Madrid!

We had a jam packed weekend in none other than the capital, MADRID!  We loaded the bus at 7 AM Friday morning and took the 6 hour trip northbound.  

Our first stop was an hour north of the city: El Monasterio de El Escorial.  

This giant palace was once the residency of the royal family of Spain.  It was built in the 16th century under the orders of Felipe II, by the famous architect Juan Bautista de Toledo.  It was built so far outside of the city because the king very much liked the countryside.

The day was rainy and gloomy, however I was able to capture these fantastic photos of the fog hanging over the Sierra de Guadarramas upon leaving.

Also, here the leaves on the trees were changing colors!  This reminded me of home.

After our tour of El Escorial, we headed to Madrid and settled into our hotel, Hotel Regina.  For dinner, we went to a German-themed restaurant and had a blast.

The next day was filled to the brim with history and art.  Our first stop was to El Palacio Real (Royal Palace) of Madrid.  Unfortunately, it was raining yet again, and I did not pack the proper footwear for a comfortable day.

I learned a lot of history about the Royal Palace from our director, who is incredibly knowledgable about EVERYTHING Spanish.  The Royal Family does not live in the Royal Palace; today it is only used for state ceremonies.  The original palace was built in the 16th century, however it burned down in 1734.  Felipe V had a new castle built in the same location, which was finished in 1755.  The last king to reside in the palace was Alfonso XIII.  The palace has 3418 rooms and is the largest palace in Europe by floor area.

All of the original furnishings of the palace remain today.  This palace is the definition of luxury and excess.  From every ceiling hung a grandiose crystal chandelier.  Their tables for dining sat hundreds, and was like nothing I had ever seen before.  Much of the decor had Eastern influences.

We then took a break for lunch, and experienced how much more expensive life is in Madrid than in Granada! 

We also accidentally crashed a wedding at this church:

We then toured the Prado, one of the most famous museums in the world.  

This was my second visit here, and I have to say, I learned very much more this time around.  I discovered a lot about my personal taste in art.  I have really come to enjoy Flemish art, as I feel I can learn a great deal of history from these works.  Living in Spain this past month and having the opportunity to learn so much about its history, I have come to appreciate its depiction through art much more than I ever have before.

Our next stop was to the museum Reina Sofia.  This is Madrid's modern art museum.

We immediately headed to the Picasso exhibit here, particularly to see his most famous work, La Guernica.  We weren't allowed to take pictures in this room, however I did snap photos of some of the works in other parts of the museum that I really enjoyed.

We then looked around the "post-modernism" exhibit, where I felt completely and utterly lost.  As much as I wanted to, I couldn't find meaning in any of these pieces.

There was, however, a room dedicated to the feminist movement in this exhibit, which I greatly enjoyed!

Woot, woot, gender equality!

After all of these tours, we were EXHAUSTED, so we headed back to our hotel for a rest.  On the way, we ran into this giant crowd of people in Plaza del Sol, getting ready to protest.

I have to say, though, my FAVORITE part about Madrid was reuniting with camp friends after years!  I am so grateful that through Tockwogh I have had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people from all over the world.

The next day, we headed about an hour south of Madrid to Toledo, an ancient city filled with history and a wide variety of cultures.  The weather finally cleared up that morning, and allowed us to have a beautiful, panoramic view of the city.

Toledo

Friends!

What beautiful scenery for painting

Cathedral of Toledo

We then piled back on the bus and continued southbound until we reached the windmills!  These windmills are said to be the same windmills that appear in the novel Don Quijote.

From here there was a beautiful view of the patchwork landscape of rural Spain.

Our final stop was the inn that is said the be the one at which Don Quijote stays in the story.

By the time we arrived home, everyone was exhausted, as the long days and little sleep had worn on everyone.  Happily, we had Monday off, and got the day to sleep (which I took full advantage of!) before starting classes on Tuesday.  This was very much needed to recuperate and reenergize, since Tuesday we hit the ground running with two, two hour classes twice a week!

Hiking & Arab Baths

Last Sunday was undoubtedly one of the most amazing days here since my arrival.  We woke up before the sun rose, and met up with half of our classmates for an early morning hike.  Ironically, on our walk through the city, we saw more people coming back from the discotecas than people who had actually woken up for the day (for us this was a fairly comical sight).  

We all met up at school at 8:30 sharp, and before we knew it, we were on the trails.

The mountain we hiked overlooked the Alhambra and the Albaicín, which of course made for some breathtaking views.

The landscape was surprisingly dry, and quite different than any other mountain I have ever hiked (there were very few trees, and by the end it got HOT!)

There was a fútbol field located on the mountain, at a relatively high elevation.  This confused me, because by the time we reached the field I was exhausted, and had no energy to play any sort of sport!

We also discovered a sundial, however it was quite misleading, it told us it was only 10 o'clock (it was actually closer to noon).

Of course, with our group, we didn't take the hike TOO seriously :)

(Pre wipeout picture)

Boston College, represent!

After hiking, we ended our long morning with probably the best reward ever: a trip to the Arab baths.

"Bañate en la historia"

Cameras weren't allowed inside, which is unfortunate, because I feel that no amount of explanation could do this justice.  

The Arab bath (variant of the Turkish bath/Russian bath) is an ancient idea.  For thousands of years, people have been coming to these baths to cleanse, relax, and even meditate.  

...so why am I just hearing about this now?

We entered into the bathhouse, a quiet, dim, environment, and the first thing that hit me was the scent.  A beautiful mixture of roses, lavender, and other soothing scents that, when combined, have an immediate soothing effect.  I instantly felt at ease as I toured the facilities, an ancient building of Arabic design (for more details about Arab architecture, check out my post on the Alhambra!)  

There were three different baths: cold, medium, and hot.  The cold bath (my favorite!) must have been around 60 degrees.  It was deep yet small.  The warm bath was much larger than the other two, large enough to swim in if one desired to do so.  The hot bath was bigger than the cold, yet much more shallow.  The ideal posture in this bath was to lay flat, resting one's head in the water for maximum relaxation.  I started in the cold bath and worked my body up to the hot bath to avoid shock.  There was also a sauna, so steamy that one could not see more than a few inches ahead.  At first I found this environment difficult, for fear I might pass out from lack of air, however after sitting down and slowing my breath, I actually found it to be a very cleansing experience.

Finally, it was my turn to receive a massage.  My body had already been loosened up by the hot water bath, and I felt ready.  I was given the choice of four different scented oils: rose, lavender, mint, or flower of Granada.  Naturally I chose the flower hailing from my fair city.  My senses were immediately filled with a beautiful aroma,  both sweet and clean.  My massage was 15 minutes of heaven.  When I left, I felt clean, rejuvenated, calm, and clear-minded.  My roommate and I remarked that it felt as if we were floating as we returned home.  

Needless to say, I shall be returning to the Arab baths soon (yay for student discounts!)