We started our first week of classes today in Spain and our fifth week of classes overall with the IES program, meaning that not only am I continuing to break my record for my longest time outside the United States in one visit but we are also nearing the end of our study abroad experience. It's actually crazy, considering we just got to Madrid but it hit us today that after today we will only have 7 actual class sessions before concluding everything next Thursday. Kind of a depressing way to start the week, right? In light of all of this, we have a lot to look forward to in the coming class sessions: Toledo tomorrow, Museo del Prado, Palacio Real, Museo Sorolla, & Museo Reina Sofia to say the least. We even lucked out when we learned that our final papers for our Spain classes would be due a few days earlier than our other finals planned-a plus because we'll have less work to do in the last few days of the program, when we have short papers from our classes in Paris and Rome. There are definitely some perks to taking classes that don't give actual tests, especially ones in the summer, because the staff at the center want us to "enjoy all that Madrid has to offer."
This morning was one of the most engaging and relevant class sessions that I have had on this entire trip. The IES Madrid Student Affairs Coordinator met us at our apartment this morning and introduced us to our local Cities as Living Museums professor who I have already fallen in love with. Today's topic was Madrid of the Austrias, and she decided that there was no better way to actually teach us about Plaza Mayor than having breakfast in the square itself! So, over churros, Mediterranean toast, and cafe con leche, we learned about the foundation of the Hapsburg Empire and the significance of the Plaza within the city of Madrid. Back when Philip II was king, he declared Madrid capital of the territory, a rather crazy idea at the time because the city itself was a small village. When his son Philip III took over, he decided to urbanize the city and thus created Plaza Mayor as a central location and city square. Over time, the structure itself has changed due to weather and building conditions, evident in the scaffolding that we have seen on the square itself today. Now, it is a major tourist attraction, with shops and tapas restaurants filling the shady halls and leading to archways that take you down side streets. Our teacher even told us that the apartments actually have some of the most reasonable rent in the city given their location.
After class was over, we had some free time and headed towards the Mercado de San Miguel again for fresh mango juice. So much better than a starbucks! After sitting outside again on the steps, we walked towards a restaurant called Posada del Dragon-Viajeros. Today's lunch was provided by IES and gave us the chance to get to know both of our professors as well as the center director! While our Museums and Heritage teacher wasn't able to stay the entire time because he had to pick up his daughter from day camp, we had a wonderful lunch with croquettes, paella, sangria, and of course dessert-Chocolate Fondant (aka lava cake which tasted like heaven). We were there for almost three hours, and I really enjoyed talking with both our professor and the director about the program, Spain, and our overall experience abroad. It was also nice because we got to co-construct the assessment portion for the Madrid classes, so our work load will be a little lighter going into our last weekend here. We have 5 days from the class period when our Madrid assignments are due until we have to turn in the ones from Paris and Rome, so for right now we are talking about having another weekend to travel-either before or after we finish the assessments. Again, bliss in being able to take classes that don't give sit-down exams. This will be the perfect way to end the summer and take a "vacation from 'vacation.'"
It's still hot here (the high was 106 but dry), and almost 4 hours after lunch I am still full (that's the Spanish way for ya), so it's safe to assume that we have stayed inside since getting back. But, I am very excited to visit Toledo tomorrow and take pictures of the beautiful medieval village! Sorry for the lack of pictures today-everything happened so fast and then lunch was amazing-but more to come this week!
Hasta luego!
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