Final weekend en Madrid

The weather here is fabulous! Sunny, mild, a breeze... you couldn´t ask for better and extremely atypical for summer in Madrid!

On Friday after classes I took the boys to Aquopolis - a water park about 25 km outside Madrid. We took the Metro to Moncloa and from there caught a bus to the town of Villanueva de la Cañada. A short walk (well, I thought it was short!) and we were there. They had about four and half hours of slides, rides, swings, a rolling log type thing... water, water everywhere! They brought along various roommates, friends, acquaintances, etc... we formed a grop of nearly 22! It was nearly 22:00h before we got back to Madrid and we had an early and very long Saturday planned. I expressly told the boys no going out since they were going to have many and varied activities for the weekend.




On Saturday morning we met at 08:30h at International House. There is a group of 12 high school students from Puerto Rico and we joined with them to take a coach bus out to El Valle de los Caídos (Valley of the Fallen) y El Escorial. The Valley is a monument built by Francisco Franco to commemorate those who died during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) and in particular as a tomb for himself. It was completed and dedicated in 1959 and he was buried there upon his death in 1975. The monument is a monolithic structure comprised of a 150 metre granite cross that soars out of the rock of the mountain. At its base are larger than life-size sculptures of the 4 evangelists and below that, 4 angels. The main facade is hugh arched opening to a basilica that has been blasted out of the rock face of the mountain. It opens onto an esplanade that overlooks a pine forest and valley that stretches across the Spanish meseta for as far as the eye can see.


The rear of the structure, which is seen in pictures, although we did not visit it, is a Benedictine monastery which houses the monks who care for the basicila. It is accessible though a door behind the main altar. I am in awe of the structure, and althiough it is a place I love to see (the cross is one of the most strikingly beautiful structures I´ve ever seen) it is not a place I like to visit. There is a great deal of horror and tragedy surrounding the Spanish Civil War and Franco´s subsequent dictatorship. The basilica has always presented me with a stark reminder of this dark period of Spanish history.

We followed this with a visit to one of my very favourite places in Spain. El Monasterio de San Lorenzo del Escorial. Built by Felipe II in the 16th century, it is at once a monastery, a school, a library, a royal residence, a pantheon of all the kings of Spain since Carlos I and a church. It houses one of the most extensive libraries other than the Vatican and an amazing collection of art. Not to mention that nearly all the Spanish royalty is interred there. We were fortunate to have an amazing guide, Pablo, who accoompanied us and gave us an incredible tour of the structure.

We had lunch in the village of El Escorial at the base of the Guardarama mountains and returned to Madrid around 16:30h.

Every summer Spain hosts the European Gay Pride parade which brings gay rights activists from all over Europe to the city. No matter what your personal feelings on the subject, it is quite a celebration and a spectacle. Since it is on the news and the parade takes place at 18:00h through the main streets of the city, there is no way to keep the boys away, so I just gave them a short explanation of what was going on, a strict warning to stay together and be careful and sent them on their way. From what I hear, most went to view the parade...it is something you would never have in this magnitude in the US...ah, well, it is all part of the culture!

For Sunday, we all agreed to meet for the Rastro at 09:30h in the Plaza Mayor. Since it is our last Sunday in Madrid, many of the boys wanted to buy the last of their recuerdos for friends and family. I guess they think there are no souvenirs to be had in the south of Spain! Won´t they be surprised!

Afterwards I gave them free time to do their writing for me - which many of them are not doing, I regretfully add. And we planned to meet at the Plaza de Toros at Ventas at 19:30h. I found out during the week that there was in fact a ¨novillados¨ bullfight this weekend, and so we attended. Novillados are toreros who are young and/or learning their craft. They are novices, if you will. All the components of the corrida are the same, just the bulls are a little smaller and younger. So the boys got to see 6 bulls, with picadores. I gave them all an explanation of exactly what they were going to see, how the drama unfolds and the meanings of the parts of the corrida that I understand, at least. Every piece of the corrida has significance and I do not know it all but they got a pretty good idea.

