Bienvenido! Saturday March 21 we left Port Columbus for JFK Airport in New York. We did leave a bit late and we had a gate change but all went rather smoothly.
Spain blog
Bienvenido! Saturday March 21 we left Port Columbus for JFK Airport in New York. We did leave a bit late and we had a gate change but all went rather smoothly.
After a 4 1/2 hr layover in JFK we finally left New York at 7:50 pm Sunday March 22 and officially began our journey to Spain. The flight took roughly 6 hrs and 34 minutes. The food was decent. I think everyone was surprised by that.
The sunrise was gorgeous as we entered Spain and began our descent to Madrid. We landed around 7:45 am local time and made our way to the Customs/passport area, which included a tram to another section of the terminal. After passing the passport area we headed to the baggagage claim and then met our guide, Hugo. We promptly boarded the bus and headed into the city. We soon discovered there was a marathon being run in the city. We circled once then found a traffic cop and were allowed to make our way to our hotel, El Regente, located off The Gran Via in the city center. Some of our rooms were ready some were not. Those rooms that were ready we used for storing the bags.
We met back in the lobby and were on our way to The Royal Palace of Madrid a short walk from our hotel. We had an appointed time for our tour at 11 am. After a short wait and passing security we entered the courtyard to the Palace and made our way to the entrance. We retrieved our headphones to better hear our guide and the. Began at the Staircase of the Palace where we learned about the frescos on the ceiling, took a few photos and then began the tour of the Palace. Now all the rooms are open and some were open this time that were not previously (at least that was the general consensus). Two of my favorite rooms was the Stradivarius violins rooms and The Thrown room. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We then had free time to explore the courtyard. Some of the students took pictures of the courtyard and the front of the Palace, visited the Palace gift shop, the park area and the Cathedral opposite to the Palace, Almudena Cathedral. We met with our director, Hugo around 1pm and made our inside the Almudena Cathedral.
After a short visit to the cathedral we visited Plaza de La Villa, then stopped for lunch near Mercado de San Miguel (this is a modern market popular for lunch) near Plaza Mayor. The student split up in groups and explored the market and surrounding area. A short walk was Plaza Mayor where street performers entertain the crowds. There are shops and restaurants also in Plaza Mayor. Once our hour was up we headed into Plaza Mayor with Hugo and learned some interesting facts about the plaza’s history and famous entry ways. We proceeded to Puerta Del Sol. This plaza has the famous Bear and strawberry statue, shops and 0 KM. This is very similar to 0 mile in Florida. All point in Spain start here and branch out.
We returned to the hotel at this point for a small break and to determine what we should do since it was raining. After and hour, it was still raining but it did slack off and stop. We decided to walk to the Chueca quarter. This area is known for shopping and mostly shoes. This area is also known for its modernista building designs.
We broke for some free time along the shopping area and met back at Mercado In the area. After our free time we walked back to Puerta del Sol area to our restaurant, La Catedral. This is a sit down place we had ate at in the past. The food was excellen as well as the atmosphere. During our dinner the Madrid and FC Barcelona futbol game started and when we left many tapas bars and places were watching El Clasico as it is affectionately called. Some of the students stopped for ice cream on our way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we will see a bull fighting ring, The Retiro Park and The Prado Art Museum.
After a 4 1/2 hr layover in JFK we finally left New York at 7:50 pm Sunday March 22 and officially began our journey to Spain. The flight took roughly 6 hrs and 34 minutes. The food was decent. I think everyone was surprised by that.
The sunrise was gorgeous as we entered Spain and began our descent to Madrid. We landed around 7:45 am local time and made our way to the Customs/passport area, which included a tram to another section of the terminal. After passing the passport area we headed to the baggage claim and then met our guide, Hugo. We promptly boarded the bus and headed into the city. We soon discovered there was a marathon being run in the city. We circled once then found a traffic cop and were allowed to make our way to our hotel, El Regente, located off The Gran Via in the city center. Some of our rooms were ready some were not. Those rooms that were ready we used for storing the bags.
We met back in the lobby and were on our way to The Royal Palace of Madrid a short walk from our hotel. We had an appointed time for our tour at 11 am. After a short wait and passing security we entered the courtyard to the Palace and made our way to the entrance. We retrieved our headphones to better hear our guide and the. Began at the Staircase of the Palace where we learned about the frescos on the ceiling, took a few photos and then began the tour of the Palace. Now all the rooms are open and some were open this time that were not previously (at least that was the general consensus). Two of my favorite rooms was the Stradivarius violins rooms and The Thrown room. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We then had free time to explore the courtyard. Some of the students took pictures of the courtyard and the front of the Palace, visited the Palace gift shop, the park area and the Cathedral opposite to the Palace, Almudena Cathedral. We met with our director, Hugo around 1pm and made our inside the Almudena Cathedral.
After a short visit to the cathedral we visited Plaza de La Villa, then stopped for lunch near Mercado de San Miguel (this is a modern market popular for lunch) near Plaza Mayor. The student split up in groups and explored the market and surrounding area. A short walk was Plaza Mayor where street performers entertain the crowds. There are shops and restaurants also in Plaza Mayor. Once our hour was up we headed into Plaza Mayor with Hugo and learned some interesting facts about the plaza’s history and famous entry ways. We proceeded to Puerta Del Sol. This plaza has the famous Bear and strawberry statue, shops and 0 KM. This is very similar to 0 mile in Florida. All point in Spain start here and branch out.
We returned to the hotel at this point for a small break and to determine what we should do since it was raining. After and hour, it was still raining but it did slack off and stop. We decided to walk to the Chueca quarter. This area is known for shopping and mostly shoes. This area is also known for its modernista building designs.
We broke for some free time along the shopping area and met back at Mercado In the area. After our free time we walked back to Puerta del Sol area to our restaurant, La Catedral. This is a sit down place we had ate at in the past. The food was excellent as well as the atmosphere. During our dinner the Madrid and FC Barcelona futbol game started and when we left many tapas bars and places were watching El Clasico as it is affectionately called. Some of the students stopped for ice cream on our way back to the hotel.
Tomorrow we will see a bull fighting ring, The Retiro Park and The Prado Art Museum.
Ann Dawson's - Travel Blog 