Yesterday I visited the Reina Sophía museum with my Estudios Culturales class. The Reina Sophía is the home of Picasso's Guernica, the most famous single work of the 20th century. It was created as a Civil War protest and commissioned by the Spanish Republican government in 1937. I have seen this painting in so many textbooks, it was incredible to see it in real life. I was amazed at its size, I didn't realize how big it actually is--349 cm × 776 cm (137.4 in × 305.5 in)! Our focus was on art during the Spanish Civil War, so we also saw works by Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Horacio Ferrer, and Robert Capa. But there was so much more to see! So I'm definitely returning! :)
After the Reina Sophía, we took a bus to the Valle de Los Caídos (The Valley of the Fallen), the tomb of dictator Francisco Franco. The monument is a huge cross on the mountainside 50 stories tall (100 if you include the base!). You can see it from kilometers away! It was neat to see, but a little strange too. I don't know how to describe it, but it just had an eery feeling to it...
Today, Patricia, the directora of our program, had us all over to her house for a Spanish cooking class! And boy did we cook! For 2 hours! Tortilla española (omelet with potato--very popular here!), a spinich dish, Arroz con leche (translation: rice with milk, a dessert), and of course, sangria. It was so delicious, but so filling! I can't wait to make some of these Spanish foods when I go home! --Christy
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