Because of the summer heat, the corrida began at 20:30h. Each bull takes approximately 30 minutes so we were close to 13:30 heading home. Needless to say, there were quite a few tired students in school on Monday morning.

It is difficult to keep up with all that we do! There are so many activities for the boys and they have seen and done so much. And there is so much more yet to come! I only wish that they would spend more time sleeping so they are awake enough to enjoy the activities of the day! I guess I can´t have everything!

We are the Champions.....

The boys arrived at school yesterday singing, ¨Yo soy español, español, español...¨ the theme song of every expatriot Spaniard these days! It is truly phenomenal! By 15:00h on Monday, the streets surrounding Plaza Colón were blocked off by police for about a km. No vehicular traffic was allowed as crowds began to pour into the area to welcome home the victorious Spanish national team. On the news there were great photos of the plane landing at Barrajas. ¨Campeonatos¨ (Champions) was written in massive red letters across the front of the plane lest there be any question as to exactly who the passengers were! As they taxied from the runway, the pilot´s window opened and a hand appeared holding the Spanish flag blowing in the wind! It was great!

The team ¨processed¨in an open bus - think London Tour bus - into the city through streets lined with adoring fans! When they finally arrived at Colón, there was singing, dancing, celebration; they were waving the trophy around as if it were a drinking glass! And that doesn´t even begin to cover what they did to their coach!


Our school is located just one block from the Plaza Colón. One of the (many) things on which the students have commented is how there can be thousands of people in the street late into the night and yet when they arrive at the school in the morning, the entire place is cleaned up as if nothing had happened! Obviously, celebration is not the only thing that continues late into the night!

Today we will be doing a little more ¨flamenco dancing¨. The boys seemed to get into it and I will take them to see flamenco when we go to Sevilla...so they can have a better appreciation of the complexity of the music and steps by having learned a little bit beforehand!

I think I would like to have a little ¨reunion¨ in September when we return to school. I need to get some feedback regarding what works and what doesn´t. Although I think they pretty much enjoy everything! Old habits die hard. I can ¨recargar¨ my cell phone, and it lasts me pretty much about 10 days. That includes the occasional call to the States, contacting the boys, making whatever necessary calls I need to make within Spain. However, they seem to use up their 20€ in a matter of days (like, 2). They don´t seem to be able to grasp the concept of not using the phone to call from one floor of the school to another instead of walking up the stairs. Nor do they seem to be able to organize a meeting place and be there without calling 3 or 4 times to find out, ¨What time?¨, ¨Where?¨, and if someone does not arrive at the exact minute, they are calling to find out where he is! It´s all about economy and waste.

The other huge expense is food and drinks. Even though they are provided with three meals per day, many times (especially the first week) the boys are opting to skip a meal (particularly breakfast) and then come to school and order a cafe con leche. Although I must say this is much better than the first week when instead of getting a cafe con leche for 1.20€ they were going to Starbuck´s and paying +4€ for a latte! Then at the 11:30 break they eat again. Lunch is at 1:30 and some of them are skipping this to go and get ¨cheap¨ bocadillos. Now the bocadillos really are cheap at 1€, but why skip the included meal when they are going to want more food at 16:00h anyway and could get the cheap bocadillos then???? I have great difficulty understanding this rationale.

Water is purchased and then the bottle thrown away. Tap water here is very good and there is no reason not to refill the bottle in the evening and have nice cold water in the morning. We do it in our house all the time. Saves 1€ on every bottle
purchased.

It is not unusual that they spend more the first week. I drag them all over the city on the metro, teaching them how to use it, where things are, how to get around most efficiently. After that, I begin to walk. I walk everywhere...the archetecture here is beautiful and there is always something interesting to look at. It is the best way to actually learn the city, and power ä pie¨is actually quite economical as well.

Weeks 2, 3, and 4 should show a significant decrease in the amount of money spent. It will pick up again at the end when we go to Andalucia and they need to purchase food during the day (breakfasts are included in the hotels). However, once again, there are great bargains to be had in Spanish food - buying American anything is going to cost a bomb! That includes, Coke, Haagen Daas, MickeyD´s, BK, Starbucks, Dunkin Coffee, etc.

