Madrid and Segovia

So we have been in Madrid for almost a week and everyday has been one discovery/adventure after the other.
The majority of the week consisted of going to boring classes. Every morning we had an advanced Spanish class where we pretty much learned how to order tapas, how to tell a boy off in a club, how to answer the phone, and slang phrases and words. Some of the stuff was useful, but most was just a refresher from high school (Thanks Senyora Negroni!). The class after was a history course. The book we read over the summer had exactly the same information, so I guess this was a way for those who didn't read the book to have a bit of knowledge on Spanish history. We started from the beginning of Iberia to what Spain is today. What really interested me is we spent almost 30 minutes talking about some king but only about 5 minutes on Franco....
This in a way pissed me off. I mean Franco is pretty much influenced Spain to what it is today. He was a HUGE part of Spanish history and the only thing the professor said was that under him during:
the 40s Spain was in isolation
the 50s "El Cambio"
the 60s Spain experienced a boom in their economy

No discussion on the horror that occurred during this time, the harsh establishment he created nor the positive things he did. Perhaps certain Spaniards don't like to discuss this period as a result of the hard persecution their ancestors experiences. Oh well. Very interesting. OK back to to more less nerdy stuff...

Here is where we have been this week:
1. Plaza Mayor
2. Palacio Real
3. Reina Sofia (the Madrid equivalent of the MoMA)
4. Segovia

They were all pretty amazing. I think the most interesting was Segovia. It is a city about an hour outside of Madrid. The contains to much history. Some interesting facts:
1. Walt Disney drew inspiration from the castle in Segovia for his movies.
2. The Roman Aqueducts in the city are the largest and most well preserved anywhere in the world. They were built around 100 A.D.
3.The Gothic Cathedral of Segovia is considered Europe's last great Gothic Cathedral.
4. There is a synagogue that dates back to the 14th century and in the 15th century converted to a church as a result of the Expulsion of Jews from the Iberian Peninsula.

I will make a new post for pictures from all of these places. Some random stuff to say:

Maite is an amazing cook. Everyday Laura and I discuss everyday what she is going to make for dinner. We had this zucchini with goat cheese casserole thing yesterday. It was incredible.

We are becoming close with the host family. Last night we even watched a movie with them! In Spanish of course. Wonderful film.

Tonight we are going out for the first time. Our host parents, I think, think we are very lame. They kept asking when we were going out. haha I think we are going to hit up Joy, a popular club here. Should be fun!