Friday, Oct 24, 2009 was the last of our class excursions. We took a day trip to El Escorial and el Valle de Los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen). El Escorial has a huge Monastery that was built in the 16th century by Philip the 2nd. It had a monastery for monks, a large church, a school, libarary, king and queen's apartments, and the Panteon Real (royal cemetery for the bodies of the deceased Spanish monarchs), and it now serves as a monument with other museums.
El Valle de los Caídos, which means “Valley of the Fallen,”
El Valle de los Caídos, which means “Valley of the Fallen,”
is very significant to the recent political history of Spain. It is a constant reminder of the Spanish Civil War that ended in 1939. General Francisco Franco wanted to construct this monument as a tribute to those who died in battle. About one million people died in the war, and this underground church contains the remains of about 40,000 of them. It took 18 years to complete, between 1940 and 1958. The huge cross on top of the mountain symbolizes those who died for the salvation of Spain. Inside there is an inscription that says “Por Dios y Por España: 1936-1939. R.I.P.”
Franco was inaugurated officially in 1959, and el Valle de los Caídos also became one of the symbols of his dictatorship. Because of Franco’s dictatorship and negative image, this is a controversial monument.
Oct 25, 2009 was a lovely Saturday in Madrid. All of the roommates and I went to see the inside of Palacio Real (the Royal Palace). On the way we saw this incredible group of street performers in Sol. There were 3 violins, 2 other string instruments and a keyboard playing classical music. This was the most impressive group of street performers I have seen so far, and all of my roommates and I gave them money (which we had never done)! The inside of the palace was gorgeous! There was everything from old silver, china, and thrones to armor and other 
furniture. The old interior decoration is amazing. The ceilings are covered with paintings and gold; there are chandeliers, colorful patterned wallpaper/tapestries on the wall, and much more extravagent decor.
We had lunch together with two other friends at Cien Mondaditos- this really fun cheap sandwich place that we love!
furniture. The old interior decoration is amazing. The ceilings are covered with paintings and gold; there are chandeliers, colorful patterned wallpaper/tapestries on the wall, and much more extravagent decor.We had lunch together with two other friends at Cien Mondaditos- this really fun cheap sandwich place that we love!
Afterwards I went with my friends Devin, Jen, and Michelle to ride a boat at Parque Retiro! It was only a little over 4 Euro for all four of us to ride one boat for an hour!
The next day, Oct 26, I
went to El Rostro in the morning and then to Mass at the Cathedral next to Palacio Real. I didn’t like it as much because it was hard to follow (since I didn’t know the responses in Spanish) and there was no music.
Overall, it was another fun weekend trying to take in more of what Madrid has to offer!
The next day, Oct 26, I
went to El Rostro in the morning and then to Mass at the Cathedral next to Palacio Real. I didn’t like it as much because it was hard to follow (since I didn’t know the responses in Spanish) and there was no music. Overall, it was another fun weekend trying to take in more of what Madrid has to offer!
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