Submitted by Rebecca Jaeger on the 2013 fall semester program in Granada, Spain..
After spending many weekends in Granada, I finally had the chance to explore more Spanish cities and culture with a trip to Madrid and Toledo. Madrid is a much larger city with more people than Granada, so it was definitely a new experience. There were also American chain restaurants on every corner (unlike Granada), so it was perfect for all of those who needed their Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts fix after seven weeks without it.
Madrid is home to many great museums and elements of Spanish culture. We visited El Escorial, which is a palace built in a small town outside of Madrid. Not only is it a beautifully constructed palace, but it also contains the caskets and remains of a large majority of the Spanish royal family. While I found it incredibly interesting, all of the caskets and tombs lining the wall did give it an eerie feel. To further enrich our cultural experience, we also visited the Royal Palace in Madrid and the Museum El Prado, which houses the works of many renowned Spanish artists. After studying his paintings for years, it was quite an experience to see Diego Velasquez’s paintings in person!
But my favorite cultural experience of all? It was undoubtedly attending the Real Madrid soccer game! Attending a professional soccer game was one of my goals for my study abroad experience, and I am so glad that it happened. Not only was the game fun to watch, but the atmosphere in the stadium was something I have never experienced before. You could feel the passion in the air. I loved getting to participate in one of the most important Spanish cultural events!
After a whirlwind two days in Madrid, we traveled to Toledo for a day. Toledo is indisputably my favorite place that I have been to so far in Spain. The views of the city from above were absolutely incredible. The entire city is very quaint and historic, and I absolutely loved the hours that we spent walking around.
On the drive back to Granada, we quickly visited some old windmills in Castilla-La Mancha. I found it fascinating to see the historic windmills that Don Quixote made famous.
Overall, it was a fantastic trip and I was thrilled to get to experience more of Spanish culture!