I can't believe how much we have fit into the last 48 hours!
We started out Monday morning (3/5/07) - bright and early at 9 a.m. - with a 3-hour walking tour of Madrid. Our guide, Isabel, shared many fun facts and lots of history. We walked through the Plaza Mayor on to Plaza del Sol and over to the Royal Palace where we were greeted another tour guide. Here we split up into 2 groups and got a full (and thorough!) tour of the Royal Palace. I cannot even begin to describe the beautiful things we saw, but I will tell you one little story:
As we were nearing the end of our tour, it was very clear that everyone was getting very tired. We were all suffering from jet lag, we had been on our feet for almost 4 hours straight, and we were not yet (correction - STILL are not) used to taking lunch at 3 p.m. The group was visibly out of energy when Isabel said, "Only 4 more rooms, we will be quick!" There seemed to be a communal sigh as she energetically pranced off leaving us in her dust! As we walked into the first room I heard a bit of commotion and was surprised to see everyone perk up a bit. Little did we know that he had just walked into the music room. Little did we know what was waiting for us. We were standing among 2 violins, 1 viola and 2 cellos all handmade by Antonio Stradivarius! The students were doubly impressed that it is estimated that only 19 originals still exist - and we were among 5!!! It was quite cool.
After our walking, we dined together for lunch. From there we went straight to the hotel to change and prep for our first concert of the tour! I will spare you the details of our rehearsal at the Conservatory but I am happy to report that we sang VERY well. We had a crowd of about 100 and we were well received. "Ave Maris Stella," "Little Birds" and "Seasons of Love" were among the favorites! After the concert we were treated to tapas with the faculty of the conservatory - it was quite a treat!
We started out today (3/6/07) with another early morning tour! We were on a bus by 9 a.m. on our way to Toledo. Here we walked around, up, down, over, and under the windy and narrow roads! Some of the roads were so narrow that cars were unable to get through! The highlight of the tour was our trip through the Primate Cathedral of Spain. This gorgeous Baroque cathedral took 266 years to finish, houses several Caravaggio originals, 13 original Greco paintings and contains 77 stained glass windows and 3 separate organs. It is quite the sight to see and I'm not sure we could have covered everything if we had spent the whole day there! After that was lunch and a bus ride back. We will spend the evening on our own - exploring the city and taking some time at the Museo del Prado
One hopes bedtime will come early tonight as we have 2 big days of touring and singing in front of us - wish us luck!
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I visited Spain last august. I have been only to Barcelona and really liked it. It is very beautiful and amazing city. The works of Antoni Gaudi dominate the city of Barcelona. Though the city is both modern and cosmopolitan in nature, it has a rich history in architecture and the arts. Many buildings, churches and Barcelona hotels have an original and amazing design and architecture. There 7 beautiful beaches and a lot of parks, which I liked very much. It is really amazing city with it's own magic atmosphere. The capital of Catalonia is unequivocally a Mediterranean city, not only because of its geographic location but also and above all because of its history, tradition and cultural influences.
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