Last CIDE trip: Madrid & Segovia.

I've been slacking on my blog recently! However, I know some of you might be wondering how my weekend in Madrid was, so I won't leave you hanging...

A few weekends ago, my program went on its last planned excursion- to Madrid and Segovia. My friends and I were so excited to go to Madrid, and especially to stay in a hotel paid for by CIDE. I think we might have looked forward to the trip a bit too much, because in the end Madrid didn't live up to our expectations.

After a 5 hour bus ride, we arrived in a rainy, grey, and freezing Madrid. The CIDE trips are seriously cursed when it comes to the weather!! We were glad to get into the hotel and find our rooms. Jacklyn, Nina and I were looking forward to rooming together, but someone snagged the last triple before us so I roomed with Jacklyn. Our room was really nice, especially in comparison to the hostels we are used to. Before lunch, we settled in and watched a bit of tv- something I hadn't seen in a while. One channel asked us to enter our room number... which should have put up a red flag, but I guess it was lost in translation that we were ordering porn. Yes, Nina ordered porn on our tv! You should have heard the shrieks when we realized what we'd done... though I haven't heard anything of it since so I'm guessing CIDE took care of the bill :)

The cafeteria at the hotel was really nice, and since it was buffet-style we never left hungry. After re-fueling, the group headed to the Palacio Real for a tour of some rooms in the palace, which is now really only used for state ceremonies. As I remembered, the rooms were overly extravagant and I really don't know why anyone, even the King, would want to live somewhere where the food is served to you cold because the kitchen is too far away. Impressive nonetheless.

My friends and I trying to re-create the pose

from my first visit to the Palace in 2006

(2006)

We then had a quick visit to the Catedral de la Almudena, which wasn't to my liking because of the mix of modern stained-glass with the classic style of the church itself. Our professors then walked us through the Plaza de la Villa, the Plaza Mayor, and the Puerto del Sol. I'm glad I had such a great experience in Madrid in 2006, or I would not like Madrid in the least. This time around, it was so rainy and cold that it was hard to stay in good spirits. After the guided part of the day ended and we were given free time, my friend and I went into a café to drink coffee and stay warm. That night, my friends and I opted to stay in the hotel and out of the rain, entertaining ourselves with the standbys: charades, pictionary, and even a bit of hide-and-go-seek. Yes, that happened :)

The next morning, we woke up early to head to Segovia about an hour away. The bus to Segovia took us through what seemed like every season, and I woke up at one point thinking I was in snow-covered Narnia then arrived in Segovia with sunny skies and gorgeous weather- which I'm sure had a big part in why I think the former capital of Spain is much better than the current one.

We first saw the aqueducts in Segovia, which were so amazing! 2,000 years old, no mortar, and they are still in perfect condition. Those Romans really knew what they were doing.

After getting lost from the group for a bit, we found the Alcázar de Segovia (Castle of Segovia) and were given a guided tour. Though I didn't catch any of this from the tour, I found out that one of the rooms was the site where Christopher Colombus asked King Ferdinand and Queen Elizabeth for funding to his expedition that led to the discovery of America! Also, as my roommate discovered, Walt Disney used the castle as inspiration for many of his movies. After the tour, we climbed a tower at the top of which was a gorgeous view of Segovia. An interesting lunch and some souvenir shopping later, we got back on the bus and headed back to Madrid.

The rest of the night was free time, so some friends and I walked around Madrid for a bit- stopping at Starbucks (!), but then deciding to go back to the hotel to nap. The nap was a fail, and so was the rest of the night as it turned out. Oh well, "I spit on Madrid!" (only kidding).

The next day was a struggle for many people, as it was museum day and also the day after clubbing (not for me, sigh). However, I was looking forward to this day the most as it was the say we were to visit el Prado- my favorite museum!! Sadly, our tour guide was much ot be desired, but I made the most of it. Even though I've stood in front of them before, I was still in awe standing in front of Las meninas, El dos/tres de mayo, La maja desnuda/vestida, Las pinturas negras de Goya, and countless other works of art by artists that I have learned so much about and admire (all thanks to Sra. Barrueta).

Then- back to Bilbao! Sweet, sweet Bilbao.