MadriZZZ!!!

Blogger's note: the letter Z in Spain is pronounced like the "th" in the word "that".

OVERHEARD IN ZARAGOZA: "Mr Alford, I actually believed you when you told us that the catapult was invented to expel cats from the Roman Theater in Zaragoza!"

Beautiful goodbyes were said by all, and some tears were shed as we departed Zaragoza on Saturday morning and headed via high speed train to Madrid.  Some students (and teachers) napped on the train in preparation for two very busy days in Spain's capital. First we checked into our hotel, a traditional hostal with nice rooms, a VERY small elevator, and no amenities to speak of. On the other hand, it was located 30 yards from the Puerta del Sol, Madrid's Times Square and the site of the center of the nation.

http://puertadelsol.net/wp-content/gallery/2013-azotea-puerta-del-sol-madrid/2013-april-17-puerta-del-sol-madrid-2128.jpg

On day one in Madrid we visited the Prado Art Museum, Spain's national gallery. The Prado is truly one of the great art museums in the world, housing over 20,000 works of art including masterpieces by Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Bosch, Titian, Tintoretto, and other masters of the European tradition.  Some of the students joined us in viewing Goya's Black Paintings, Velázquez's Las Meninas, and Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights.  Feel free to Google any of these works, and to ask your kids which works were their favorites.

After a rest, we took a walk through the Plaza Mayor just in time to see a terrific street performance, then through the San Felipe market and back to the hotel. Students tried out some independence and went out to dinner without their chaperones, finding both tapas and paella for dinner!

Where's William? Across from Parliament in Madrid!

Street performance, Plaza Mayor.

Ana having a great time!

Appreciative audience.

A common theme this week...