Caught a bus from the frankfurt rail station to Hahn Airport which is accually about 100 km away from the city center. Boarded the plane and stepped off in Madrid Spain about three hours later 18:00. I did not spend my two previous days in Frankfurt wisely, as I had only the location of a hostal, and no booking arranged. I assumed that I could just show up and be let in as I had done previously in Germany. Immediatly after my plane arrival I found the metro and proceeded to find my unbooked hostal. The metro system in madrid was absolutely packed that evening, and you can imagine how much fun it was to have a pack the size of a Saint Bernard on my back as I navigated the metro.
There were a few moments that I took to look at my map, and on several occasions Spaniards would go out of their way to help me out. I found my hostal in the rain, but was not let in when I buzzed them. I then found a large street (Gran Via) and located a hostal which I paid mucho dinero for. I learned that restaurants are much different in Spain than they are in North Dakota. I took a look at the restaurants menu, and concluded that a meal cost about 10 €. I think that I was a bit underdressed for the occasion, because the host stood and looked at me for a few seconds before realizing that I wanted to eat. I got a funny look when I ordered only a water and an entree (my 10 € meal). Upon further study of the menu, I realized that the customers always order each course separatly, and make about a three hour ordeal out of dinner. Anyway I got my meal- it was black ravioli with some sort of thick seafood paste inside and no sauce. The waitress felt sorry for me and gave me a girly orange sorbet drink in a little champagne glass (thanks) on the house. People usually tip only a few coins in spain, but I gave her 3€ which seemed to please her.
The next day I spent exploring the area, and the area where I was to meet up with my Study abroad Organization ISA. I found the hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day, before meeting the group. The group was made up of 12 american students from various Universities. It was pretty funny watching all of the jetlagged students trying to sit through various meetings. We then took a short bus tour of the city to keep the tortured jetlagging students awake. Our ISA organizer was pretty knowlegeable and eager to teach. Most of us American Students then went our own ways around the city.
Costs
12€ Bus ticket Frankfurt to Hahn
25€ Airplane ticket Frankfurt to Madrid
1€ Metro pass one way
45€ hostal
125€ Leather Jacket
my group
Madrid day 3
The whole day was used to visit two of Madrid´s most famous sites, the Prado museum and Palaicio Real. The Prado is the home of many of Spain´s most famous artwork, including extensive collections of Goya, Velazquez, and El Greco. I wont go into many details but the Prado is a must if you are in Madrid. I learned alot about the history of Spain here. Try to arrange a tourguide though.
Next was the Palacio Real, which is a the house of the bourbon kings of Spain. The way it sounds, the house of Bourbon was brought to Spain at the very beginning of the nineteenth century by Napolean and his armies. The bourbons were french kings, and the architecture of the Palacio real reflects this. The palace is to me is an abomination. Every square inch of the elaborate palace is constructed to reinforce how heinously rich the monarchy was at that time. I do not deny that the amount of skilled craftsmanship here is the superior of what I have ever seen. But I got the same effect from visiting the palace as I would if I crammed four packeges of gummy worms into my mouth and washed them down them with a gallon of syrup. It is just too much. I wonder how many families could have been fed in place of constructing this huge impractical palace that is inhabited solely by the monarch and his inner circle. Another night of fun with our large American group. The people of Madrid eat a lot of ham, and take pride in thier hamtasting.
Madrid day 4
The final day in Madrid was my favorite. Our first stop was the Valley of the Fallen, where Franco (spain´s dictator following the spanish civil war and during WW2) constructed a huge catholic monument to solidify the dictators union with the church. (over 90% of spain is catholic) Franco used convict labor to build the structure, and the basilica within the mountain remains controversial. The cross above the entrance to the basilica is the worlds largest memorial cross. It is constructed exclusivly from granite and is over 500 feet from base to cap. The dimensions of the basilica which are entirely dug out of the mountain, are larger the Saint Peter´s Basilica in Rome. The interior is art deco, and pretty imposing to the visitor. A must see.
Next was the old Hapsburg palace of Escorial. The Escorial was my favorite destination in Madrid.
escorial
Toledo
Toledo is an old walled city south of Madrid that has founded by the Romans. Toledo is the best example of a historically preserved city that I have seen. Toledo was also interesting to me because it is the site of centuries of cultural overlap. Romans, Muslims, Christians, and Jews all have had a presence here, and all built in thier own styles. El Greco´s masterpiece remains in Toledo (The Burial of the Count of Orgaz). Anyone who is interested in religious artwork should definitly check out El Greco ( his stuff really strikes me). Contained within the walls is the cathedral which is probly worth a look. The coolest thing about Toledo is getting lost in the city walls and observing all of the ancient buildings crowded around.
here are my two buddies Jason from Kentucky and Dani from Maryland
1 comment:
Your group looks cute, one big happy family :D
- Kimberly
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