Prado & Reina

               Over the past two days we have visited Madrid´s most famous museums.  Even after a long day of work, there is still time and energy (thank you cafe con leche) for muesems.

               I don´t consider myself an art person, but even I fully enjoyed our visit the Prado.  Many famous works of the Prado were orignially owned by the Spanish Royal family. Although the museum originally consisted entirely of spanish artwork, today, there are also large collections of French, Italian, and German art. With two Spanish audioguides we embarked on our journey to find the most famous art pieces. Some of my favorite paintings included Las Meninas, the Clothed Maja (Sophie prefered the Naked Maja), and The Dog (painting below). What interested me in ¨The Dog¨ was how the simplicity of the painting makes the painting more complex by creating multiple interpretations; because of Goya did not add much detail, this work continues to be mysterious and enigmatic.

 

                After looking at the numerous other master pieces of the Prado we found ourselves at the gift shop. DT tried to resist from buying another book for Luka but failed.  The gift shop was too near the cafe to possibly be able to resist another cafe con leche.  Although I can't rember our conversation, it did bring me to tears I was laughing so hard.
               Another well-known museum in Madrid that we have visited is the Reina Sophia. Unlike the Prado, the former hosptial is full of modern art by Dali, Picaso, Miró, and many others. The Reina Sophia is also the home of Picasso´s Guernica. The Spanish Republican Government commissioned Picasso to create this mural as a response to the bombing of Guernica. This painting helped direct the word´s attention to the Spanish Civil War. Another part of the Reina that I particularly enjoyed was a sculpture that at first simply looked like a huge mound of paper and a type writer in front; however, with a closer look, we realized that the typewriter was currently writing.  We examined this piece of art even further to find that the paper that was being aded to the mound was today's disasters. The entire mound of paper has been adding up since Febuary of this year constantly printing the world's disasters. When we finished looking though the muesem we found ourself once again at the cafe.

Laser-Guided Argon Cannons - Andy

AY. This week, I started my internship at el Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Madrid (ICMM) en la Universidad Autónoma. My first day, I learned about the contruction of these enormous machines that the scientists use to study atoms. Here are some below:

Each day, we heat the inside of machine to more than 400 degrees celsius to evaporate all the water and other impurities off the titanium dioxide plate inside the machine (the surface in which scientists study other materials.) Additionally, we aimed a laser at the plate, and shot a ray of Argon at the surface to remove other impurities. Tomorrow, we will examine a material called PTCDI upon this newly cleaned surface. An Italian student at the university is studying this material for his thesis. It has qualities that make it very well-suited to be in a solar panel. Since silicon has environmental costs, this could be a greener alternative. These are the machines we used to do this

Above is the student studying for his thesis (left) and the chief lab technician, Gonzalo, on the right.

At first, it was near impossible to understand what was happening with the machine, since my scientific vocabulary was pretty limited in Spanish. However, now I know terms like electron cannon (cañón de electrones), photovoltaic cells  (células fotovoltaicas), and titanium dioxide surface (superficie de dióxido de titanio). My brain is overloaded (sobrecargado).

Although I never got to use it, below is my favorite piece of equipment in the lab.

-Andy

La Cocina

I can´t believe we only have one day left working in the hotel! Yesterday, I worked in the kitchen (la cocina). I´ve loved all the departments of the hotel that I´ve worked in, but especially the kitchen. The day started when I recieved a chef uniform (my dream come true). Then Abel, the head chef at the hotel, gave me a tour of all the different kitchens and freezers (so many freezers). Its a low season for the kitchen, so the cooks had time to chat and show me how to make a few things. I spent the morning doing a variety of tasks such as organizing chopped veggies, sealing bags with a really cool vacuum machine, and dipping things in chocolate. Also, I learned how to make tiramissu! Then, it was time for lunch. All the cooks and a few of the waiters eat lunch (prepared by themselves) together. Lunch is taken very seriously in the hotel... we had salad and chicken and potatoes, vegetables, bread and olive oil (pan con aceite), and delicious chocolate croissants. It was so fun spending an hour of my day talking to the cooks about random things such as the difference between the US and Spain, Miami Heat, American movies, the best restaurants in Madrid and even... the definition of a cougar (you can ask Hannah about that one). Were all excited for what our last day in the hotel will bring, but also sad to say goodbye to all of our friends there!