In case you do not know, I have given the students a list of places to visit and see on their own during their free time. Each Monday, I expect them to write something (short) for me in Spanish about their experiences, what they´ve seen, where they´ve been and what their impressions are. Most are doing it, some are not. there has to be some sort of accountability that they are spending their free time usefully... not just sitting on park benches...dreaming the day away... although in the heat of the day, that is not such a bad plan. A great invention, siesta!

...It´s all happening at the zoo......

On Friday afternoon we went to the Zoo. The Parque Zoologico in Madrid is huge - we were there nearly 4 hours and saw most of it at a leisurely pace. It is divided into continents. We were quite amused to see the North American Wood Duck - that familiar brownish duck with with the bright green ring around its neck in a zoo setting. There was a condor, rhinoceros, elephants, lions and tigers and bears, oh my! And a great looking anteater!

We got to the dolphin show - I never miss a dolphin show! No matter how many times I see them, I enjoy it! Madrid has the kind of zoo where many of the animals can come right up near you...the peacocks and peahens and the peachicks (yes, I am making it up as I go along!) are all walking around in the open.... they hopped up on the edge of the dolphin pool during the show - kept getting in the way of good photos!

Saturday was a trip to Segovia. The train is new, modern, clean and FAST! We left from the northern Madrid station of Chamartin. Once again, the responsibility was on the boys to get to the station at the appointed hour because as we know, if a train in Spain leaves at 07:01, at 07:02 it is gone!



Segovia is a wonderful midievel city noted for its Roman aqueduct which is over 2000 years old, brought water to the city from about 8 miles away in the mountains and was still in use up until the 1980´s. It still functions perfectly well, but they ceased to use it for sanitary reasons - open to the air, animals, etc.
It is about 100 meters high and definitely the ¨trademark image¨of Segovia. We also visited the Alcazar, a fortress that is a residence. It was the residence of Isabel and Fernando when Colubus came to ask them for the funds to find the new route to the Indies. In addition to it being a fantastic castle (Walt Disney used it as his model for the castle in Disneyland) it has a wonderful collection of arms, armor, furnishings and art.

It was a long, hot day and once again, I had a tired group arriving back in Madrid. Sunday I gave them a ¨free¨day. I went to the Rastro at 9:30 am and a group did meet me to come as well. There was some gift shopping to be done and also some sunglasses to be purchased. I suspect there might have been a few more purchases of flags and shirts in anticipation of the Spain/Germany final this evening.

I went to the Prado Museum today - but I regret to say that I went alone. Well, regret may not be exactly the right word. I really enjoyed having the time to wander peacefully around the museum for the afternoon. Entrance is free from 1700h to closing 20:00h on Sundays and although I invited any who wanted to come with me, I guess they all had futbol fever and begged off. It is a pity, really as there is an amazing Goya exhibit just now and works have been brought in from New York, Boston, Russia, France and private collections from all over the world. It was really worth the effort to see it...works I have only ever seen in books are on display! Magnificent! I might coerce, I mean convince a few to go back to see it. Entrance is free weekdays as well from 18:00h to closing.

PODEMOS! We did it! In an amazing 1-0 win, Spain is the 2008 Eurocup Champion! What an amazing night. I understand that the match was televised live in the US, but you can have no idea of the elation here as time ran out! Car horns, fireworks, shouting, horns of all kinds rang out throughout the city, no the entire country! The King and Queen were present (the Queen wearing a gorgeous red suit and carrying a red spanish fan with a gold border!)the Prince and Princess of Asturias, the President and many other dignitaries, entertainment stars and people of note. It was a wonderful experience for the students and it continues!

On Monday night in Plaza Colon where the huge screens are (see the post from the other day) the team will arrive tonight to greet its adoring fans! I personally will be at home... I tend to stay away from large crowds and riot police...but no doubt the students will be there for a look!

