The End of Madrid

El Escorial - palm trees & snow!

Saturday we went to The Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caidos) but we couldn't go look at it because of the snow! Our bus had problems - but its a Spanish civil war memorial type thing. So we went on to El Escorial which is a monastery, church & school combined. We stood in this room in the basement where all the past kings & queens are buried. So after El Escorial we went back to Madrid & went to the Reina Sofia - the modern art museum. The masterpiece there is Guernica by Picasso. It was pretty cool to look around there & see some stuff by Picasso.

Guernica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(painting)

Then we went to this little local place for lunch with two friends - Angela & Peter - called El Brillante. The 4 of us went to the train station & it had a tropical garden which was pretty cool. That night I bought a new straightener at El Corte & it works!

Museo del Jamon - that meat was everywhere!

We ate at Museo Del Jamon & ate the only thing on the menu we were pretty sure about. It was fun - and I love the old waiters that are patient & get excited that we're even trying to speak spanish. I got to skype Kristin & Sara, and attempt to skype my parents - can someone get Ottawa faster internet please!

This morning we had to get up at 630 - they sent us a wake up call! But we got to leave Madrid & head to San Sebastian, with a stop in Segovia. I loved Segovia - we walked around, looked at a cathedral, and got to go in a castle - the one that they model the Sleeping Beauty/Disney castle after! It was awesome. And we had some good chocolate caliente & pastries in the Limon y Menta.

Alcazar Castle

We had a 4 hour bus ride, with lunch in a truck stop (i had some egg & ham sandwich thing, not really sure). But I got to sleep and read alot. But we finally got to San Sebastian around 630 & drove through town. We're staying in a hotel tonight, had dinner where the people who weren't on the Madrid tour joined us (spaghetti, more chicken on the bone with french fries & ice cream - i was soo excited!) and we had a housing meeting. I'll be living with a woman named Maite in the Gros district - not too far from the beach. She lives alone but her son (that teaches surf lessons!) and his wife live nearby, and she has other family members in the area that I'll supposedly get to know. I'm her first student to host so neither of us really know what to expect - kind of scary.

Tomorrow we have orientation (don't have to be up til 10!) with a walking tour of San Sebastian and then get to move in!

Miss you all!
Love, Jill