Day 9, May 5, Madrid

Today was the last day of our adventure here in Spain. I enjoyed every moment intensively, knowing that we have to return to the U.S.A. tomorrow. I had the pleasure to meet wonderful people on this trip with whom I share great memories. Madrid to me is a happy city where time stops and life begins. It’s hard to say what makes Madrid special, I think it has a vibrant energy full of history, art, and adventure. One week is not enough to explore Madrid, but you can have a very good idea of what this city is about. Today Yumi, Debra and I visited El Parque del Buen Retiro where we saw a lot of people running, walking or just enjoying their day taking pictures of the beautiful landscape. After visiting El Parque del Buen Retiro we walked the streets of Madrid, this was one last opportunity to admire the topography of the city and its beautiful architecture. After walking a few miles and doing a little shopping, we stopped to have lunch at SAHUARO restaurant which is located in the La Latina barrio and… the food was delicious! Perhaps Madrid has many layers that I have yet to explore, but this visit was definitely love at first sight for me. We finalized our trip by discussing the different viewpoints of the group members regarding this incredible experience. We all came to the conclusion that this was a once in a lifetime experience and we all thanked Gateway for this fantastic opportunity.

Scarlett Perez, May 5, 2018

Day 8, May 4, Madrid

viernes, 4 de mayo, 2018

What an amazing day! First, we started with breakfast “on your own” in the apartments. I went to the supermarket our first night in Madrid to stock up, so I have been enjoying a plate of toast with tomato marmalade, a variety of local cheeses, yogurt, smoked Spanish ham, fruit, mango juice and instant cappuccino every morning! Delicious.

Just after 9 a.m., we headed to a satellite location for the “Universidad Autónoma de Madrid” to meet Professor Francisco (Paco) Garcia-Serrano, PhD for a class about Spanish history. We got a full lesson on Spain’s history from medieval times to the present day. We truly learned to appreciate the deeper meaning behind the plurality of Spain’s multinational identities. In addition, Paco happily entertained my questions about Spain’s post-Franco “Pacto del Olvido” (the Forgetting Pact) and the more recent banking crisis and economic recovery. Following our meeting with Paco, Professor Anjoulie Janzon, PhD, Study Abroad Advisor for the University of Madrid, discussed the similarities and differences of the Spanish and American educational systems, higher education entrance requirements and options, as well as questions related to specific professions.

After a full morning of learning, it was already 1:30 p.m., and nearing the traditional 2pm Spanish lunch hour. We all decided to have a joint lunch at “De Maria,” a traditional Spanish restaurant that some in the group had discovered the day before. The manager was happy to see us and easily arranged a group table for 11 of us outside and even turned on the heat lamps for us because it was a little breezy. We were delighted with our choices for the “Menu del dia.” This is a lunch special where you can choose from a variety of first and second plates, a side dish, plus dessert and a beverage for one price. Everything was fresh and tasty! We have become very comfortable with the leisurely pace of a traditional Spanish lunch; usually lasting almost two hours!

After lunch, we met Paco again, this time at Puerta del Sol for a one hour walking tour of Madrid. We loved learning about the historical significance of some of the streets and spaces we have been getting to know during the last 4 days. One of the pictures below shows our feet at “Kilometer zero” (km 0), the geographic center of Spain; the point from which all other roads are measured. After the walking tour, we said goodbye to Paco, and split up for the late afternoon hours. We spent time wandering, buying the last few gifts on our shopping lists, and we even went into another local grocery store to have a look around which was very interesting.

In the evening, we found out that one of the museums several group members wanted to see, Reina Sofia, had hours with free admission from 7pm-9pm. At this museum, we were all anticipating seeing Picasso’s Guernica, which some people believe is the most remarkable piece of art from the 20th century. Once we located it on the second floor, we approached it slowly. It’s huge, taking up almost one entire wall of an expansive museum gallery. The mood was somber, almost religious in nature, as a large crowd several people deep contemplated the solemn subject matter (war). It is a very powerful piece of art and it was impressive to see how people from all over the world could be moved by Picasso’s work.

We walked back to “our neighborhood” and I found two others who wanted to join me for Vietnamese supper, around 9:30 p.m. Just steps from our apartment, we treated ourselves to a wonderful repast including fresh rolls, Pho (Vietnamese traditional soup), curry and rice and Vietnamese coffee for dessert. At 11:30 p.m. we made our way back to the apartment, marveling at all the people out having dinner, taking a walk, and even a garbage truck collecting garbage at this late hour. I am so grateful for this rich opportunity to learn and be immersed in Spanish culture! Gracias a todos.

