Day Trips and More

May 24-29, 2022

Weekly Takeaways

• Try new food! You can always have your comfort food at home

• Take pictures, but be in the moment

• Tortilla de patatas are so good!

• Eating a piglet wasn’t too scary

• You CAN split the bill if you ask

This week consisted of museums, a Segovia trip, palaces, castles, coffee stops, and weekend travel to Toledo.

Archeological Museum Madrid

For class on Tuesday we went to the Archeological Museum Madrid. We saw lots of artifacts, statues, and even a real mummy.

Kafe Cup

After the museum, some of us went to get coffee and a croissant for our second breakfast. I kinda of like how people in Spain tend to eat smaller meals for breakfast. I think it helps me with learning how to portion control better. I’ve been wondering what people here think about eating in the U.S. Regardless, my croissant and cappuccino were delicious!

Segovia

This was my favorite part of the trip so far! I didn’t know what to expect when we were told we were going to Segovia; I just knew that it was a town. The ride to Segovia was beautiful. There were lots of mountains and green land that we have not seen since being in the city. The hills and green kind of reminded me of a non-tropical island! When we arrived in Segovia, it was a lot chillier than in Madrid. I was very excited to see a different city than Madrid to see if most of the towns look the same or not.

Iglesia Santa Maria Magdalena First we headed to the most beautiful church. The gold trim and paintings all around just had me in awe. I loved seeing the intricate detail that goes into each part of the building. We werent suppose to take photos, but I snuck some pictures (I only got in trouble once).

Palacio Real de La Granja

This palace was used by the royal family as a summertime intimate family home. Everything from the gardening to the furniture in every room was just amazing. The views around the palace were also jaw-dropping. I think about how much detail and planning would have had to go into building everything at that time in history. The engineering behind the water fountains in the garden are also insane!! There were lots of fountains that went off one by one that we got to walk to. The fountains were huge and really cool to see. This was my favorite place we’ve visited so far. It’s genuinely interesting to see what a real palace looks like because I grew up thinking about and watching Disney princess’s in a palace since I was a little girl. I feel like it puts my childhood dream to rest to see one in person, and this one was just a summer home!

Maddie, Liv, and I standing in front of the Castle

Ashleigh and I watching the fountain show

Alcásar de Segovia

Our next stop was a castle! This was the first castle I’ve ever seen. Back in time, the king and the court would sometimes come to this castle to go about their business. Some kings chose to not stay at this castle, however. The castle is very high up. There was even a moat around it like in the fairytales. We walked all the way to the top of the castle, which about made me go into cardiac arrest because there were so many stairs. But the view from the top was so pretty.

Us outside the castle and the view

Asador Contemporáneo

We stopped to have lunch after our castle visit. A Segovian specific meal is to have judiones, which are beans and sausage in a broth, and a baby suckling piglet! We had a three course meal and it was delicious. I loved the beans, but not so much the pig, because I had the pig leg. Although the meat tasted good, I don’t think I would order it again. We washed down our meal and desert with a ”digestivo”. ;)

The piglet leg and some type of dessert at lunch

Museo Cerrablo

On Thursday we went to a museum for class. It was a house that an aristocratic family donated. It was filled with art collections, jewelry, furniture, books, and everything you could want at that time. It was truly beautiful, and the house was huge!

Rooms in Museo Cerrablo

On Thursday we went to El Tigre del Norte and Club Magno. If you get one drink at Tigre, they bring you plates and plates of tapas! On Friday we went to the plaza and went shopping. The shopping in Madrid is so good. I feel like there are so many stores that have my exact style. My favorite ones in Madrid are Pull & Bear, Bershka, and Zara. Then on Saturday we spent the day in Toledo! It’s a Medieval looking town with lots of cafes and shops. We toured the Primatial Cathedral of Saint Mary. It was huge! The paintings and sculpture inside were mesmerizing. There was even a wedding going on inside!

The altar of the Saint Mary Cathedral

After that we went to the Jesuit church and got to see a pretty view of Toledo.

Maddie, Liv, Ashleigh, and I looking out at Toledo

We had the menu of the day at Bar and Restaurant, and I had Valecian rice, steak, and watermelon. The steak in Spain seems to be very thin compared to in the U.S. We just walked around and shopped. It seemed weird to me that a city that looked so old had new businesses like Starbucks and clothing stores. It was a very very hot day so were working hard to stay hydrated. Now it’s time to get well rested for a very studious week ;)

Until next time,

Adios!

Morgan