I seem to have left out a few things!

We do so many things that sometimes I forget a few! So let me back up to last week when we went to do a little rowboating on the Estanque at the Parque Real de Buen Retiro! Given all this hot weather, I thought it would be fun to spend an hour or so on the water so off we went to hire rowboats. Everyone took his turn rowing - except me, of course! I was busy taking photos of all the boys working so hard, haha! The water is about 2 metres deep, kind of gross, but there are plenty of fish (carp, I think) jumping and splashing around. It was hot out there on the water, but as usual, the guys organized a soccer game afterwards. Go figure.

On Friday afternoon, we visited the House and Museum of Joaquin Sorolla - a 20th century Spanish painter who is famous for his beach scenes containing bright colours $ light and for his wonderful paintings of his wife and family. He has particular ties to CT inasmuch as his patron was Archer Huntington, founder of the Hispanic American Society in New York. Equally well known is his wife, Anna Hyatt Huntington, American sculptress. Some of her very famous work is here in Spain, particularly in Valencia where there is a spectacular sculpture of El Cid. Anyhow, the Huntingtons had a house and substantial lang holdings in Redding, CT which they donated to the State to be used as a State Park. (Huntington Park)

Sorolla´s museum is one of the few where you can take all the photos you want (sin flash!) and so the boys snapped away! Many of them have little or know knowledge of art and therefore little interest. However, I dare to say that while I may not make art aficionados out of them, they will at least have gained a little knowledge and a better understanding of art - heaven knows I´ve dragged them to enough museums -and they´re not done yet!

On Monday we went to the Reina Sofia Museum, a former palace turned hospital turned art gallery that houses Spanish art from the 19th century on - or the Spanish modernist art. Some of the artists included are Miró, Picasso, Dalí and a little of Goya (his modernist style work). The centerpiece of the museum is Picasso´s Guernica - his condemnation of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) Painted in blacks and whites, this massive work represents the bombing of the small Basque village of the same name.
Later that evening, I took the boys out for tapas in the Cuevas - the subterranean restaurants beneath the Plaza Mayor. This isn´t the most gastronomically adventerous group Ive ever had, but they did try (and like, I think!) a few local specialties such as Pimientos al Padrón, queso Manchego and chorizo.
Tuesday we went walking along the Manzanares River in Madrid checking out the new Madrid Rio - river walk. Construction has only recently been completed, so the trees are young and small and dont ýet provide too much shade. I actually read in the paper yesterday that the first kiosk has been approved in the area - soon one will be able to buy water! It is truly a lovely walk, nearly 30 km in its entirety including space for bicycles, playgrounds for children, picnic areas, numerous bridges and spectacular views of the city from a vantage point previously virtually unreachable.
On Wednesday, we spent the afternoon at the Zoo - it´s rather expensive, but a place where we spent about 6 hours. They have a huge variety of animals in a very environmentally friendly habitat. You can get really close to the animals and there are also a number of shows, birds of prey, sea lions, dolphins, etc. Once again, lots of great photo ops!
Today we are going to the Teatro Real - the boys are thrilled (Not!) because as usual, I¨m dragging them to a "cultural" event when they´d rather be doing.... well, just about anything else! (especially if it pertains to a soccer ball or food. However, I´ve told them that they are guinea pigs - I´ve heard the theatre is a spectacular place to visit and I´ve never been.... so they get to go so I can see it! There is a method to my madness.
It is hard to believe we are nearly finished in Madrid. The next couple of days will be a flurry of "finishing up" activities and making sure everything fits in suitcases.

where does the time go??

During the last week we have had a huge influx of American students - more than 100 - and it has been very busy trying to get on to a computer for an extended time to write! Not to mention the fact that we are tremendously busy! So - let me try to recap the past week.

On Wednesday we had a tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid. Built in the 18th century by Felipe V after the original Alcazar was destroyed by fire, it is modeled after the Palace at Versailles. Containing more than 2800 rooms I would love to have had a picture of the boys´faces when I told them we were going to see all of them! However, since the palace is not the royal residence (that is El Palacio de la Zarzuela, outside Madrid) and is only used for State functions (dinners, meetings, business, etc) there are about 30 rooms open to the public. Unfortunately, as in many palaces and formal sites in Spain, no photos are allowed. I have suggested to the guys that they buy a book about Madrid, most of which contain all the explanations of the places we have visited including many great professional photos.

