Cuando en Madrid, hizo como los Madrileños [when in Madrid, do as the Spanish people do].

Hola!  Nosotros estamos en Madrid!  :)  We arrived in Madrid on Wednesday around 2pm local time (7am WI time), and from there, we went straight to the hotel.  It was an exhasuting 12+ hours of travel with a stop in Munich, but it was pretty good, overall!  That night we had some amazing salmon (basically the best I've ever had) and then Thursday we spent the day in Toledo!  It was a beautiful city, complete with a fortress and everything.  I gathered that the city is important because it's a mixture of three religions, Christianity, Muslim, and Jewish.  We got to see a mosque, a synagogue, and a church, all in one city.  It's also a city protected on three sides by a river and also a wall built around it.  It's a beautiful city, with hills.  I absolutely loved it!  If I could choose anywhere to live, it would be Toledo!

After Toledo, we got back to Madrid and before dinner, a small group of us decided to go to a huge Dia de los Reyes parade!  Dia de los Reyes is a huge national celebration (day of the kings, or epiphany) and they celebrate the ending of the 12 days of Chrismas with a great festival!  They sure know how to throw a fiesta here in Spain!  The floats were absolutely amazing, I’ve never seen anything like it! 

After the parade, we had yet another great dinner, including chick peas, lots of noodles, and chorizo!  Fue fantastico! We’re becoming professionals at using the Metro!  Today, Friday, we woke up this morning and took a huge walking tour around Madrid with the best historian.  His name is Steven, and he’s hilarious!  He’s Irish/British and has lived in Spain since the end of Franco’s dictatorship in 1975.  He is possibly the greatest tour guide any one could ask for.  After that, we enjoyed a wonderful plate of paella and a few glasses of sangria, and visited some more of the city.  A friend of mine and I found a beautiful church and watched the sun set over the terrace next door!  We wanted to go in, because it was the church where Francisco de Goya first painted (it’s supposedly amazing) but it was closed because today was a holiday.  It was, all in all, a wonderful day today!  Tomorrow morning, I think I’m going to stop by the little bakery outside of our hotel window and check it out, and then we’re going to see the Prado and the Reina Sofia art museums (we get Steven again for our tours – que bueno!).  Sunday we’re heading to Valladolid to meet our host families!  I can’t wait to meet my host mom!  I hope you enjoy the photos!