Day 14 - 15:

Well I didn't post the other night like I said I would... so here are the past two days here in Madrid.

Day 14:

Tuesday Rocio drove us over the mountains of Madrid to see the city of Segovia. Segovia is an old town with deep Roman influence. The primary example of this influence is the massive stone aqueduct that stretches down the center of the city. I absolutely loved seeing this amazing structure. All of the stone pillars and arches had no form of mortar or cement holding them together. Gravity and friction were the only things that kept it from toppling to the ground.

Near the aqueduct was an incredible castle that housed many of the kings in that region. This castle differed from the castle we saw in Barcelona because it actually looked like a castle. There was a massive moat, and towers that even Cinderella would be proud of. We had a great time exploring the castle and even climbing to the highest point of the tallest tower.

When we finished exploring Segovia and had a wonderful lunch, we headed back through the mountains. The landscape in the mountains was magnificent. Tall, slender trees were thick in this region, and because it resembled the Ozarks so much, I got my first big taste if homesickness. I missed my home and our land, but most of all I missed my family. Eventually, I quit feeling sorry for myself and tried to enjoy the rest of the ride.

By the time we got home it was really late so we went straight to bed.

Day 15:

Yesterday was a super fun day! We were able to wake up a little later than usual because we had the morning to relax at home. At 2:45 we left with Rocio to go on a tour bus ride of Madrid! The bus ride was really neat. We were on the top level of the bus without a roof above us. Being up this high, allowed us to see the buildings and monuments easily because our views were not blocked by large cars. The only thing I didn't like about the ride was that the audio guide (which we listened to with headphones) was not great. It was difficult to tell what buildings they were talking about and to understand what they were saying.

After the bus ride, MiLeah and I were free to look through a few of the gift shops in the area while Rocio took the car to pick Ignacio up from work. We then met the two of them at a world famous Flamenco restaurant.

The restaurant was a small and crowded building with chairs and tables so close together that felt like they were stacked on top of eachother. But don't let the apearance fool you. This restaurant was super classy. Ignacio and Rocio absolutely spoiled us there. They told the waiter to bring us a bunch of traditional Spanish dishes all in the form of tapas. All of the food was amazing. They would bring the food to us in waves. As soon as we were done with one plate, they would bring another to us! We tried ham, vegetables, cheese, eggplant, assorted breads, lamb, and even goose liver!! All of the food was fantastic, but it didn't even compare to the Flamenco performance.

I had never seen Flamenco, and I didn't know what to expect. I went into the experience with an open mind and I am glad I did, because it is definitely different. The best way I can describe Flamenco is a passionate and loud tap dance routine with live musicians. It was the coolest dance routine I have ever seen. The feet of the dancers would move so fast that they  just looked like a blur. The only thing I didn't really like was the singing, but only because I could not understand it. The whole experience of the restaurant was probably one of the top three things I have seen on the trip, and I wish I could see it again.

After the dance, we thanked Rocio and Ignacio probably 100 times and then headed home and went to bed.

Today we will be going to see one of the important bull fights here in Madrid! Hopefully we will get home before I am exhausted so I can tell you about it!

Hasta luego!!