Thursday, June 17, 2010

Nothing to say about school today.

I came home for lunch and took a two-hour siesta because we planned to do things around my neighborhood so I didn’t have to plan 40 minutes of Metro in after lunch! What a packed day! We visited the Real Ermita of San Antonio de la Florida (a church) in which Goya is buried and also where he painted the entire inside with female angels, the only angels to have ever been painted as females. I felt very feminist for going! And I think Marisa (our Art teacher) would be proud! Then we stopped in my frequented San Antonio Pasteria sweet shop to try a few dulces.

The next stop was Campo de Moro, which it turns out is close to me along with 4 other parks: The Sabatini Gardens, Casa de Campo, Jardin de Rosas, Parque de la Montana. Anyway, Campo de Moro is supposed to be cool because it is part of the royal palace and also because it has 3 sections of the Berlin Wall in it. Well, it was closed, even though it was supposed to be open and the sign said it should be open. So then we walked around to the nearby park and I asked the security guard “Es parte de la pared de Berlin en la parque alli” (“Is part of the Berlin Wall in that park over there?”) and the guy was very confused so I asked again and then I think he was laughing but we just ended up waling away because I think he thought I thought the Berlin Wall was in Madrid. Haha.

So then we walked toward Parque de la Montana because at the top is the Templo de Debod, which is an Egyptian temple that the Romans won in a war and had moved to Madrid, stone by stone. It was so cool to see the ruins in the middle of the city with Madrid as the backdrop. Inside, it was so cold, I never knew rock was just as good as air conditioning! It was so cool to see the hieroglyphics and I felt like I was living in Prince of Egypt the movie where the hieroglyphics come alive and move on the walls!

Then we walked downhill to the Rose Garden, beautiful. Lots of roses in Madrid. After all of this walking we were in the need for gelato, yum! And then shoe shopping, which is not my thing by hey, when is Spain! I didn’t find any though :/ But the store was by a really cool building that looked like a mix of a church and castle, so I went over to check it out and it was a church in front and Madrid Transportation building in the back, so I think it used to be a church and monastery or convent but it was changed over time. Still it was amazingly gorgeous and so cool to see in the middle of modern busy city buildings.


Not much has been going on with my family. I have a list of all of the things I want to see and do before leaving, and I really only have 12 more days in Madrid, the rest are traveling! So I’ve been coming home for lunch and dinner but then either I leave or they’re watching futbol. As in every game! But I’ve had so good chats with Grandma! Today their new china set came in, and it’s Real Madrid encrusted and blue. Haha.