Upon arriving to Spain my assumptions of this country were proven incorrect. My mind being kept open has made me intoxicated with Sapin´s history, culture, architecture and land. Now I find my heart torn at the thought of returning to the United States of America. The visit here will always be memorable. We have seen so much talent both in and out of museums. The art museums, castles, and churches were breathtaking. The pictures portrayed such astonishing scenes it is difficult to pick a favorite work. Music and dancing is also a rich part of Spain´s culture. This may be the very reason why I have fallen in love with Segovia. From salsa to tango my feet could dance forever. It was a pleasure to see a musical ensemble, which included a guitarist and a flamenco dancer, live in concert. The flamenco dancer moved with such passion it seemed a sin to look away. There are so many stories from this trip I wish to share, but alas, time grows short and my final words must be said: As night draws near in Spain, as morning is dawning in the U.S., my heart does not know whether to arise to a new day or long for the days of past. –PTL-

Today we went to Madrid. We visited an art museum called the Reina Sofia. They had many works from famous painters such as Pablo Picasso. They even included journals and drafts of Picasso’s works in the museum. I have always know that Picasso was more than just a famous artist, but it wasn’t until i actually saw his work that I realized why his paintings were so famous. “Guernica” a very controversial, but equal famous painting in Spain, was painted on a huge slab of granite over 10ft tall. Picasso used his abstract style to evoke emotion towards support of freedom of expression. He also used symbols such as a bull to represent Spain, eyes to represent seeing into the future and broken body parts to represent the horror of the broken city of Guernica. It depicts Picasso’s overall horror and disgust for the bombing of Guernica. I didn’t realize how much the distortion, and disarray of his paintings could create such an emotion in me. It was truly fascinating.                     

~Daniel

We visited La Granja which was great. It is a huge palace with an enormous beautiful gardens in the back. I never imagined that a summer home could be so beautiful. The fountains in the gardens are truly a testament of human engineering. Built in the 1700s, the fountains us solely gravity to propel the water in a magical display hundreds of feet in the air. It was wonderful to be part of such an amazing experience. Being here has brought us all together as a class,and we are building strong bonds.

PS. we’re also learning ALOTof Spanish.

We had an amazing time with soem of the natives. We played soccer for two hours and had no problem conversing with the guys.we played in our socks which is something that we normaly dont do in the US. The parks at the bottom of the alcazar are so Beauitful. There are people have picnics, reading, and playing other games than soccer. The parks are at the bottom of a huge cliff below the Alcazar.

Spain is such a cool country.

Every day I walk 1.5 miles to school down a very nice street line with shops and place to stop and grab a cup of coffee. There is so much to do here, every day I walk down a diffrent street and see something new. Make sure and check out the pictures and videos they will be updated regulary.