2023 Spain: Days 3 & 4
March 26-27, 2023
Our final day in Madrid brought us to el Museo Reina Sofía, where we saw Picasso’s “Guernica” up close. “Guernica” hangs nearly 11 feet tall and 26 feet long. Seeing the immense painting in person provides a whole new understanding and sense of gravity to the moment in history Picasso preserved in the mural-sized canvas.
On our paseo through the city from Reina Sofía, we encountered a monument to honor Federico García Lorca in the Barrio Letras, as well as the home where Miguel de Cervantes once lived. Our walk ended near the Royal Palace where we stopped to enjoy the sun and take a group photo.
The very next morning, we loaded the bus for Toledo. Approaching the city of Toledo felt like stepping back in time. Within its walls, we find almost 2,000 years of visual history. After our morning tour, we met in a quiet plaza to learn about the different actors and participants of the Spanish Civil War. Every student contributed to discussion in the plaza before returning to explore the city. In one of the shops, we were reminded of Cervantes when we found the world’s largest sculpture of Don Quixote made from the local treat, marzipan.