The National Museum of Archeology is located just five minutes away from Estudio Sampere. Students were delighted to find that entrance to the museum is free. The museum is full of treasured artifacts that demonstrate the influence of the Moors, Romans, and Visigoths on the culture and history of Spain. Seeing these artifacts in person, not in a book, really increases the educational value of the students’ experiences. What a treat!
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Wow! What can I say? Retiro Park is like a city of its own. Inside the park there are two palaces, an art museum, an enormous pavilion, a rose garden, and countless monuments. The best part of Retiro park is that it is within three minutes walking from Estudio Sampere, the language school APSU students attend in Madrid. Each day after classes, students head over to the park to eat their lunches, write in their journals, and complete their homework assignments. On any given day, but especially Sundays, you can find hundreds of people enjoying the park. There are trails for joggers, paddle boats, restaurants, and during May a large book festival. This festival is quite famous in Spain and is attended by well-known celebrities and usually the King or Queen of Spain. This year’s festival had an art exhibit lining the corridors that recognized the importance of water worldwide in photographs. It was interesting to see the many different ways that world cultures interact, protect, and abuse their water sources. A local artist was a favorite attraction in the park. This young man created beautiful landscape pieces using torn pieces of cardstock and spray paint in under 10 minutes in full view of the crowd. On Sundays, the park is full of families, children riding their tricycles, lovers lounging in the shade of the trees, and friends chatting and enjoying the view from outdoor cafes. Retiro Park is truly one of Madrid’s treasures!
Toledo was the first weekend excursion of the Study-Abroad Spain group. As we traveled north from Madrid to Toledo we were able to take in the scenery of rural Spain. The rolling hills were dotted by old stone houses, carefully plotted green areas, and windmills. Spain has harnessed the power of the wind by strategically placing windmills to produce energy for rural communities. Toledo, the former capital of Spain sits atop a hill as you can see from the view below. This city was an example of tolerance before the Reconquest with Christians, Muslims, and Jews living together in the community. The group visited the Cathedral of Toledo, the sinagogue of El Transito, and the Puente de Alcantara and also viewed many paintings by the famous artist, El Greco. Toledo is famous for the craftmanship of swords and several students took the opportunity to purchase souvenirs and gifts for loved ones.
