A Forgotten Favorite

Symbol of Madrid in Sol

Me at the Prado

Dona Amalia de Llano y Dotres, condesa de Vilches

Juana La Loca!!!

At 0 Kilometers, the center of Spain

Prado Museo

The long line to see art for free...well worth it!

Me in Parque de Oeste

Arc de la Victoria right by my apartment

So I kind of forgot what it was like to walk around a city alone. It's actually pretty relaxing. I'm used to walking around Boston when I work there in the summers, and being in Madrid feels just as safe. Yesterday was a very busy Sunday. I spent the morning exploring the Parque de Oeste (West Park) right down my street. I JUST realized how big it is, oops! It's beautiful with winding paths, statues, and on weekends there are lots of skateboarders and bikers...shout out to my brother Matt! You would love it.

After visiting the park and eating lunch I decided to visit the Prado. Even though I go there every Thursday for class, there is only so much you can see with your teacher in a span of one hour. And we have to follow the outline of the course. But yesterday was a free for all. The Prado is free on Sundays from 5-8 pm. There was a long line winding around the building when I got there at 4:55, but I was in by 5:15. I love the Prado! Some of my favorite works are Las Meninas by Velazquez, The Royal Family of Charles IV by Goya, Dona Juana la Loca by Francisco Pradilla, and Dona Amalia de Llano y Dotres, condesa de Vilches by Frederico de Madrazo. I was in the Prado until it closed (hehe I'm such an art history dork) and bought a few postcards of my favorite images.

Then I took the metro to Sol and met up with my Intercambio partner, Jorge. It was SO great to meet him. He's a very interesting and sweet guy who I am really excited to get to know. He is just as eager to learn English as I am to learn Spanish. If you're traveling to Europe, you hear from most of your friends that if you're a young woman, you'll probably get lots of cat-calls and inappropriate comments thrown at you while at bars or walking down the streets at night. And sadly, this is pretty much true! I suggest getting to know people outside of such situations. This is only my first Spanish friend, but hey, hopefully I'll make more!

Jorge and I were able to laugh at each other and at our own mistakes, which is important when learning a new language. I laughed at his pronunciation of "Boston" and he made fun of Americans giving almost the same name to a woodland creature and an alcoholic drink (bear and beer). He can't figure out how to pronounce the two differently.

I was exhausted by the time I got home that night, but the day was well worth it. I'm meeting up with Jorge next week, and Mom and Peggy are coming to visit too. Lots of great things to look forward to!

Spanish story of the day: This is my favorite legend in Spanish history I've learned so far...Ferdinand and Isabella had a daughter named Juana. She married Felipe IV and was apparently madly in love with him. This wasn't a typical marriage just for land and power but the two of them were next in line for the Spanish crown. When Felipe suddenly died before becoming the new King of Spain, Juana was so devastated by his death that she became mad. Part of the legend even states that she forced his tomb open because she believed he would come back from the dead. Since Juana was in no state to rule the kingdom, her son, Charles, took over when he was old enough. Juana was deemed Juana "La Loca" in Spanish culture, and some historians today think she had schizophrenia. It's a pretty creepy story, but it gives deep meaning to the painting above.

Just spent an hour after dinner looking at magazines full of jewelry with my Senora instead of studying for my last midterm. Gotta get to work!

Besos,

Emily