Buenos días, everyone!
It´s day 4 of our trip. As I write this, the students are in classes with their professors Amaya & Elena. They take three classes per day- culture/civilization, grammar & conversation. Everyone´s Spanish is improving already and many students have commented that they´re having difficulty thinking in English! They are learning lots of new words, including some Spanish slang. ¨¡Vale, venga!¨is a new favorite expression.
Yesterday we met bright & early to get on the bus for our first excursion. Our first stop was El Escorial. Here is some information about this site-
El Escorial, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real (also known as the Monasterio de El Escorial or simply El Escorial) is located about 45 km (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital, Madrid. El Escorial comprises two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: El Real Monasterio de El Escorial itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five km away. These sites have a dual nature; that is to say, during the 16th and 17th centuries, they were places in which the temporal power of the Spanish monarchy and the ecclesiastical predominance of the Roman Catholic religion in Spain found a common architectural manifestation. El Escorial was, at once, a monastery and a Spanish royal palace. Originally a property of the Hieronymite monks, it is now an Augustinian monastery.
Our next stop was El Valle de los Caídos (The Valley of the Fallen). El Valle de los Caídos is a memorial, conceived by former dictator Francisco Franco, to remember those whose lives were lost during the Spanish Civil War. It consists of a Basilica and a cross. In particular its Basilica (one of the world´s largest) remains controversial, especially due to the manner and circumstances of its construction. After touring the Basilica, where we saw Franco´s tomb, we traveled up the mountain to get a closer look at the cross itself. Half the group took the funicular up the side of the mountain while the other half hiked. While the hike was fairly long & tiring, it provided a beautiful view of the surrounding area.
Both sites are in the mountains and surrounded 360 degrees by trees, lakes- a GORGEOUS site! We took some beautiful pictures of the group.
We´ve also spent quite a bit of free time in the Plaza Mayor, people watching, shopping &, of course, sampling local cuisine! As I´m sure all of you are aware, the students love to eat dessert! We have tried some interesting flavors of ice cream & gofres (a warm waffle like pastry covered in chocolate, whipped cream, etc.)
Tonight we will be visiting the Casa Lys, one of Salamanca´s art museums. From there we will go for churros & chocolate! The students have been asking about this since we arrived in Madrid. We think they will be surprised to find that the churros from Spain are quite different from the churros they have eaten in the United States.
Please keep your comments coming! We are glad you are enjoying the blog & enjoy reading your hellos! ¡Hasta luego!
