This post features student writing. 

Madrid, what a great time!

You wouldn’t believe how fast it went.

But, oh I know the memories will

Last me a lifetime, so special!

On night one, we went out on the town;

Great food and greater conversation at Wagamama.

What let most of us down was the spice.

A little too mild – 4 stars.

Spider Man was the post-dinner activity.

Clearly, we were eager to see it.

Even though I don’t watch superhero movies,

Nevertheless I enjoyed it a lot – 4.5 stars.

Straight from the movie, we went to the hotel.

On the next day, we visited Segovia.

Roaming the narrow streets was fun.

Even more thrilling were the palaces we visited.

During our tour of Alcazar,

From Isabella and Ferdinand to Felipe II,

Or simply interesting details about the castle,

Rapidly we increased our knowledge.

Pizza was lunch for me and the boys,

Eaten happy and followed by Fro-Yo – 4.5 stars.

Royal family summer palace visiting

Occupied our afternoon.

Really, in my opinion,

Even though the palace was

Absolutely amazing

Strolling through the garden was the highlight.

Often, I found myself gaping at how beautiful it was.

No words can do it justice.

Believe it or not, we had another

Uber-tasty dinner that night.

The Thai place we ate at was yummy.

I really liked their curry and noodle dishes.

Honestly, it earned all 5 stars in my book.

On that night, we went to bed pretty early.

Purchasing two Mario posters the next day at

El Rastro made shopping exciting.

This was the morning activity.

Highlight purchase: a gold compass.

In a nearby park,

Sitting contently in the shade,

We ate some fruits, veggies, and sandwiches.

I really liked the food a lot – 4 stars.

Lunch was eaten quietly, as we were tired.

Later, energized once more, some kicked a soccer ball

Between themselves as others played frisbee.

Later, we went back to the hotel.

The Prado the next morning:

Amazing!

Seriously, I have nothing

To say other than wow.

Even though the heat was sweltering,

Ogling at the majesty of Retiro Park

Was a great time.

Lunch at a tapas restaurant came next.

You wouldn’t even believe dinner.

Why you ask?

Here’s why.

On my plate lay a pig (cochinillo!)

So what did I do?

I happily devoured it: 4.5 stars.

Of course a good Spanish dinner

Utilizes ice cream from a small shop on the street.

Luckily we found such a shop:

Delightful, delicious and ‘delovely.’

Closing out the evening,

All of us returned to the hotel to sleep.

The next morning,

We continued visiting museums.

Home to hundreds, maybe more

Of his works, the Sorolla museum was incredible.

Next, we went to Mercado San Miguel.

This small market had great food.

Over a few hours, I ate a lot.

Too much I dare say.

However it was so tasty.

It was worth it – 5 stars.

Soon after we returned to the hotel

All of us gathered for a talk about…

Cuenca, home of our daystay!

Rapidly our fears began to dissipate

Out of all things done on the trip,

Street basketball with Spaniards was the most unique.

The five boys spent the afternoon

In the park at the courts

Casually, we took down some older locals.

Boy did we play well!

Eventually we had to return to the hotel.

Continuing on, we prepared to leave for

The Juanes concert in a botanical garden

Under the night sky.

I can’t even begin to explain how

Serious people here are about Juanes.

Overjoyed to see him

Barely scratches the surface.

Voices, thousands of them, sung along.

It was unlike anything Id seen.

Otra vez chants led to three encores.

Unbelievable how talented that man is.

Super tired, we went to bed.

Later, we will meet

Our daystay families.

Lots more to come. Stay tuned.

— Andrew C.