DIVERBO IN SPAIN

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August 21, 2014 -- So, we arrived yesterday, the 20th, in Madrid, Spain. Mike and I will be participating in an English immersion "camp" for Spaniards who wish to improve their English skills. It is called Diverbo. We met with most of the English-speaking volunteers this afternoon for lunch, a quick pre-brief, and a wonderful flamenco performance. We will meet at the Diverbo office tomorrow morning, board a bus, and take the 3-1/2 hour journey to La Alberca, which will be our home for the next week. It is quite a comprehensive program, very structured, but it will be worth the effort. We will begin at 9 AM every day and will end between midnight and 1AM. We are both looking forward to meeting the Spaniards, and hope to establish relationships with some of the volunteers as well as some of the natives.

Our hotel in Madrid is lovely. There is a garden in the rear of the property that is well manicured. I am told that for a hotel to have such a garden is very unusual in the city. We are steps away from many restaurants, small shops, and a Metro station. Madrid had a great public transport system that is quite affordable. We paid 12.2euros each for ten rides. Once you enter the Metro system and have your ticket stamped, you can go anywhere in the system for 1 ride until you leave a station and return to the outside.

Visited El Prado art museum yesterday afternoon. There are several new pieces added in addition to a temporary exhibit about El Greco and the modern painters. We saw pieces by Picasso, Manet, Pollack, Chagall and Cezanne, to name a few. If you are headed to Spain before 5 October, go see this. Exhibit admission is included in your general ticket, but you get a reservation for a specific time to see the exhibit. Even in our jet-lagged stupor, it was a fantastic way to spend a few hours.

Of course, we had to stop and have a drink and a few tapas. Had a great mozarella pizza with carmelized onions for dinner. More than we could eat, and less than $10. Well, time to get some sleep and prepare for our adventure in La Alberca!

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