Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Futbol, el Palacio Real, y El Prado

We had a great day today in Spain! We saw beautiful Madrid in the sunshine for the first time, and it was well worth the wait.

 First, we headed to Real Madrid's stadium, called Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.  The stadium is huge, and it's very clear how much the madrileños love their team.  We toured through hallways filled with trophies and players' old cleats, and learned all about the players and their statistics and awards.  Even for those of us who didn't know much about soccer, this part was really interesting.  We also got to stand mere meters away from where all the magic happens (the field!) and got to enter the team's locker room and see up close where the team prepares for games!

Then we continued on to El Palacio Real (the Royal Palace).  We looked with awe as we walked through elegant, gigantic rooms adorned with gold and intricate wall paintings.  We had a guided tour (in Spanish--our choice!) and walked in the same halls as many kings and queens have for centuries.  The grandeur of the palace was breathtaking!

After a quick lunch, we then explored El Prado Museum.  We saw impressive and beautiful collections of artists such as El Greco, Picasso, Velázquez, de Goya, and Ribera.  Our guide showed us how to see the splendor of Velázquez's Las Meninasand we were impressed to see paintings that we had studied in real life.
We had another great day, filled with laughter and memories, and we can't wait to spend tomorrow in classes with our amigos españoles!  ¡Adiós!

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