YUM

Hannah and I making friends!

There is not 2 without 3...

After 120 minutes of hard play, Spain advances to the finals of the EuroCup 2012 beating Portugal in PKs! Spain will be looking for its third consecutive title in four years this Sunday!

Comprando y Matando

This Sunday, we explored El Mercado del Rastro, an open air market that has been in Madrid every Sunday and festival day since 1740 (thanks, Wikipedia).  Sophie and Hannah learned of the etymology of the name at work ("They explained it a bunch of times, and we finally caught something about dead animals and blood").  The name "Rastro" meaning trail or trace,  was given to the market because the dead animals being carried to the tannery in the area left trails of blood on the streets.  Walking from stall to stall with our bags tucked firmly under our arms, we found astonishing amounts of clothes, jewelry, tapestries (all of which can be viewed in Hannah's dorm room next year), books, CDs, records, movies, leather goods, fans, and plates, all relatively cheap.  It was amazing to see the sheer volume of things that were offered at the market, and it was interesting to see an open air market that was so large, and extended through such a large area of the neighborhood.  After wandering around the market in the oppressive heat for a while, we went to lunch, and then the group separated until later that evening.

In our downtime, Sophie and I decided to wander through some parts of Madrid that we hadn't been to before, and (mostly by chance), stumbled upon two cathedrals, a garden, the Royal Palace, some more jewelry kiosks where we both fell prey to the combined temptations of our love for jewelry, and some very low prices, a movie theater, an Irish sports bar, and Starbucks.   Finally, we made our way back to Sol to meet Pete for the evening entertainment--a bullfight.

The bullfight, though not quite how I expected it, was very interesting to see.  While it was hard to avoid the cold truth that every bull that entered the ring was first prodded and stabbed by the picadors, then teased, and finally killed by the matador, the movements of the matador made it seem almost like a dance.  There was a great deal of pomp and circumstance, with trumpets playing every time another bull entered the ring, and the colorful costumes worn by everyone, even the men whose job it was to hitch the bull to the ropes used to drag its body out of the ring.  The crowd added another different element to the show.  While I think most of the crowd was, like ourselves, tourists, there were some devoted bull-fighting Spaniards in the crowd.  One of whom, sitting right next to us, often yelled in frustration at the matador things such as "hay que hacer más" (do more) and "que pesado es" (how annoying).  And finally, once the matador established a rhythm, taunting the bull into charging from side to side, the crowd would yell "Olé" as the bull ran, again and again, into the empty air.

All in all, while it is hard to reconcile with what happens to the bulls in the ring, watching the bull fight was a good experience, and I am glad I went.

Movie Night Round II

Protests in Madrid

As you have most likely heard, Spain is in the midst of its own financial crisis and we are bearing witness to its effects every day. The unemployment rate is a staggering 25% and among the youth, almost 50%. Similarly to the US, many social services are being cut and we have seen quite a few protests in Puerta del Sol, the city center. This afternoon, a group of people were protesting cuts to aid for former drug/alcohol addicts. ADT

Segovia! (no, not Genovia)

Saturday we went on a day trip to the city of Segovia, which is a 30 minute train ride from Madrid. After being crammed on a bus with about 45678459 other sweaty people (Julia could probably write a whole post about it), we finally arrived. (Lets just say... we took a taxi on the way back). Immediatly upon arrival, we were astounded by the incredible roman aqueduct that covers the entrance to the old city of Segovia. We explored the city, took tons of pictures, and visited the beautiful sites like the Segovia Cathedral. We even got to climb to the very top of the Segovia Alcázar. Fun fact... the Alcázar was the model for the Disney World castle logo! 

Cathedral

What a view!

Us and the aqueduct

Alcázar (Disney?!)

Later... we were bombarded by giant birds and insects which formed some sort of musical parade that brought joy to children of all ages (especially to DT) throughout the city. (see picture below)

After seeing all the sites, it was time for lunch (la comida) and we had reservations at a famous restauraunt, El Candido. The restaurant´s specialty is baby suckling pig (cochinillo), which was brought to us on a tray by a very enthusiastic man (see picture) who gave a speech to the restaurant, cut the pig with a plate (to show how tender it is) and then threw it on the floor. Needless to say, we kinda felt like celebrities. We also had the best dessert ever which was basically cream and pancetta and tasted like burnt dulce de leche.

