For more context: The Iberian Voyage
After the flight from Boston to Madrid, students settled in Hotel Ganivet and freshened up before heading out to explore Madrid.
Day 1: Friday, February 16
Students met their tour guide, Raquel, and walked to the Plazas Mayores de España (translated roughly to “Main Squares of Spain”) to take pictures, walk, and socialize after the long plane ride. At the center of the Plaza, there was a statue of a man on a horse which they soon learned it to be the statue of King Felipe III.
Soon after, students followed Raquel down the streets of Madrid and were treated out to Churros con Chocolate by their chaperones (who were SBRHS staff members; Mr. Talbot, Mr. Gleason, Ms. Burgmyer, Mrs. Camara-Araujo, Mrs. Pereira, and Ms. Ferris). Churros con Chocolate is a popular treat in Spain and is simply a dish of Churros served with a cup of warm melted chocolate.
After their delicious treat, students went on a walking tour where they visited of the Royal Post Office, the Origen de las Carreteras Radiales (Translated roughly to “Origin of Radical Highway” – the center of Spain and the Kilometer Zero marking from where the distance of all the main roads start counting from), a statue of El Oso y el Madrono (The Bear and the Strawberry tree – the symbol of Madrid), the Banco de Bilbao building (Bilbao Bank – one of the biggest financial institution in Spain), and the Parque de Retiro (The Retiro Park – one of the biggest parks in Madrid), and etc.
With the conclusion of the walking tour, students were able to visit various shops to buy souvenirs and treats! After their shopping trip, the group walked to Tapa Tapa, a tapas bar, for dinner and then walked to look at the Almudena Cathedral, before returning to the hotel for some rest.
Day 2: Saturday, February 17
Students woke up and met in the hotel lobby for breakfast at 7:30, where they ate from Hotel Ganivet’s breakfast buffet. There were a variety of selections for breakfast which included breakfast items that can be found in the US.
Afterwards, students left the hotel at 9:30 to take a panoramic bus tour of Madrid, where they saw the Fuente de Cibeles (Fountain of Cybele – includes the statue of Cybele, who was known as the mother of gods and the goddess of fertility), Paseo de Recoletos (A wide boulevard in Central Madrid), Torre Picasso (The only skyscraper in Madrid until 2007), the Monumento a Emilio Castelar (A monument to the president of the first Spanish Republic), Paseo de la Castellana (A historic boulevard in Madrid), Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (the second largest football stadium in Spain), Calle de Alfonso XII (“Street of Alfonso XII), Plaza del Callao (the Callao Square), Ventas Calle de Alcalá (the largest bullfighting ring in Spain), Puerta de Alcalá (A gate in the Plaza of Independence), and the Fountain of Neptune (A symbol of the Pope’s power), and etc. It was a lot of sightseeing…
Soon after, students went into the Museo Del Prado which was the Spanish national art museum (they weren’t allowed to take pictures) and then went shopping, split up to get lunch, more shopping… A LOT of shopping (at souvenir stores and at El Corte Inglés whose headquarters is at Madrid and is the biggest department store in Europe), and finally dinner at La Catedral (translates to “The Cathedral” and is a restaurant).
After dinner, students went back to Hotel Ganivet to spend their last night in Madrid before they headed to Córdoba the next day.
