Yesterday was another great day in Madrid. In the morning, we were joined at our hotel by Júlia Manresa Nogueras, a journalist from Barcelona who covers business and finance in Madrid for Ara, a Catalan newspaper. As you may know, Catalonia is the autonomous community (more or less like a U.S. state) located in the northeast of Spain, home to Barcelona and one of the wealthiest places in Spain. After being refused more autonomy by the central government, Catolonians have voted for independence, a move that has been rejected by the federal government in Madrid, and has led to violence on both sides. Júlia spent two hours with us discussing the current issue of Catalan independence, as well as other topics including women's rights and the difference between Barcelona and the rest of the Spain. Júlia was a very effective speaker, she came across as relevant, knowledgeable and approachable. Shira said, "Júlia brought the topic alive for me. Instead of just seeing a news headline, she personalized complex topics and helped me understand a complicated subject. I loved meeting Júlia!"
After lunch together, we broke into two groups based on student interest - one group went to the Museo de Reina Sofia - a modern art museum that showcases Picasso's Guernica and includes many smaller drawings that were intermediate steps as Picasso worked on his masterpiece. The second group elected to shop in an around Plaza del Sol, and enjoyed a street carnival that emerged unexpectedly during our visit.
We had dinner at Cafetin la Quimera, a small cafe that is outside of the central district of Madrid, and provided a more genuine flamenco experience - Liora, our resident dancer, announced herself "very impressed" with the ability, grace, and creativity of the three flamenco dancers. The students enjoyed taking the metro to and from la Quimera, feeling a little bit more like Españoles and less like tourists as a result. We capped off the night with Churros in the street at Chocalateria San Gines, a famous 24-hour Churros bar.
We can't believe that Sunday is our last full day in Spain! In some ways it seems like we just got here, and in other ways it seems like we have been here a long time. But all of us are looking forward to seeing our friends and family again very soon!
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| On the Metro |
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| Júlia Manresa Nogueras |
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