Day EIGHT: Madrid


Today was day 3 in Madrid and our last day of the trip. We had a very memorable last day starting with driving to Toledo and meeting up with our local guide, Carlos. Our first stop in Toledo was a handmade sword and jewelry shop. We were able to see firsthand how they were created and then had time to shop around. Then we went to the Toledo cathedral where Carlos explained the history of the cathedral and the meaning behind the sculptures. Then we walked to the church of Santo Tome where we got to see the most famous painting by El Greco, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Carlos explained the meaning behind the painting and who each individual person was. 




El Entierro del Conde de Orgaz es un cuadro muy interesante con muchos detalles ocultos que representaban diferentes aspectos de la vida de El Greco. Hubo un señor que murió en el cuadro apedreado, y esa escena se mostró en el cuadro. El pintor también se incluyó a sí mismo en el cuadro y lo convirtió en un retrato familiar.

Icono de Validado por la comunidad

We then walked to the oldest synagogue in Spain and learned about its history. It was first a synagogue, but then became a church and now it's a landmark. Both the cathedral and the synagogue were tied together by the three main religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These were represented through the detailed architecture including the Star of David, crosses, and the 5 pillars. Afterwards, we traveled back to Madrid while Carlos and Fran explained in depth the history of the scenery we passed. When we got to Madrid, we had free time to get lunch and then met back up to go to the Reina Sofia Museum. There we got to see more modern art and also saw La Guernica painted by Pablo Picasso. While walking to dinner, we were able to see the Castells, who create human pyramids. For dinner we had pasta carbonara for our appetizer and beef stew and fries for the main course. For dessert we had strawberry and vanilla gelato. After dinner we went back on the bus and reminisced about the trip. We gave a big thank you to our teachers, who gave up their vacation for us, and our tour guide, Fran, who stuck with us the whole trip. 





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