The language school that I am studying at required intensive Spanish grammar and speaking classes for each student in their respective levels of knowledge of the language for the first month upon arrival. It was a very helpful course that got everyone back into speaking and learning the language, so after we had all just finished our exams for these classes, it was time to travel. The first trip we took together was to the provinces of Madrid and Castilla, so that included a trip to the cities of Toledo, Segovia, Madrid, and a quick stop to see the massive El Escorial (a royal palace built for Felipe II) along the way. The castle in the background is the Royal Alcázar found in Segovia. The castle was originally built by the Romans but has been remodeled many times since then. Logically, it rests upon cliffs and is surrounded by a mote thus it was not easy for enemies to penetrate. It looks very similar to the Magic Kingdom castle at Disney World and many people think that Mr. Disney modeled his castle after this exact one.
This picture was taken in Toledo, a very old an historical city that once served as the capital of Spain during the 16th century. The city stands atop a hill carved out by a bend in the River of Trajo making it a natural fortress in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula. Toledo is made up of incredible gothic architecture that can be seen in the Cathedral (the tower can be seen in the upper right hand corner) and the Saint Martin Bridge. In addition to the amazing layout of the city, Toledo was and still is highly regarded for the fine swords that are made in the city.
This is the Roman Aqueduct in Segovia, this incredible structure still remains standing since the 1st century despite being built only with solid granite rocks and nothing in the middle to keep them cemented. The purpose of this structure was to carry water to Segovia from 15 km south of the town.
After our weekend trip was over we had a couple of days before our normal classes started, so my buddies and me decided to take a trip to Barcelona for a couple of days. Here we are hanging out and enjoying the view at the famous Park Güell designed by the famous architect Antoni Gaudí.
Barcelona is littered with works of Gaudí including the Sagrada Familia, which is still unfinished, mostly because Gaudí was hit by a tram and died three days later during the production of the church, and to make things worse his blueprints were destroyed during the Spanish civil war of 1938. So they have been guessing the designs Gaudí would have made ever since and they are still not finished.
Here is the crew (minus three girls) that was in Barcelona. This is right after a dinner that we made in the chalet that we rented for a couple of nights.
Here I am making a feast in the chalet. Everyone was craving some spiced up Mexican food, so I made a trip to the market, found some hot peppers, made delicious bowls of fresh salsa, and quickly whipped up some burritos with the help of friends.
This picture takes place at the medieval fair at the base of the beautiful cathedral and the surrounding plazas. These are my buddies drooling from the mouth while they stare transfixed at the smoked meats. Soon after we got a couple of massive plates of Chorizo and Pork that was inhaled within minutes. In addition to the savory meats, there were a ton of local artists selling their craft along with medieval entertainment, dress, and music.
