Submitted by Jen Torman on the 2017 spring semester program in Granada …
This past weekend we took a quick excursion to Toledo and Madrid. And by quick I mean we were there for just a little over 24 hours. Our bus left Granada at 6:30 am Friday morning and arrived in Toledo around noon. We only had a few hours there and it was pouring rain (first, and maybe last, time I’ve seen rain in Spain), but the city was quaint and lovely and the rain didn’t prove to be too much of a hindrance. We saw an old synagogue and went to a cute tea house to stay dry. When we got to Madrid Friday afternoon, we checked into our hotel and then commenced our two hour walking tour throughout the city. Madrid is much larger than Granada, and definitely more overwhelming, but is just as beautiful. We ate dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant Friday night (when in Spain, right?) and perused the streets surrounding the Puerta del Sol. Saturday, we visited El Museo de Reina Sofia, which is home to many of Pablo Picasso’s works, including Guernica. While I do not consider myself an art aficionado in any way, seeing this painting 10 feet front of me after years of seeing it printed in textbooks was surreal. Afterwards, we went to the Museo del Prado, where we saw the works of Greco, Velazquez and Goya.