On my third day in España (Tuesday), I had to wake up and meet my group at 8:45 a.m. to leave Madrid. After going out the night before, I was still very tired and jet-lagged, so I fell right asleep on the hour-long bus ride to San Lorenzo del Escorial. We visited The Royal Monastery, which was constructed in the 16th century under the order of Philip II, the King of Spain. We saw the private library of Philip II, which holds some of the oldest books in the world. We also saw the royal palace area of the building and went down to see the tombs of all of the Bourbon kings and queens of Spain (except two who aren't there). Although all of the history within this giant building was very interesting, the most incredible part of the visit was the views of the mountains and exterior of the building.
El escorial
Selfieeezz
Amazing views from the second (or third?) floor
The place to the right is a school, so there were a ton of cute kids out playing and speaking Spanish!
We hopped back on the bus and headed to Toledo, a beautiful city about an hour outside of Madrid. Toledo sits on top of a big hill, surrounded by a river. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its history of religious coexistence between the Christians, Muslims, and Jews. After settling in to the hotel we would stay at for the night, we grabbed some bocadillos (sandwiches) for lunch and met up with our group for a tour. On our tour, we saw the standing proof of the religious toleration that made Toledo so prosperous throughout history- mostly before the 17th century. It was such a beautiful city, and I strongly recommend anyone who goes to Madrid make a day trip there!
I had some Vanilla almond flavored ice cream (helado) after lunch!
The charming streets on our walking tour + view of the cathedral
A synagogue in the "Barrio Judio" (Jewish neighborhood)
Beautiful arches in the synagogue
My friend Kathleen & me in front of the cathedral
The cathedral
Inside of the cathedral
Incredible ornate ceiling in the cathedral
More inside of the cathedral!
"Churros y chocolate" after our tour!
Beautiful view from the top of the hill!
New friends! Laura, Alex, Olivia, Caroline, Kathleen, Me, Julia
More Moorish arches! Can't get enough!
"El anochecer" (sunset)
Here's my friend Laura who goes to Rhodes College! We had dinner with six girls at an AWESOME restaurant that was basically on a cliff! The views and sky were amazing. (The last picture shows a bit more.)
The cool restaurant- it was such a perfect night with a nice, cool breeze.
After a night in Toledo, we were finally off to Andalucía (the south of Spain, basically the equivalent of a state in the US) for a day trip to Córdoba and our first night in Sevilla! Can't wait to share more with you all. I start classes tomorrow, but I will try to post so I can get you all caught up and tell you about this beautiful city I'm living in. :)
Adios,
A
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