall, we were all very impressed by the beauty and majesty of many of the buildings. Eventually, in 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella conquered the fortress, and it then served as a palace for Spanish Kings– it was even supposed to be the capital of Spain until the king decided against it. All in all, it was a valuable, visually stunning experience.

-John Philippides

patio de los arrayanes

palacio de carlos v

la alhambra de noche

Sunday, June 26

Unfortunately our time in Cádiz has expired, and this morning we had to say goodbye to our host families. I am confident that I speak for everyone when I say that our host families were all amazing and that everyone, families and students, enjoyed these past three weeks in Cádiz. Due to the generous efforts of my host family, my Spanish has continued to improve over the past week and I am grateful for that.

In saying goodbye to our families, we also said hello to the rest of Dr. Guerra’s family. They will be joining us for the rest of the trip and embarrassing us with their fluency in Spanish.

A bit of first top fun just off the highway.

Nevertheless, we packed our luggage and boarded a bus destined for Granada. The bus ride spanned a total of almost five hours, with two stops along the way. Our first stop was in a roadside cafe where we relaxed and had some time to buy a drink or snack. We then boarded the bus again and continued on our way, with most sleeping during this stretch of the ride. A few hours later we stopped for a quick bathroom break, which doubled as a convenient time to eat lunch on the stationary bus. Some time later we arrived in Granada and immediately drove to our hotel to get settled.

-Zach Levin