Debra Solomon; May 4, 2018

Day 7, May 3 Madrid

As we started the day today, I was extremely exited about the Royal Palace and the Prado Museum. We met the the lobby early in the morning and we walked to the Palace. Once we arrived and picked up our  our audio tour, we headed inside; it was an amazing place. We walked through five rooms and my partner Cathy ran out of battery on her audio guide, I offered to go exchange while she waited. When I returned, I was greeted with the surprise that Cathy was sitting on a chair that was part of a display (WOW)!!! Allow me to explain……. While I was gone a security guard asked her if she wanted to have a seat, she said yes and so he put her on the display. She was there for a few minutes before the supervisor came and said that she could not sit on those chairs. As you might know those chairs were actually used by King Carlos III and his wife! Well… she did not understand because she was told in Spanish, therefore, she grabbed her purse and pulled out her handicapped parking permit and showed the security guard, which was hilarious.

After a good laugh and concluding our visit to the Royal palace we decided to grab some lunch and continue our walk to the Prado Museum. At the Prado Museum, we met Dr. Elena Alcala, art history professor from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, our instructor for the day. She was amazing and she made me see art in a different way. Her explanations of the drawings came to life in my head and, made me imagine stories about what the artist might have been thinking at that moment. For the fist time in my life, I fell in love; the artist’s name was El Bosco, and the masterpiece’s name was El jardín de las delicias.

I could stand there looking at the whole picture all day long; in fact after the lesson was over with Dr. Alcala, I went back to admire the painting for about another 20 minutes, I could not get enough of it. I had to buy a replica.

Well, I have to say good night because tomorrow will be a long day again, but before I go I will leave you with some pictures of our adventure from today.

p.s. we finished the night with churros y chocolate!

Post by Pedro Núñez

Day 6, May 2, Madrid

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 –  A holiday celebrating the 1808 defeat of Napoleon by Spanish troops
Today we were again greeted by good weather for our trip to Toledo, Spain.  After walking to the bus stop, we were greeted by Professor Paco Garcia-Serrano, PhD, from the University of Madrid. He would be our tour guide for Toledo. It did not take long for  our education to begin. He explained that Spanish people have two last names which  allows them to trace their heritage back for generations.
He is a professor of Spanish medieval history and colonial Latin American history. He was the perfect  person for our tour.  As the bus approached the site, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, we had a full view of the medieval appearance. In Toledo, we could see the fortress with its walls and gated entrances.
Toledo is surrounded on three sides by the largest river in Spain which  ultimately flows to the  ocean.  The city of Toledo sits on a raised hilly site. The  city is completed surrounded by walls and in earlier times the gates were closed each night.  A bell was rung to let the locals know the gates would be closing.  Many of the gates still have the old iron covered  doors which were amazing.
This city could perhaps best be described as having layers of history. The professor took us to the site of what was a small Muslim mosque built in 999. In front of the mosque we could see remains of the stones of a road that was built by the Romans. The mosque design elements were still visible, however at a later date it had been added onto and became a Catholic church. It was amazing to see and be standing on such history.
Soon we were walking through narrow cobblestone streets, trying to avoid the cars. It seemed the car mirrors were for sure going to hit us, as we plastered ourselves against the buildings when they rolled past. Streets were named after the trades person or family that occupied them such as the carpenter’s street.
The professor began educating us on the multicultural aspects of the city.  Because of its isolated, rural nature we found elements of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian cultures which coexisted both then and today. This important concept has a name in Spanish: convivencia.
Great day!!!!!!
 Cathy Brnak, May 2, 2018

Day 5, May 1, Madrid

We had an eventful morning traveling from Barcelona to Madrid. It was raining and we were definitely a bit nervous when all of the scheduled taxis hadn’t arrived as planned, but we made it with time to spare. Whew! After checking into our new temporary residence, we enjoyed a little more time together with lunch and pleasant conversation. Later the group had the pleasure of enjoying a flamenco dance lesson, a three course meal, and a passionate flamenco performance. The experience of the flamenco performance was one of my favorite memories since arriving in Spain. The dancers’ performance literally gave me chills. Seeing the concentration in their faces, the love for the dance, hearing the sounds of hands clapping, feet stomping, and fingers snapping accompanied by soulful heartfelt singers, and the melodic sound of the Spanish guitar was absolutely amazing! We all really enjoyed our very first day in Madrid 🙂

