Madrid 2/12/19

“Today we spent the day in Madrid. We began the day seeing El Prado where we got to see some of the paintings we learned about in Spanish 4, which was actually cooler than I had anticipated. After El Prado, we had some time to walk around Madrid with our friends eating all the food we wanted! My group ate churros and paella, which was delicious. After making some tiktoks for descub (which were pretty great if you ask me), we went to row boats. As soon as we were back in Villalba, Luna took me to a restaurant for dinner with some other exchange friends and some new Spaniards I hadn’t met before. Sarah and I practiced our Spanish all throughout  and had such a great night learning, laughing, and making new friends. We even gave our new Spanish friends a one dollar bill as a small regalo!” – Grace V.

“Walking  all over Madrid with Ramon was quite an experience, but my favorite part of the day was trying out different foods at puerta de sol such as paella con mariscos. Even though it was a little challenging trying to order food without our spaniards it was still funny watching Leah point at what she wanted on the menu and say “por favor”. I also loved walking around and seeing all the beautiful architecture of many different buildings and having Ramon explain the history behind them.” – Ariella

“Today in Madrid, we saw El Prado and el Sol. It was a lot of fun to walk around and see everything here with all the old architecture. I also had some really good food, waffles and a mocha latte. They have the best coffee here!”- Marisa

“Yesterday we went to El Museo del Prado and Ramón showed us around and we saw a lot of famous paintings by Goya, Velázquez and many others. Then, we had free time in Puerta de Sol, where I ate churros and went shopping. After that, we went to Parque del Retiro, we rowed boats on the water and it was so beautiful and fun!” – Sophie

“Today we visited el Prado, which is home to many of the famous paintings we learned about in Spanish class earlier this year. It was so cool to be able to see them in person and learn even more about each painting from an icon (Ramon). Madrid was so beautiful and the architecture was amazing. After the museum, we had some free time to eat and explore Madrid a bit more. My friends and I decided to immerse ourselves into the Spanish culture by trying some Paella and después, churros. We ended our day at el Parque del Retiro, where I learned that I am absolutely horrible at rowing a boat.” – Nicole

“Being able to walk to and from places is one of my favorite things about Spain. Everything here is so beautiful and calming and it’s definitely a nice change of pace.” – Neha

“I had such a great time at El Prado, as well as Sol. Ramón is the best tour guide ever, and I will never ever forget this experience. Not only has Spain given me so many new friends, a second family, and amazing food, but it has taught me how to smile. If that is not saying something, then I do not know what is. Te Amo, España.” – Sarah

“Today was pretty cool. We went to El Prado with Ramón who is literally the most spritely human I’ve ever met and he gave us a lot of art history which was really cool. I got to see my favorite Goya painting, Saturno Devorando a Su Hijo and it made my day. Then we walked around Plaza del Sol and I had gluten free churros and they were sooooo good. Lastly, we went to el Parque de Retiro and took a boat ride around the lake there and watched the sun go down. It was a very long but very fun day. Off to school bright and early tomorrow to go to music and biology classes with my new friend Jorge. ¡Hasta luego!” – Alison

“Our first field trip was amazing! While in Madrid, I really enjoyed “El Prado” and Puerta del Sol. I loved being able to see some of the beautiful paintings we studied in class in person, only a few feet away. After the museum, we visited other famous spots in Madrid, but I think Puerta del Sol was most memorable for me. I ate some of the best churros I have ever had, and really enjoyed visiting all of the small, unique shops and larger more popular ones around the square.” – Kelly

“Today we went to Madrid! My favorite part was when we had free time to walk around Puerta Del Sol. We ate paella and churros and were able to go shopping. I also had a lot of fun on the boats.” – Savanna

“Before I start talking about today, let me just say Profe is so right: brownies at Burger King are another level of delicious. Definitely superior to all brownies. Last night I tried one with my friends and realized my life had been forever changed by the brownie (yes, it was that good). For today, it was one of the greatest days in a while. Madrid was so amazing and I cannot believe I am so lucky to be able to visit. We did so many fun things such as look at art (some that I could recognize from class!), ate paellas and churros and so much other great food, had fun on the boats, and explored the city. I felt so happy and excited all day and was so eager to explore as much of Madrid as I could with the time we had. Everything we did was fun, but one thing made it all even better: Ramón. I never doubted Profe (I promise), but he is truly so amazing and exceeded all my high expectations. He is so intelligent and is so invested in sharing his knowledge with us all. It was so incredible to meet such an amazing person in the best city I’ve ever explored!”- Jackie

“Yesterday at La Puerta del Sol in Madrid we saw the National Library of Spain and met Ramón! From the library we made our way around the city looking at different landmarks, and Ramón teaching us everything! We made our way to Puerta del Sol, I got churros, some souvenirs, and took some beautiful pictures of the area. Later, we went to El Retiro Park to ride the boats and take more pictures. I can’t wait to go to Segovia and learn so much more!” – Grace C.

“Yesterday, the exchange took on Madrid. We visited El Prado, El Parque de Retiro, and learned the significance of many historical buildings and statues in the city from none other than our world-class tour guide, Ramón. The highlight of my day was being serenaded by him on the boats, and most definitely the mini churros drenched in nutella. The trip to Madrid has so far been my favorite of all the days, and we still have so much to come!

Hi mom!! ♥” – Dyanna

“Madrid is beautiful! When we went there yesterday, we saw the national library, Columbus square, El Prado (a museum), El Parque de Retiro, and some other places we walked by. And we met Ramón! He is so knowledgeable and he remembered my brother… then sent a message to my brother. It was so nice. In the Parque de Retiro we rented boats and paddled for a bit. Madrid was really nice and since I can’t write, here are some pictures!” – Melinda