Momentos en Madrid

Me in the Puerta del Sol in front of the Bear and the Madroño

tree—symbol of madrid. Shirt/jacket count: 2

            My study abroad experience begins in Madrid. As the longstanding and rapidly developing center of the country both physically and culturally, Madrid fosters both history and advancement with historical monuments standing out among a sprawling metropolis. We stayed in the Hotel Regina, near the Puerta del Sol, Madrid’s main meeting point for shopping, tapas, and sightseeing. One of the most unusual feelings crept up on me when I woke up in the middle of the night in Madrid. I heard some shouting outside and in the midst of jet-lag couldn't even believe where I was. I went to the window, and instead of looking out on a quiet street lined with trees as I'm used to in Oregon, I saw the flashing lights of a tapas bar and heard singing from a group of friends just heading back for the night. Then, my disorientation turned into excitement for what was (and still is) to come. During my unforgettable experiences with the group, we visited a few major sites including the Museo Prado, the Royal Palace, and El Escorial.

La familia de Felipe IV or Las Meninas by Diego

Velazquez.

The Prado

            In past Spanish classes, I had seen slideshows with paintings from Goya, Velazquez, Picasso, and El Greco. The opportunity to see works from all of these artists (and Rembrant, Bosch, van der Weyden, the list goes on) provided an intense few hours of exploration. We were able to see Velázquez’s Las Meninas, and spent a few moments looking at the painting through a mirror (espejo in Español) to see just how realistic the painting appears as a backdrop to our reflections. After our tour ended, I decided to stick around and look at another Velazquez exhibit, featuring pictures of the Infant Margaret Theresa—daughter of King Philip IV of Spain. I felt completely out of my depth amongst other viewers who talked to great lengths about what Velazquez was saying through his portraiture.

The Royal Palace (Palacio Real de Madrid)

A gargantuan facade of the palace.

       Standing in the middle of the Plaza de la Armeria Courtyard, I felt like a speck. The grey skies appeared to meld into the palace and I took a moment to soak in the grandeur of the palace’s exterior. Once inside, we visited a few rooms including the throne room and proper dining room. I got a good walk in without retracing a single step through the palace (containing a whopping 3,418 rooms within 1,450,000 square feet). The most interesting part of this tour for me was the influence of the oriental on the interior design. The art varies widely and randomly exhibits both western and eastern influences (even within each room) with frescoes, plates, and furniture.

El Escorial 

In front of the entrance to El Escorial.
Shirt/Jacket count: 3

           A one-hour bus ride brought us from the center of Madrid to El Escorial, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. El Escorial has served as both a Royal Palace and a Monastery. The royal family used the site as a summer residence because of the mild summer climate. Today, Augustinian Monks (monjas) still use the structure as a place for living and education. The library (biblioteca) there had books from all subject areas—all bordered with gold and preserved on the shelves. From the library we then went to see King Phillip’s special chair—upon which he was carried by servants from Madrid to the monastery, also known as Phillip’s eighth wonder of the world. We were able to see two pantheons in the palace/monastery—the pantheon of kings and the pantheon of princes. Both of these included ornately designed tombs and incredible symmetry. 




Aside from the major touristy adventures, Madrid taught me a few things about how life goes in Spain. In between moments of shoveling in some tapas, asking people for directions, or seeing a father use a stroller as a battering ram to get a better spot during the parade on the Día de los Reyes Magos, I realized that taking a leap into a new culture provides a wealth of new stories to tell. While this blog has taken some time, I hope I convey these stories well. For more pictures, there's a slideshow icon on the right of the blog that pops out. Simply click on that icon and take a look!