Overall an awesome day, and one of my favorite memories from the trip so far!
Sophie

Spain beats France!

Sorry, GCIP Paris!

Spain's Xabi Alonso scores a goal during the Euro 2012 quarter-final.

Look who's here!

After an unfortunate delay, Andy has joined us in Madrid! He will commence his internship at the Instituto de Materiales de Madrid on Monday. For now, we are trying to catch him up by showing him around the city and of course, introducing him to a variety of Spanish foods.

Movie night

Tonight the girls came over for a Spanish film and some delicious pastries.

First Day at Work

Hannah McCormack

The first day on the job was a success! Above is the hotel that we are working at. We promptly arrived and got to the hotel early (about 30 minutes too early).  We officially began at 9 kicking off the day with a tour of the hotel by Daniel, director of sales. We entered nearly every meeting room (some twice) and got a look at guest rooms and saw the rooms in the hotel where we would be working.  Today, I was working in restaurant with Celine.  Celine was in charge of coordinating all of the different food services within the hotel.  Her job includes managing the bar, the restaurant, room service, and large dinners.  We started off by looking at the hotel´s performance over the weekend.  We saw what parts of the hotel had been successful over the weekend as well as places where profits might have not been as high as one would have hoped.  After reviewing weekend reports, we went to the kitchen to get food for a photo shoot.  The hotel wanted to photograph food in a hotel room to display in an electronic picture frame by the concierge desk. A nice cheese place, some ice cream, salad, and cookies seemed to do the job.  After we took the pictures, we ate the cookies (I ate the cookies). We went back downstairs to Celine´s office to finalize plans for the dinner the hotel was hosting tonight for 32 people. Some last minute changes requested by the client caused a little bit of stress.  I then found a new best friend named Cesar.  While Celine was on a call, Cesar and I spent the rest of the day setting up tables for the dinner that night.  We were quite the dynamic duo.  He reminded me of Larry from the Three Stooges.  No wonder we got along so well.  Two thirty came around a lot faster that I expected.  After today, I no longer understand why adults complain about work.  Can´t wait for tomorrow!



Spain defeats Croatia (1 to 0)  

First day at work!

The first day at work was a success! More details from Julia, Sophie, and Hannah soon!

Getting lost in the culture of Madrid... by Sophie DenUyl



One of the coolest (and most interesting) parts of Madrid for me has been just simply getting lost and finding my way again. I've learned that getting lost is the best way to get to know a city, because you meet random people and see random things. The first time I tried to use the metro I was very nervous because I have a terrible sense of direction (like really bad). Also, I'm from the metropolis of Little Compton RI (just kidding we don't even have a grocery store) so I'm not really used to metros.  When I tried to get on the train to go home to my apartment, I sort of guessed which way the "blue line" would be heading. In a last ditch effort to see if I was going to get home, I asked a woman if I could get to the neighborhood where I'm staying (Pacifico) on this train. She said "No, no! It's going in the opposite direction!" I ran off the train seconds before the doors shut, and eventually I found the right one. Overall, the first few days, I got lost A  LOT. Sometimes when I tried to ask for directions in Spanish, people immediately answered me in English (I guess they sensed my American-ness...) One time, I couldn't find my apartment from the metro station and I ended up following a family home who lived on the same street (not in a creepy way though). What I've realized is that it can be very fun to be lost sometimes. Also, while I'm talking about the metro... I have heard some incredible music in the stations and also in the trains themselves: from guitar, to accordian, to saxaphone... (sometimes people just belt out their favorite tune!). In fact, in Madrid, people actually have to audition to be able to play in the metro stations!

