Madrid/Toledo!!!

Prado Museum!

Cathedral in Toledo

Looking Down On Toledo!

Syd in Toledo!

Holy Toledo!!! So gorgeous!!!

The "Times Square" Of Spain!

Symbol of Spain...Bear kissing Tree!

More banks...really fancy b/c Madrid is the financial part of Spain

Puerta del Sol (lots of bank buildings)

Our Hotel In Madrid

Despite the general lack of sleep and freezing weather of Madrid/Toledo, my weekend was amazing! Friday around lunch our group took the Ave train from Sevilla to Madrid and got to view the gorgeous Spanish countryside full of mountainous ridges and groves of olive trees! We arrived in Madrid around 5pm and after a quick stop to our really nice hotel to drop off our stuff, we headed on a tour of the city. The tour was very informative and we were shown the outside of the Palace and some of the main monuments and squares, but it was dark and really windy and cold, so my pictures are a bit scarce from that event! After the tour we had free time and some of the people from my group went out in search of a nice restaurant to sit down and have dinner in (since lunch is the main meal of the day, most Spaniards go to bars for dinner and have drinks and tapas, but they usually have to stand up in a loud smoky bar to do so). We ate at this delicious restaurant, Wogaboo where I had an amazing pasta dish! It was my first real restaurant experience since I’ve been here and it was so nice to be able to sit down with all of my friends and choose what we want to eat (although I love my señora’s cooking at home!) After that we went out dancing and got in pretty late…but were able to make our 8:40am call time for the day excursion to Toledo!

Our site director wasn’t too strict about times, so we thought we had plenty of time to get to the train station, but she made us literally sprint there because she didn’t allow us enough time to walk there…that was miserable because it was far away from our hotel and we were all really sleepy....luckily we made it to the station and as soon as we got on the train, we had barely found our seats when the train took off…close call! Although I have been to Toledo before, I forgot how hilly it was! Our walking tour was very fun, but exhausting! Up and down a million streets and we climbed the main stairs that led up to the main part of the city (when I got to the top, after almost dying on the way up, I looked to my left and saw an elevator…ugh!) The view of the city from the hill-top was absolutely breathtaking though! We were shown the Cathedral (but for some reason didn’t go in) and the outside of what once was the mosque and we walked by the shops and saw the workers making the famous gold jewelry of Toledo (which I later bought!) The entire day the sky was so blue and it was the first full day in weeks that we had no rain!

Sunday morning, we spent our last few hours in the lovely city at the Prado Museum of Art (one of the most famous art museums in Spain). We toured the museum and got to see some amazing pieces by arts such as Goya, El Greco, Valesquez, and many more. After that we headed back to the train station to go back home to Sevilla (it was about 10 degrees celcius warmer here than in Madrid!) Such a fun time! Only 4 days until Barcelona! Hitting up all the big cities in Spain!!!!

Italica and Córdoba!

What an exciting weekend! On Friday, I went to Italica, ancient Roman ruins just outside of Sevilla with my art and culture class! It was a great field trip! We were able to see the layout of the Roman houses with its many courtyards. Then we went over to the thermae, which were the public baths. In those days, people went daily not only to physically relax, but also to also mentally relax and have social interactions and stimulating political and philosophical conversations and debates. The last thing we saw was the impressive amphitheater where slaves and gladiators battled beast and man! It the most intact of all the sites there and made me feel like I was in a gladiator movie! Overall, a very enjoyable and historical trip!

Saturday, our ASA group took an early train to Córdoba to see the mosque and the alcazar. The mosque is the only one in the world that has a cathedral built in the middle of it. Instead of destroying any Muslim influence when the Christians conquered Spain in 1492, they decided that it would be more impressive to build their place of worship into the enormous mosque. As far as the eye can see there are columns and arches! The cathedral is also very impressive, with ornate marble ceilings and statues! After touring that, the sun finally started to come out as we were walking through the Barrios (neighborhoods) that were filled with beautiful plant-filled patios and plazas. After winding through the maze of streets, we arrived at the alcazar (or Moorish palace). I think that the alcazar in Sevilla is more ornate and the gardens are larger, but I am biased! Nonetheless, this alcazar was still very nice, and we were able to climb up into its towers and take an Ariel shot of this lovely town! We all ate our lunch in the garden by the beautiful fountain and spent the rest of our short time in Córdoba walking around some shops!

Real Alcazar!

Real Alcazar

As I was waiting in line to get my free student ticket into the Moorish Palace, the Alcazar, I was thinking that this was going to be a short look around an old palace and then on to more shopping! From the exterior, the Alcazar looks a little run down, but this is only the tip of the iceberg, as I soon came to discover. After the first hour of wandering in and out of the most beautifully tiled rooms and halls I have ever seen, I still had only been to one side of the Palace. I didn’t even get to go upstairs because that was a special tour that cost more…so I continued to roam the vast halls, tripping often because I was always looking up and taking pictures of the beautifully ornate ceilings. Some ceilings were covered with the same beautiful geometric tile designs as the walls and floors, but other domed ceilings were wooden and the intricate designs were hand carved! Off of the major halls are gardens with pools of water or fountains, or both. The moors used water to make things appear bigger than they were, due to the use of reflections! Also, to keep out invaders, the moors made the entrance into their main halls very confusing by having lots of winding halls and rooms before you made your way into the heart of the palace. Around the second hour, I stepped out into what I thought was a small garden, but that garden lead into a bigger one, which lead into an even bigger one and I was left wandering this enormous garden for the rest of my trip! At every turn I found something unique and beautiful…I even saw a peacock roaming around the edge of the garden! Lets just say that 3 hours at the Alcazar was not enough to take in the mystical beauty of this palace…I think I have found my new Sunday ritual! Enjoy the pictures, there will be more to come as I continue to explore this lovely treasure I have found! I am sure once the spring flowers start to bloom the gardens will be absolutely stunning! I can’t wait!

***Oh and the wiener dog from the picture was not taken at the Alcazar…I saw it on one of my walks through the city and felt like a stalker…but had to get a picture for mom…so mom…this cute little wiener dog in a sweater is for you!