I forgot to mention that on Friday afternoon a TV crew arrived from RealMadridTV to interview foreign (particularly english speaking) students about their reactions to all the madness. They were thrilled to speak to our students and they said that the edited version would go out over the wire on Friday afternoon. I haven´t been able to find it and of course we don´t get that station at our house so I haven´t seen it. But I got some photos of the boys being interviewed...They were all quite excited and happy to talk to the TV cameras!!!

And so our third week in Spain begins!

Leap frog and other sports...

Spain 3 - Russia 0 This is the kind of cultural experience that you could never plan in a lifetime! On a continent that is crazy for futbol, we are in a country gone mad with joy for their national team! It has been 24 years since Spain was in a Eurocup semi-final and now they play Germany for the championship on Sunday evening at 20:45h. Everyone is caught up in the futbol frenzy! Face paint (red and yellow) futbol shirts, Spanish flags are all part of the attire.

There is a hugh police presence when events of this magnitude take place here. I spoke to the boys and warned them of what to expect in terms of police in riot gear and the huge crowds of people. I think, however, that they were completely overwhelmed by all of it. The boys are all very tired today and so far I haven´t heard too much - I´m not sure if it is because they don´t want to tell me too much (I´ll eventually find out anyway!)or they haven´t processed it all yet! Some relish the spectacle and the crowds and others find it too much... they are all finding their own way of enjoying the craziness!

During the ¨tarde¨ yesterday, we all went to the Templo de Debod. This is a monument in the Parque del Oeste that was a gift to Spain from the Egyptian government. It is a 2200 year old temple built in honor of the goddess Isis that was disassembled in Egypt and reassembled block by block here in Madrid. Also in the park are some of the most beautiful vistas of the city of Madrid. They boys got to explore the entire temple and seemed to find it fascinating.

It was nearly 40ºC yesterday - the heat was oppressive. When I came out of the cool of the temple (it was a good place to hang around for a while!) I came upon a game of leapfrog going on in the courtyard! They were running and leaping over each other - of course all trying to see who could leap over the tallest boy! This is the same group who, as we walk complains about the heat!!!! Go figure. I got some great photos....you´ll see them soon.

The group has now increased in size to 17 - the french girls have become a permanent fixture. It is fine - they are two lovely girls, I´ve spoken to them. They are also here for a month. They speak French (of course), English (too bad!) understand German and are learning Spanish! I´m just afraid that their English may be improving more than their Spanish!!

Today is Friday and there is mad studying going on during the break in class as there is an exam every Friday. The boys also write for me every week about what they have seen and done during the week. I gave each of them a list of places to see, things to do in Madrid during their free time. So while they are having all this fun, they are not getting off scott free! iPods continue to be a problem - I want them out of their ears so that the boys are listening to the sounds of the language spoken around them and not tuned into their own little (English speaking) worlds. I don´t mind them sharing music occasionally, but this constant shutting out of the outside world is not conducive to language learning!

I had planned to take the boys to the bullfights this weekend, but bullfights are only on Sunday and usually begin at 19:00h. They usually last about 3 and 1/2 hours. Since the futbol final is also on Sunday and begins at 20:45h, there is no way we can do both. And there is no bullfight in Madrid the following Sunday (July 5) because the Fiesta de San Fermin - more commonly known as the running of the bulls - in Pamplona begins on July 6. As much as I try, we simply cannot do everything. But this weekend is going to be an exciting one!

It will be Germany.....

Germany was victorious in last night´s match. So when (not if) Spain wins tonight it will be Spain vs. Germany in Sunday´s final.

Last evening we all went to the Palacio Real. We had a wonderful guide (in Spanish, of course) and the boys got the grand tour of the Palace that was home to Spanish Monarchs from Carlos 111 until the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931. The biggest hit was the Armory where they saw midieval armor worn by kings from El Cid to Felipe II and Carlos III. The horse armor was particularly interesting.

