Start of Something Fresh... In Spain of Course

New Year's Day

We rose early for a trip to the Royal Palace of Madrid where the Spanish king and queen reside for important state functions. It was so magnificent and the interior was very lavish. I thought the outside was impressive, until I went in and saw the ancient carpets, chandeliers, paintings, and thrones. It was all well worth it.

Next, we broke into small group and Los Conquistadors went out to see Madrid (this is what we called our group as we determined that we were the conquerors of Spain). We subwayed over to the museum that houses the infamous Picasso work "Guernica." I am ashamed to admit that I did not actually go in and look at it (I was tired of art museums and I did not want to fork over the 6 euro admission fee). So, Kevin and I looked at it in the gift shop.

We grabbed our new favorite treat, Magnum, a chocolate-coated ice cream bar, and went to look at the Atocha Train Station, which is infamous. We watched street performers and even purchased tiles that were painted on the spot.

Los conquistadors spent the rest of the day taking in the sights and enjoying each other's company as we stopped at various interesting shops and stores along the way. We enjoyed dinner at our new favorite place, VIPS. Though where near authentic Spanish food, we loved ol' VIPS (my companions were fed up with the strange Spanish dishes, so we ate here and Burger King for the remainder of the trip). I was upset with this because I wanted to try new things and get the full Madrid experience. But I couldn't complain because the "Texas Burger" treated me well.

After dinner, we caught a movie across the street from our hotel. The movie was King Kong and it was a terrific experience inside the theater (the movie was in English with Spanish subtitles). Next, we hit nightlife and enjoyed a hot chocolate, churros, and Tapas at the local cafes.

We hit the bed hard and we began to get the feeling of homesickness and also the feeling that the next day was to be our last day in Spain.

Los Conquistadors

From left to right: Jonathan Pratt, Me, Kevin Pojezny, DH Dilbeck, Mitch Cook

Trainspotting

December 30th

Still on the Spain trip and still absolutely loving it.

Today, we arise early for travel from Barcelona to Madrid. If I recall correctly, it was about a six hour train ride. The train was nice though as it was spacious and comfortable with TV's and a restaurant. Not too bad, but we were all sad to leave Barcelona because it was so amazing.

The train station was wonderful and if I am not mistaken it can be seen in one of the backdrop shots in The Bourne Ultimatum. We left the station and took a bus to our hotel.

This hotel was quite different than the Barcelona hotel. This time we had a four person room that included the student members of our small group - DH, Kevin, JP, and I. Also, this hotel was situated right in the middle of downtown. We were less than 2 blocks from the cultural heart of Madrid and the town square. O, and right across the street was a movie theater.

The hotel was nice and we almost succumbed to the temptation of rest in the comfy beds after a long day's travel, but we knew that Madrid night-life would be calling our names. We had a nice dinner at the hotel and then hit the streets for a look at shops and malls in the area surrounding the town square. It was amazing! And there were so many people everywhere!

After an incredible look at night-time Madrid, we headed back to the hotel after stopping for a Tapas treat and some more great hot chocolate. The spacious room was more than adequate for four exhausted guys. We went to bed with great anticipation for the next day as we would be experiencing New Year's Eve at one of the best parties in Europe and even the whole world.