Hola!

Spain continues to treat me well.

On Saturday, I went to Monasterio de Piedra with a group from school. This monastery was about a two and a half hour drive, northeast of Madrid. The monastery was founded in 1194 and is located right next to the Piedra (meaning Stone) river. A Spanish professor from SLU was our tour guide for the day, and we learned a lot about the monastery!

The monastery was active until 1835, and since then, it has become a popular tourist attraction, and part of it has become a hotel. The main chapel has been destroyed, but the ruins still remain.

Touring the monastery was super interesting. We saw where the monks made wine, and it is also said to be the first place chocolate was made!

After touring the inside, we went to walk around outside. There were countless waterfalls and rivers near it. The area was absolutely beautiful.

Perhaps the best part was being able to go in a cave that was under a waterfall. Water was dripping on us, the sun was shining through the cave, and the green moss on the rocks was glowing. The pictures truly do not do it justice.

Everyone who went loved this day trip, but many of us were complaining of sore legs the next day after all the steps and hills.

On Sunday, I took another day trip to Toledo, a city about an hour southwest of Madrid known for historical co-existence of Christians, Muslims, and Jews. We again had a tour from the same SLU professor who knew lots of the history of Toledo. Toledo was the capitol of Spain until 1561, when it was moved to Madrid.

We visited the Cathedral and the building where the Cardinal lives. A bridge connects the two buildings so the Cardinal doesn’t have to walk outside to get from one to the other.

While we were in Toledo, three of my friends from our school group and I decided to give zip lining across a river (Rio Tajo) a try.

As many of you probably know, I am rather scared of heights, so I knew this would be interesting.  When I got up to the start of the zip line, I told the employee that I thought I was going to die. He laughed and helped me get situated. When he told me I could go, I think I froze, so he had to give me a little push to get started.  Once I was going, it was so fun!  I had a beautiful view of the city, and I am so glad I decided to do it!

On Wednesday, a group of SLU friends and I went to a Real Madrid game! We had a great time. The game itself was fun, but the people watching may have been even better. The energy in the stadium was crazy. So many people were cheering, singing, and yelling. Unfortunately, Real Madrid lost 1-2 against Celta Vigo, but it was still a fun game to watch.

At half time, and basically in unison, most of the crowd pulled out a foil-wrapped sandwich from their coat and began eating. We were all so surprised! EVERYONE was doing this! It was hard not to laugh as we looked around.  The lines at the concessions were not very long because so many people had brought their own food.

Many of our host moms were very concerned that we would be way too cold during the game (you know, because its 35 degrees). My host mom even sent me with a blanket to cover up with during the game. The stadium, while outdoor, had big heating lights over the crowds. Since our seats were up so high, we stayed nice and warm.

This weekend, I’m going on two more school trips to Salamanca (an ancient Celtic city in northwestern Spain that is home to Spain’s oldest university) and Segovia (a city also northwest of Madrid that is known for its medieval walls and Romanesque churches).