Friday, April 10, 2015
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Students with families
We asked students to send pictures of them with their families-here are a couple.
Sword factory in Toledo
Did I mention we went to a sword factory? I have to say that I was a little nervous watching 27 middle schoolers brandishing swords. Everyone walked out with all ten fingers intact. The airline might get worried scanning our luggage, however!
Toledo
Today we spent the day in Toledo, a beautiful medieval city an hour outside of Madrid. The city is known for its good relatoins between the Jews, Christians, and Muslims who setttled here, at least until the Spanish Inquisition in 1492. We walked through the old, cobblestoned streets past the Jewish quarter and saw architectural highlights and beautiful xhurches. Highlights were a gorgeous El Greco painting called The Burial of the Count of Orgaz and what's called the largest cathedral in Europe. It was a rainy day so you'll have to identify kids by hood and umbrella color!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Prado, Real Madrid
Today we spent an hour touring the Prado museum. We saw Picasso, Goya, El Bosco (Bosch) and more. Then we had a picnic lunch in El Retiro, the grounds of a former royal palace that is now Madrid's Central Park, and finally headed to the stadium where Real Madrid plays. I was personally hoping for a glimpse of James Rodriguez, but no such luck. Tomorrow we're off to Toledo for the day. Our knowledgeable tour guide from El Castillo, Eloisa, is sitting in the front row of the group picture at the stadium.