Another way that I have plunged into the wonderful Spanish culture is by living in a house that only speaks Spanish. My host-mom is super cool and she has a 9-year old son and a chihuahua. Its been a challenge (but so fun at the same time) communicating with my host-mom, Maria. For example, the other day I wanted more toilet paper but I didn't know how to say the word in Spanish. Eventually, she figured it out when I said "the paper you use in the bathroom." It's also been interesting talking to Maria, and other Spanish people, about the economic crisis that is going on in Spain. When I was watching the news with Maria the other day she taught me a lot about what was going on and the effects she thought it would have in the future. She actually works for one of the banks that is having so much trouble right now. Also, Maria is a very good cook. Last night for dinner, we had delicious fish with anguilas (baby eels common in Spanish cooking), french bread, and broccoli soaked in olive oil, with delicious cake for desert. I think my favorite Spanish food so far is paella.
So far, I'm totally enamored by Spain and its culture and beauty (even if I do get lost a lot)!

Spain´s Nadal Wins the French Open at Roland Garros for the 7th Time

Nadal made history when he passed Bjorn Borgs record of six titles when he deafeated Djokivic

Toledo

Thursday, June 14 2012 Hannah McCormack  

Today GCIP took on the city of Toledo.  The group was very forgiving after I slept through my alarm and arrived at the metro thirty minutes late. After a café con leche we hopped on the train.

  We took a train directly into Toledo.  Toledo used to be the capital of Spain until the 1560´s. In Toledo, the Jews Christians and Muslims lived together generally in peace.  Bellow is the Cathedral of Toledo.  This Cathedral is an example of Spain´s Gothic Architecture.  This is one of many famous sites in Toledo.

After visiting the Cathedral we went to the Muesam of the Spanish Army.  At the muesam, we learned even more about Spain´s struggle through out its history.  Numerous battles over religious and cultural conflicts permitted Spain from becoming a unified country for a long time.  Amy espeically enjoyed the baby army uniform and is looking for a similar one for Luca.  

 

Toledo and Madrid are different both architecturally and culturally.  Above you can see the thin side walks which is an example of muslim influence on Toledo.  

After the Muesum we met up with Pete and Luca who had been enjoying yet another café con leche and tostilla. We were a little confused why Luca was wearing a dress...

After meeting up with the rest of the gang we headed over to El Greco.  Greco was a famous painter, sculptor and architect during the Spanish Renaissance.  While his art was not recognized during his lifetime, the great artist earned posthumous fame in the 20th century.

After our visit to El Greco we grabbed lunch near the train.  Yet another authentic spain meal.  Not going to lie I could have gone for some pizza but who doesn´t love baby bird?

After Lunch we enjoyed our last moments in Toledo before taking the train back to Madrid. A very successful day trip.  We accomplished a lot of site seeing.  It was also neat to see the many differences between Madrid and Toledo despite their proximity.

http://powerpointsdeviajes.blogspot.com.es/2012/02/toledo-la-ciudad-de-las-tres-culturas.html

La llegada-Julia R.

We arrived safely in Madrid early in the morning and quickly went to get our first "café con leche", in a cafe close to the city center Sol with all our suitcases and some serious jet lag. After walking around for a while and getting to know Sol and La Plaza Mayor, we rested for a bit and then went our separate ways to meet our host mothers.

The next morning, we met for another coffee in La Plaza Santa Ana, and found Pete and Luca already enjoying some tortilla española (Luca loves his tortilla española).  The bitter coffee (or hot chocolate in Hannah's case) quickly woke us up, and then we continued our exploration of Madrid, walking down Huertas, where we stopped to appreciate the various quotes from Spanish literature written on the street.  We passed by El Prado, and then went to lunch, where we tried a variety of different tapas including anguilitas--baby eels.

Pimientos de padrón

From lunch we walked to El Palacio Real, where we enjoyed some fruit and took some selfies and candids.  After our fun with the cameras, we toured the inside of the Palace, which is incredibly beautiful. 

El Palacio Real

We sat and chatted in another cafe within view of the palace for some time, and then found our way back to our apartments by ourselves.  I myself took a wrong turn getting out of the metro, and then quickly realized that Madrid, unlike New York, is not built on a grid system.  I asked for directions and found my way back.

Wednesday we met to have yet another café con leche, a theme of the trip, and then walked around El Parque Retiro.  It was a beautiful sunny day (as every day here has been) and the park was amazing.  For lunch, Sophie, Hannah, and I were told to get ourselves lost in the city so as to get to know it better.  We were rather proud of the job we had done when we stepped out of the restaurant we ate lunch in, and immediately saw Amy, Pete, and baby Luca.  Clearly our sense of direction is just too good.