Everyone was feeling better this morning after having slept in a real bed and taking a much needed shower!

We all got to sleep in a bit and then had a relaxing breakfast at the hotel before heading out on our bus, with driver Jose, tour guide Tanja and local guide Theresa, for a tour of the city.

Our first stop was at a bull fighting stadium built in the Moorish style.  Our guide explained that even though the practice is controversial, it has a traditional place in the ceremonial beliefs of the Spanish people.  We then continued around the city, seeing the many parks, the city gates, beautiful churches, the bustling Sunday market, the royal palace, and the main square Plaza Mayor.  The students who came to Eastern Europe last year got to hear some more about the Hapsburg rulers as well as the Moors and the Bourbons who also had control of the area at one time or another.  All in all, there was a lot of talk about who reigned in Spain…but sadly, no clarification as to whether or not this took place mainly on the plains.

Then it was time to visit one of the finest art museums in the world, the Prado.  Housing an impressive 7,000 pieces , there is only one copy – of the Mona Lisa!  (apparently done at the same time as the original, but by a student)  Other highlights were The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch, and the many works of El Greco and Goya.  A person could spend hours, or even days in there, but we only had time to sample the best of, mostly, Spanish art.

Then after recharging with a delicious buffet lunch at FreshCo, it was time to tour the famous home of Real Madrid, the Stadium Santiago Bernabeu.  We started up at the very top to get an overview of the 85,000 seats and then worked our way down, through the museum holding all the dozens of trophies and awards, all the way to the field and got to sit on the team bench.  Some souvenirs for the game were purchased and then we had some free time in the downtown area.  Students came back happy with purchases of candy and lots of shoes!

Finally, the group split up with 2/3 of us going to see Real Madrid play Real Betis while the others stayed downtown to eat.

A pleasant surprise was that all of our tickets were upgraded to the VIP section which included food, drinks, snacks, a blanket and a program, before/during/and after the game.  We were treated very well and our seats were 4 rows from the field!  The students got to see their heroes in action up close, and they even came back to win 2-1 in the 80th minute.

A busy, but fun day in the Spanish capital comes to a close with an early morning wakeup call in the not too distant future.