We also visited the Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Almudena - the cathedral of Madrid. It is a modern cathedral and quite different from the gothic ones so prevalent in other parts of Spain. Those students who have had me as a teacher immediately recognized the Hail Mary being said as we entered the nave. They were saying the rosary prior to the beginning of a Mass and since I begin all my classes with a prayer in Spanish, they recognized it immediately. (small victories!)

In most of the Palaces (and museums) today no photographs are allowed. This was a new rule put in place last year because prior to that photos were allowed without flash, but so many tourists ignored the ¨without flash¨ rules, that they have now just forbidden photos of any kind. It is a terrible pity really, but just another example of how selfishness ruins things for everyone. I have some spectacular photos from years past, but the boys will have to rely on memory.

I have encouraged them to buy the ¨All Madrid¨ books which are not too expensive and have great photos and explanations of nearly everything they have seen (and will see)in Madrid. They make a wonderful recuerdo and something in which the entire family can share when they return.

The guys are rapidly learning about money - that no, 1 euro does NOT equal 1 dollar...and that cash machines are not unlimited money producers. There has to be something IN the machine in order to get money OUT. Just a detail. They are also learning that if they eat all their money, they do not have any left to do the activities I have planned for them. (or that they want to do!)

Nearly everything we want to do is included in the afternoon cultural activiites of the school. So much of what I took the students to see last year is part of their activity this year. It is really wonderful. Today we are going to an Egyptian Temple and of course el partido de fútbol! ¡PODEMOS! (We can do it - the motto of the entire country just now!)

Eurocup 2008 and other adventures...

Well, tonight we will know the result of the first semi-final match. It is between Germany and Turkey; apparently all Spaniards (and therefore Prep students) are rooting for Turkey to win! Tomorrow night is our big night. I am not a fan of huge crowds and so tend to stay away from the Plaza de Colón where the massive pantalla (screen) is set up and tens of thousands of fans congregate to watch !?! the match and celebrate by jumping in the fountain afterwards.

Prep guys have many bruised shins this week as they didn´t realize that there is a maze of pipes in the fountains. They are not visible in the dark and when the fountain is filled with water. The boys found them as they were leaping and jumping through the water in celebration of the Spanish victory over Italy on Sunday night!

I watched the game from the comfort of my living room but could hear through the window the eruption of celebration when the Spanish goalkeeper saved the penalty kick to win the game for Spain. Shouting, car horns, fireworks sounded throughout the city! I think that on Thursday I may have to go to the Plaza de Colón just to get a first hand look at the guys in their colorful Spanish fan attire!

There are some new students at International House this week - french girls! This would generally not be a problem except for the fact that there are 15 prep guys and only 2 french girls. I´m not sure now whether the boys would prefer to learn French or Spanish. They tell me however, that since they don´t speak French, and the girls don´t speak English, Spanish is the language that they are using! That makes me feel SO much better!

Yesterday afternoon we took the teleférico out to the Casa del Campo - it is a gondola that passes over the city and has fantastic views. Today after classes, we head for the Palacio Real. They boys will get a tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid and in particular the Armory. It is not the actual residence of the Spanish monarchs any more. They use it only for State dinners and events - it is primarily a museum and open to the public. The Royal family today lives in a smaller palace a short distance outside the city called ¨El palacio de la Zarzuela¨.

I was planning to take the boys to a bullfight on Sunday - they are only held on Sundays unless it is a fiesta week. However the futbol final is also on Sunday evening. We must wait to see the result of Thursday´s game (is there really any doubt as to the outcome???) before I can decide on tickets for the bullfight. If we cannot go this Sunday, there will be no other opportunity as next week the Fiesta de San Fermín in Pamplona begins and there are no corridas in Madrid. I try to do it all, but sometimes there is just no way!

Slow going with the laptop...

I have a laptop with me that loads pictures at the speed of molassas traveling uphill in January! It takes such a long time.... so I am now trying to write as a word document and add to the blog when I can. The boys have taken tons of funny and interesting photos... some of them have blogs as well...but many are loaded onto facebook. I think we'll have to have some sort of "reunion" in September so we can all share and enjoy the zillions of photos and funny memories!