While they were all reluctant and assured me that they were going to play a fierce game of futbol and sprain BOTH ankles so that dancing was impossible, I promised that even with a broken leg, they would be able to participate in the flamenco dancing lessons scheduled for Friday. And despite their best efforts, they all did participate - occasionally looking a little funny as they attempted to imitate the teachers graceful moves. They learn a few steps, a turn or two - and just when they thought they had it mastered, the teacher included some hand movements! I don´t know that any of them will be joining a flamenco tableau any time soon, but they did get a taste of the complexities of the art - and when we go to the flamenco show in Granada on the last night, hopefully they will have a better appreciation of both the music and dance they are watching.

On Sunday, we left the city early for Segovia, a beautiful ancient town about an hour to the north of Madrid. There we visited the Alcazar (the moorish name given to a building that is both a palace and a fortress)which was used by Walt Disney as the model for his Disneyland (California) castle. It comes complete with a moat, drawbridge, dungeon and tower to climb. It was here that Isabel la Catolica was when she received news that her father had died and was crowned Queen of Castilla and Leon, and presumeably here where she and Fernando received Columbus when he petitioned them for the funds for his explorations. Ideally situated where two rivers meet, the murallas (exterior fortressed walls) of the Alcazar form a high cliff that provides a perfect view across the plain to ward off virtually any attacking army.
Segovia´s most important and most recognizeable monument is the 2000 year old roman aqueduct - 100 feet high at it´s highest point and constructed of 168 dry arches. It was built to bring water to Segovia from approximately 30 km away in the Guadarrama mountains and was used into the 1980´s at which point it was shut down not because it no longer functioned, but rather because the open top allowed animals, birds and ambient contamination to infiltrate the water supply. To date, the aqueduct still can bring water on a gravity feed from the mountains to the city at an approximate grade of 1 inch per km. It is a dry structure, built with granite blocks cut from the local mountains, stacked dry (no sand, concrete or mortar) and formed with a keystone to form the arches. While it did undergo a rennovation in the 18th century, it still stands today as it has since the Romans built it in the first century AD. It´s pretty cool.

The final great structure in Segovia is the late gothic Cathedral. While not nearly as large as the others we have seen and shall see (Toledo and Sevilla, respectively) it is a beautiful gothic edifice, begun about 1560 and finished in 1780. The inside is rather austere by comparison to others, but still contains 24 fabulous chapels and a magnificent choir in the center as is typical of all Spanish cathedrals.

Sunday is just as busy as the rest of the week - the boys keep telling me they need a "day of rest" and I tell them they can rest when they go home! We started our morning at the Rastro - our last visit as this was our last weekend in Madrid. We followed that with a visit to the bullfighting museum which is a free,little museum tucked into the back of the Mudejar Bullring at Ventas. There, in addition to numerous mounted heads of bulls, swords of famous torreros, trajes de luz (the complete outfit worn by torreros), capes and other accouterment, is the complete set of Goya´s Tauromaquia - his 30 odd etchings dedicated to the art of the Corrida de Toros - Bullfighting. We also got a look at the horses used during the bullfight and the armour they wear to protect them from the horns of the bulls.
I gave the boys time for siesta - which they used to go swimming - and we met later in the evening for the Corrida. I gave them a quick, half hour overview on the proceedings they were about to witness and let them know that if they wanted to leave at any point, they could. The Corrida was Novilleros - young torreros (19, 20, 24 yrs) and smaller bulls (about 498 - 550 kgs) so not the best, but it was quite well attended and provided quite a spectacle. I´ll leave it to the students to give their personal perspectives. Some "enjoyed" it, others, not so much as is to be expected. While I like the pageantry, culture and tradition, the Corrida is not something I can actually say that I "like". It is a culturally significant spectacle, begun by the Roman Emperors in Spain so it has a long and important history. And it is a significant business.