Better Than Spain

Haunted Metro!

Sorry we've been so off our blogging game this week! There actually has been a lot going on, which is why we haven't written (unlike usual when we skip days just because we have nothing to talk about).

Monday: After class, we considered going to the Thyssen Museum (Pop art shit), but they close early on Mondays, so we went across the street to the Prado instead, which is free Monday evenings. We spent a few very pleasant hours there, mostly checking out Spain's copies of Greco-Roman sculpture and pausing a few times to just sit and draw them. Very relaxing, very fun.

Wednesday: Along with Riva, Alexandra, and Hannah, we headed to a free tour of the Sorolla museum. The museum itself is actually Sorolla's house from when he lived in Madrid, and they haven't really changed much around since then, so that's pretty cool. Unlike most artists (ugh), he was actually pretty commercially successful while he was alive, so the house is pretty sweet. And, fun fact, from what we saw of the portraits, his son was kind of hot. Who knew?

Later Wednesday: Another Pasaport Cultural event at the Ciclo de Cine aka Wednesday Movie Night. This week's director was Jorge Torregrossa, and the feature film was called Fin. It's kind of suspense, kind of a thriller, definitely an independent film. It was pretty good though, I have to say, although Very different from last week, but still enjoyable.

ALSO, we talked to Amy, and we don't actually have to get a full 3 credits from the Pasaporte, which means we don't actually have to do 24 events. So my life is my own again.

In the Mezquita Courtyard!

Friday: No class, and no excursion! After a blissful morning of sleeping in, we met Riva at the Teatro Real to buy student tickets for that night's performance of Le fille du regiment aka THE OPERA. That's right, kids, we spent Friday night at the MADRID OPERA. Student rush tickets are 90% off, so we got floor seats in ROW TWELVE for 20 euro!!! After buying tickets, we went to a special exhibition on the history of the Madrid Metro, which was held in a Metro station that was shut down about 50 years ago. A little creepy, maybe haunted (the metro still goes through, but it doesn't stop), but a very cool exhibit.

Mezquita time!

The show itself was actually awesome, like obviously very high quality, plus the show is really fun! It was basically a musical romantic comedy, like could have easily starred Ginger Rogers. We had a TOTAL blast, then grabbed dinner and cava at a little Italian place near Sol before grabbing a drink at Fontana de Oro, where there was a band playing 1970s American music--very fun.

Roman bridge in Cordoba!

Then, this morning, we and Riva caught the AVE to Cordoba! It was a great day trip; for one thing, the weather is WAY better in Andalucia than Madrid. Sunny and warm, while Madrid was cool and rainy today, so thank god we weren't around. It feels kind of like the older parts of Granada and Toledo, and the Mezquita is seriously awesome. In true Andalusian style, we did a big tapas lunch with tortilla, patatas moriscos, pisto con huevos, deep-fried eggplant with honey and balsamic vinegar, and thick slices of bread drenched in the most AMAZING olive oil I've had since being here. I didn't even crave butter!

After lunch, we wandered around the little cobblestone streets and did some shopping before catching the AVE back to Madrid, and we were home before 9!