Madrid/Toledo/Valencia/Barcelona (part one)

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Hey everyone! I know it has been a little bit since my last blog, but I have been very busy in Spain this past week. The week really flew by! Last Friday morning I flew into Madrid and met my Dad and friend Ana Maria (Cookie) who also had flown in that morning. All of us being tired, we decided to nap most of the morning and start sightseeing in the afternoon. Madrid is a really great place, very modern and cosmopolitan. The first afternoon we decided to visit the famous El Prado museum, filled with amazing art. I felt so lucky to see so many legendary pieces of art. My personal favorite of the day was Las Meninas, a Diego Velazquez painting that I have studied and always loved. I was so excited to see it in person! We spent a good few hours touring the museum. The next day, we toured El Palacio Real de Madrid (the Madrid Royal Palace). It was amazingly luxurious and ornate... I have never seen luxury like that in my life! There were various purposes for the different rooms, all of which were amazingly detailed. It is obvious that the Spanish monarchy has always been very wealthy. We then toured the cathedral across from the palace, and had some great views of the city from the top. We then quickly went back to the hotel and got ready for our Real Madrid game. My Dad is a huge soccer fan, so this was a must for him. We went to Bernabeu stadium, which is a huge stadium right in the center of Madrid. We had VIP tickets so we enjoyed not only great seats, but also pre-game drinks and appetizers, half time dinner, and post-game dessert and drinks. Of course Real Madrid won, and we got to see famous players like Cristiano Ronaldo playing. It was so exciting and fun. The next day, Ana Maria had to go back to Paris. My Dad and I decided to go to more art museums, and were truly impressed by the great collection of art that Madrid has to offer. That night, we had reservations to eat at El Botin, the oldest continuously running restaurant in the world (it has been open since the early 1700s). This was my personal favorite meal of the trip! The food and sangria were amazing. We had garlic soup, roasted vegetables, veal, and tiramisu.... all of which were delicious. The next day, we took a day trip to the medieval city of Toledo, which is right outside of Madrid. The city has an entirely different atmosphere, and is a must see. The Cathedral of Toledo was absolutely breathtaking, and I have to say my favorite of the trip. It was so ornate, and the mix of Gothic and Islamic architecture was amazing. There was also tons of gold used in the altar and different chapels of the cathedral. The rest of the day we spent touring the town and checking out some of the great artisan work they sell there. This is also the main area of work for the famous artist El Greco, and we saw the original of one of his most famous paintings: El entierro del Conde de Orgaz. This is also a painting I have studied, and was so excited to see in person. This painting is located at the actual burial sight of this man (Count Orgaz), whom this painting was comissioned for. The next day, we took the bullet train to Valencia. The bullet train was super comfortable, and we got a great view of the Spanish countryside going by at 180mph! Valencia is totally a different feel from Madrid... first of all, it was much warmer and seemed more relaxed. It actually reminded me a lot of my previous visit to Nice, France. Our hotel was located right in the center, and by coincidence my friend Gigi was also visiting with her cousin Alejandra who studies in Alicante. The first afternoon, we spent with them walking around to the various historical sights of the city. The cathedral of Valencia was extremely historic, being first a roman temple, then a mosque, then later replaced by a cathedral in the 1200s. We also visited some of the walled fortifications of the city, and saw great views from some of the medieval watch towers. We had a great dinner that night, and later I went out for drinks with Gigi and Alejandra. It was a great day overall. The next day, my Dad and I slept in and decided to have a more relaxed day. We went to the beaches of Valencia, which are very nice. It was too cold to get in, but I am sure during the summer the beaches are packed! We then went back into the city, and went back to the cathedral. The bell tower was not open on the previous day, and it was now open to go up. After 270 steps up, we got to see a view that has been seen for centuries from the tower. The bell in the tower, weighing 6 tons, was put there in the 16th century. Valencia was a great place to visit, but we did see most of the sights fairly quicker. Today, we took another train to Barcelona. It was rainy when we arrived, but luckily it cleared up quickly. Our first sight was the Barcelona Cathedral, which I would say is my #2 favorite. It was also built in the 1200s, and has a much taller ceiling than most of the other cathedrals I have seen so far. It was so beautiful! The stained glass and surrounding gardens gave it more of a colorful and exotic aspect. We were also able to take elevators up to the roof to see views of Barcelona, which is a huge city. It is a nice mix of modern and old. We then went to a nearby art museum, and saw a great exhibit with Rembrant sketches. I have just been so impressed with the collection of art in Spain... it is obvious that they greatly value it here. We then napped at the hotel for a little, and set back out in the Las Ramblas area of the hotel. There is tons of good shopping, and just in walking around we stumbled upon another amazing church. This one also was very old, but there was little information on it. It was actually extremely untouched, and I really liked that aspect of it. It was a church that was probably as old as the main cathedral, yet it was tucked away in a neighborhood and largely undiscovered by tourists. The remainder of the night, we walked around Las Ramblas and saw some of the main plazas and avenues of Barcelona. It is an amazing city and truly has a different feel from any other area of Spain. We have a busy weekend planned, so I will write another blog on the remainder of Spain. This has been a great fall break! I love Spain!

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Comments

[Dad]

I love Spain!
Christopher - Great trip - Great being with you - A trip we will never forget! Love, Dad