Navigation
 | Introduction | |
 |  | Spain |
 | | Madrid (Days 1-3) |
| | Toledo (Day 2) |
| | Sevilla (4-5) |
|  | Barcelona (6-7) |
| | France |
| | Annecy (9-11) |
| | Paris (17-19) |
| | Switzerland |
| | Geneva (11) |
| | Germany |
 | | Homestay (12-15) |
| | Freiburg (15-16) |
| Introduction | |
| | Spain |
| | Madrid (Days 1-3) |
| | Toledo (Day 2) |
| | Sevilla (4-5) |
| | Barcelona (6-7) |
| | France |
| | Annecy (9-11) |
| | Paris (17-19) |
| | Switzerland |
| | Geneva (11) |
| | Germany |
| | Homestay (12-15) |
| | Freiburg (15-16) |
|
Madrid
We arrived in Madrid on the afternoon of July 10th (Day 1), and stayed through the night of July 12th. Madrid was the first city we visited as well as one of the most, well, citylike. While here, I got the impression that this was a real city where people came and worked, an impression I did not get in some of the other cities we stayed in that seemed somewhat tourist-y.
One of the first and most memorable things we did in Madrid was visit the Spanish Senate. Although we were not allowed to take pictures there, the Spanish Senate was quite informative. We learned about the rough structure of Spanish government. The Spanish government is chiefly controlled by the Senate. The Senate has the usual tasks of making laws, etc, but also is in charge of choosing the prime minister and other important officers of Spain. (The Senate can also opt to call in any of the ministers to have their actions explained.) There is a king, but his "royalty" is only in name; like most governments today, the king has no more power than any average citizen. One interesting thing I learned about the Senate was the blue bench. The blue bench is the bench in the Senate which formal guests and ambassadors sit on. When a politically "left" (liberal) government was in control of Spain, the bench was on the left half of the Senate. Now, a "right" (conservative) government is in power, and the bench has been moved to the right of the Senate chamber.
While in Madrid, we also saw many landmarks, including the Bullfight Arena on the left, as well as the King's Palace, the central park area with a statue dedicated to the author of Don Quixote. We also visited The Prado, Spain's national art museum, where we saw many paintings by Madrid's (actually, Toledo's) El Greco, who originated in Greece, as well as other famous historical painters. Later, we also visited the Reina Sofia, Spain's national gallery of modern art. Later, we also had the opportunity to see some authentic Spanish Flamenco dancing at a beautiful Spanish restaurant.
While in Madrid, we also had one day trip to the nearby Toledo...
