Last Day in Espana

January 2nd

The last full day in Spain and we are all a little sad. This day was an interesting case and I think this might have been one of the coolest days.

This was to be a free day that we could spend doing as we wished (with a sponsor of course). Some of us followed our fearless leader on a day of adventure through some of the historic stops in Madrid.

We subwayed and walked for hours as we moved in between the hot spots. We went to see the soccer stadium of Real Madrid and that was very impressive. We then went to Retiro Park and looked at the gardens and statues on the river. The gate in the city was also interesting.

This group we had (very strange- Tara, Kevin, Pratt, Dani, Parker, some sponsors - just a weird combo, but we all had a great time) walked to the Hard Rock for shirts and we saw a great view of the Spanish flag.

We visited the statue of legend Don Quixote and ate at VIPS. All in all it was a great day walking around enjoying the history (I had to coaxed into not buying a sword at an awesome store). After dinner, Mitch took the Conquistadors out to a local pub that was airing one of the college bowl games and we enjoyed each other's company until well after midnight.

We stayed up all night because we had to leave the next morning at 3am. So, we fashioned our own hot tub (in the bath tub) and build a fort with sheets. After less than 40 minutes of sleep, we went to get on the bus to go to the airport in Madrid.

The Thick of Things

December 29th

We rose early for another great day in Barcelona. This was the day of museums and more sightseeing. We visited the Museo D'Arte, which was an incredible sight. The museum holds some of the works of the greatest European artists including the homegrown Pablo Picasso.

After a very insightful and well-guided experience at the museum, we hopped on the bus for a destination for lunch. We had many disappointing meals so far, but the lunch we had that day was terrific. It consisted of soups and breads.

The Spanish have a very different eating schedule than Americans. Instead of the three meals, Spain starts the day with a pastry breakfast or frequently a brunch, then lunch at midday, then an afternoon snack, a late dinner around 8 o'clock, and finally a trip around the local bars enjoying tapas and elegant deserts. It is very fascinating!

After lunch we spent the day in our small group touring more of Barcelona. We visited Government buildings (in which I almost got arrested for walking into an open building, pretty scary when you can't understand the security guards...), an artifact museum, more shops, and another dinner at the hotel. After dinner, we went back out to do more exploring.

We visited the Pablo Picasso Museo devoted entirely the Picasso and his life works. It was extremely amazing! We then broke back into small group for a night on the town. We visited the Salvador Dali museum, which was very unique. We went into the church, where we saw the most magnificent night view.

We went to the local coffee shop and got the thickest hot chocolate you could ever imagine. We also enjoyed fresh-squeezed orange juice. (Actually we went to this place every night). We also went to Hard Rock Barcelona to get T-shirts.

We went back to the hotel for check-in and supposed curfew. However, our trip leader thought it would be awesome to take his little group out after curfew. We caught a cab and rode to downtown to see a jazz concert. When we got to the little pub, he decided it was too shady and smokey. We then hiked back the twelve blocks stopping for knickknacks and treats along the way.