Posts tagged madrid
Hola Madrid!
I know, I know, it’s been a while. Well, so much to cue you all in on.
First and foremost, Madrid is wonderful.
I’ve been taking Spanish for about five years now and we learn all these silly little tools called modismos and these quirky little customs. Basically, all of these little tricks have come in handy during my Spanish jaunt. In case you were unaware, everyone in Spain is on the college schedule: they have breakfast around 10 a.m., lunch around 3 p.m., a quick siesta or nap, dinner around 10 p.m., and then they party all night. While we were walking on the streets, people scoffed at the clubs that closed before 6 a.m. Gives a whole new meaning to “the city that never sleeps”, eh?
After a little relaxation, my new family headed off to the Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen). It’s this huge church carved into the side of a mountain – move over Frank Lloyd Wright – that houses the fallen soldiers of the Spanish Civil War. What’s unbelievable about experiences like these is that you start to realize how everything you’ve learned about history is actually true. As surreal as it may seem, these people of the past really did have all these fantastic stories that we learn about in class. (That is if you are awake and not sleeping on your textbook.)
After a quick jaunt around the city, I actually did something quite unusual in my hotel room. My high school graduation was actually happening at 2 p.m. that day, so I was able to make a live webcast valedictorian speech into the graduation tent via satellite. (It really felt cool – like being one of those people who wins an Academy Award but delivers their little speech from another country). I used my eKit phone to coordinate this event (seriously, crystal clear calls across the Atlantic). Basically, a crazy awesome travel experience. Congrats HHS grads! Alright guys, I’m off like a bull after a red cape.
