Goodbye Madrid, Hello Burgos and Santander

We hopped on our cozy bus at ten this morning to make the 6 hour drive to Santander. About halfway, we stopped for lunch and a stroll in Burgos, the home of El Cid (not Charleton Heston, the original) and a gorgeous gothic cathedral.

In Santander, the students met their host families and we said goodbye until tomorrow afternoon when the group will get a tour of the city.

Birthdays Celebrations

Rusland and Luke are turning eighteen. To celebrate, we unwound in the Arab baths and, for dinner, ate paella. Before the paella, a few dedicated souls visited Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid's home field.

Flamenco and the Prado

Our days start with a Spanish breakfast. Then, last night before going to Casa Patas, we stopped for dinner at El Pulpo (the octopus). This morning, it was off to the Prado.

To Segovia

About an hour northwest of Madrid, Segovia is an ancient and beautiful town. Its Roman aqueduct is one of the best preserved in the world and carried water until just a few years ago. The Alcazar overlooks the rolling farmland of Castilla y Leon.

Euro Cup Heroes

We had tapas and soccer last night. The entire country stayed up late to see Spain beat Portugal to reach the Euro Cup final. The group was decked out in red jerseys an face paint.

In Madrid

Today, we wandered around the center of the city, visiting the Puerta del Sol (Spain's version of Times Square), and the Plaza Mayor before touring the Royal Palace. We also stopped by Casa Botin - the oldest restaurant in the world, according to Guinness. Lots of tired feet.

First Hours in Madrid

The flight went well and, after checking into the hotel, we took a short walk around the neighborhood - the barrio Salamanca.