Karen Draper, May 1, 2018

Day 4, April 30th, Barcelona

During one of our first pre-trip classes, we discussed ideas for our “free day” in Barcelona. Montserrat was mentioned along with a few ways to get to the monastery. One of the options was to hike from the train station in Monistrol de Montserrat to the monastery…and possibly up to a higher peak. From the moment I heard the option, I knew I wanted to challenge myself and complete the hike to the monastery. Luckily for me, my roommate, Scarlett, also wanted to tackle the hike. Soon after, one of our group leaders and another trip participant decided to join us. I tried to prepare myself by walking and running as much as possible before leaving for Spain. I also tried to walk up the five flights of stairs in the Technical building on the Racine campus as often as I could. I researched as much as I could about the hike beforehand, but much of the information on the internet was vague. It seemed like a long, but not so challenging hike. On our last day in Barcelona, we all caught a train to Monistrol de Montserrat. After a small walk through the town and up a road, we found a trail head. It was not a leisurely path, but STEEP steps!! I felt slight panic as my heart rate rose and my breathing became rapid. “What have I done?” probably crossed my mind a couple of times before reaching the top of the first set of steps. But, I persevered. The path was mostly steep inclines and stairs, before finally becoming a wider, flat gravel path. The views, even not far from the starting point, were fantastic. After an hour and a half of some pretty intensive hiking, we reached the monastery. We ate lunch- including a Spanish dessert called miel y mató (a cheese similar to ricotta and honey)- and rested, then decided as a group to continue on to the “tippy top”. We decided our goal was Sant Jeroni, another hour and a half of hiking!! That portion of the hike was an interesting mix of uneven stairs (many of which were narrow, had no railing, AND next to the edge of the cliff), rocky pathways, and a very interesting stretch of trail that was within a shady, wooded area. I cannot even begin to describe what the view was like the higher we went. Breathtaking would be an understatement. We finally reached the top and the reward was spectacular; 360 degrees of indescribable landscape. I can say that this was truly one of the highlights and proudest moments of my life. I am so glad I challenged myself and followed through. Not only did I see beautiful views of Spain that one would only see by hiking Montserrat, I was also able to talk with Scarlett, Aracely, and Debra and have wonderful conversation along the way. The four of us hiked back together from Sant Jeroni to the monastery, and from there we split off. Scarlett and I took the train back to Barcelona (which turned out to be another adventure in itself), and Debra and Aracely hiked back the rest of the way. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so glad that I took it.

            Yumi  (Monday, April 30th) 

Day 3 April 29, 2018, Barcelona

I have been on a study abroad program to Spain. This has been a wonderful learning experience for me. Today we went to La Sagrada Familia. Wow!!!! This basilica draws its inspiration from nature. The columns were built to look like trees. The base of the trees start with a star and rise up as a star twisting and turning. The colors of the stained glass are from nature as well. However, everyone has a different interpretation of what the colors symbolize. The basilica was designed to help contain sounds and conversation and the sounds actually rise up in the basilica instead of spreading outwards. This basilica was started in the very early 1900s before power tools and computers. Antoni Gaudí was the architect and designed the basilica. Unfortunately, he never got to see the building completed. The building is still not complete, but will be completed in 2026 to commemorate Gaudí passing away 100 years ago. He was killed in a tram accident. Gaudí devoted 43 years of his life to the basilica. During the Spanish civil war in the 1930s, Gaudí’s office was burned to the ground, so history lost many documents and drawings of the basilica. I’ve told the specifics here, but they do not do this building justice. The basilica is breathtaking!! The sun shining through the stained glass was gorgeous!! They do hold mass in the basilica every Sunday. The basilica can hold 640 people in the choir alone. These pictures are only an idea of the stunning beauty of La Sagrada Familia. If you travel to Spain, it is a must on your list of sites to see!
Posted by Karin Migut

Day 1 April 27, 2018 and Day 2 April 28, 2018 in Barcelona

Day 1. . . The adventure begins!

 We arrived safely. We were tired, but thrilled be be walking on the streets of Barcelona. We were picked up by two friendly taxi drivers. It surprised us, the recklessness of the many motorcycle riders who zoomed by at highway speeds, right between the cars! After settling into our rooms we set out for Park Güell. Antoni Gaudí designed the infrastructure of the park, but not the houses as many mistakenly believe. It is built to reflect the beauty nature of nature. We all slept well after a great Spanish/Catalan dinner.
Theresa Michaelis  

 

Day 2

Mr. Richard Blair, from the University of Barcelona language school, greeted us and opened his presentation with a game of Kahoot. We all had a great time meeting the students from the university who were studying English. They asked us questions, and we sat in individual classes.  My class was interesting as the professor asked us to play a game. We played in the hall where she asked questions. With these questions, we separated ourselves by our answers. This led to conversations among those who made the same choice. This game was fun, we were all engaged in conversation, so much that she had to tell us to cut it short. This helped us to keep the game moving along.  We were invited on a tour of the beautiful Modernist building. The building was built by Jeroni Granell. He used shapes found in nature and used natural light to bring colorful aspects to the house. He built this home for his family. I was impressed that the elevator was operational and excited to ride in it. At the end of the day, we had our individual experiences with our class. We were excited to share our experience with the Gateway group.

Posted by Iliana Gutierrez