This post features student writing.

We arrived at the hotel on Monday night, so Tuesday morning was our first full day in Madrid. We ate a tasty breakfast at the hotel—pastries, Spanish meats and delicacies, and a variety of freshly squeezed juices.

We then took the metro to the station near El Prado, the famous art museum with paintings by Del Greco, Goya, and Velázquez, where we met up with our personal guide, who showed us through the museum, teaching us tons about Spanish art and history—all, of course, in Spanish.

We then walked to a Thai restaurant for lunch on Calle Atocha, where we tried wonderful food and talked about our favorite parts of the museum.

We then split off into groups of three and were given three hours to explore the city of Madrid—we all shopped, exchanged money, ate, and enjoyed a completely immersive and independent experience.

We then met up with the group and our leaders at a famous food market in Madrid called Mercado de San Miguel, where we split into groups of three to purchase foods from different stands within the market for our dinner.

After eating and reuniting with the group, we walked past the royal palace on our way back to the hotel, where we all got some well-earned rest.

The next day, Wednesday, we started our day with the same delicious breakfast at the hotel. We then walked over to the royal palace and had a tour in 100% Spanish.

For lunch we walked to a small restaurant for lunch, called Rodilla. We had sandwiches and salads.

We had an amazing two-hour siesta before going to a flamenco show. The flamenco show had spectacular dancing, beautiful singing, and incredible guitar playing.

We ended the night with mini sandwiches, called 100 Montaditos. We each ordered what we wanted on a piece of paper. The food was delicious and we strolled through Puerta del Sol to the hotel to rest up for the next day.

— Piper y Natalie