It has been a week since we arrived in Spain and we have done SO much! I have been having some difficulty accessing the internet…and when I have time, I am answering emails etc, so there has been no blogging time. So this will be long and cover a lot!
Our arrival was easy and we encountered no problems…the bus was waiting for us at the airport in Madrid when we arrived (late, after a late take off in NY) and we immediately found Carlos (Much to my happiness!) outside in the arrivals hall. 30 minutes into Madrid and we were met by the families and the Director of International House. The boys had lots of interesting questions such as, “How do we greet our hosts? With a handshake? “ I explained that in Spain the customary greeting would be a kiss on each cheek and was surprised (Very pleasantly!) to note that most of them greeted their senoras in just that manner. Everyone was incredibly impressed by the fact that they arrived looking so well - they even received some comments on thei r attire from people on the plane. So they immediately realized first hand what I was talking about.
We met at 4:00 pm as scheduled and I took the boys on a tour of the city – we got our Metro maps, tickets and learned all about how to read the maps and get in and out of the Metro. I took them to Sol, the Plaza Mayor, the shopping area, we got some dictionarys and began the process of obtaining phones. I showed them good places to eat and where to get water. Then I sent them home to bed – although I’m not so sure too many of them went to bed.
During this time I received some tragic news that my very good friend in Madrid whom I have known since I was a student, is in hospital after suffering a stroke in May – that was why he hasn’t returned my emails recently. His daughter called me and asked to meet as she didn’t want to tell me the news by email. So I have been trying to escape for a little while every few days to visit the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.
On Sunday morning we went to the Rastro – the Sunday morning flea market – the boys found Real Madrid jerseys and flags to wear to the Plaza de Colon where there is a huge screen set up to show the next Eurocup match on Wednesday evening. Suddenly they are ALL futbol fans!
After spending the “siesta” at home we met again to go to the “Fiesta de San Antonio de la Florida” in a section of Madrid near the river Manzanares and noted for the work of the famous Spanish painter Goya in the Church of the same name. It was a regular kind of carnival atmosphere – they were all a little embarrassed to enjoy themselves until I decided to ride the bumper cars and suddenly everyone was into it! We found a punching bag that rated your strength and Frank was clearly the star of that event.
On the way home, I took the boys walking and we got some wonderful photos of the Palacio Real illuminated at night. While the Metro is their “mode of transportation”, walking is the way to learn the city. And if they are with me, they are walking – probably more than they ever have in their lives!
Monday brought the first day of school and some of the students discovered that my exam isn’t actually the most difficult exam in the world! At least that is what they told me! For now, they are mostly in the same class, but that is going to change the beginning of the second week as they gain more confidence in speaking and become more accustomed to their surroundings and the language.
I am incredibly pleased with the program planned by the school. Most of the activities that I planned to do with the boys are already being planned by the school – and therefore included as part of the program! It makes me have to think harder what I can do with them! They have already been to the Prado and the Reina Sofia museums; on Wednesday they went to the Plaza Colon and watched Spain defeat (Switzerland, I think???) ; they have been shopping and bought jeans, they have telephones (and some have already used up their minutes, lost their phones and lost their PIN cards…..) !!! It has been an exciting week!!!!! We have been to the Post Office, the Train Station Rain Forest, returned to San Antonio de la Florida to see Goya’s tomb and his incredible work in the dome of the Church, the fabulous Plaza de Espana and they have seen the National Library.
On Saturday their first excursion with the school was to Aranjuez – the Royal Spring Palace- by train. We toured the interior and the gardens and then went to the “Flautas” museum – the royal barges. Aranjuez is located on the Tagus River (Rio Tajo) and provided much “water diversion” for the royals of Spain in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The gardens and fountains are fabulous and the sumptuous interior of the palace impressed even jaded 16 year old boys! They were on their own for lunch and managed to eat and order what they needed/wanted.
On Sunday I took the boys to Toledo – we met at the bus station (they are learning to be on time!!!), they each bought their own tickets (ida y vuelta a Toledo, por favor), we boarded a direct bus and arrived in Toledo. After walking to the escaleras mecanicas (the escalators) that take you up the steep wall fortressed slope of the city, we walked to the Cathedral, the Jesuit Church of San Idelfonso and did some serious shopping for Lladro, swords and damasquina jewelry. Although we were there for over 6 hours, it was not nearly enough to see the entire city, the art, the arquitectura, the wealth of history in his medieval treasure. But they had had enough – it has suddenly become summer in Madrid and the temperatures have been around 40 C every day since Thursday.
The boys are not accustomed to the rhythm of the city – when it cools off after the sun goes down (around 10 pm) people are out in the streets until well after midnight enjoying the coolness of the night air. That is why the Spaniards have siesta - they stay up late, and after working in the morning, they need a little sleep to continue for the rest of the day. Personally, I think it is great idea! A little nap after lunch! Combined with unfamiliar surroundings, new food and unaccustomed freedom, some of the boys are having some trouble sleeping. It is a whole new experience!
2 comments:
My wife and I have heard from our son David each day and his reports continue to grow in excitement. My only fear is that if Spain wins Euro 2008 that he may not want to come home!
Thank you for all your effort in making this trip so special for all the boys
Thank you for taking the time to update the blog. We enjoyed reading about your adventures in Spain. What a year to visit the country. We even became huge fans of Spain during Euro 2008. While in Canada this past weekend we viewed the game with canadians and german visitors........we were cheering for spain. What an experience for the boys. They will forever remember this trip. Thank you for your hard work in coordinating this adventure. Taylor and Matt appear to have a great time. Looking foward to continued updates. Hope your firend is feeling better. Love to all. Enjoy!
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