This is where I spent my Sunday! In one of my rare weekends that am actually in the Madrid area where I should be, I took the time to explore a bit more in depth the great city that I kind of got to call home for 4 months. Before I go all in depth into this, though, let me just point out one thing…By the end of my time here, I will have had 16 weeks to enjoy Spain and all its surroundings. Well after looking at my calendar last week, I realized that I only spent 4 in the Madrid/Alcalá area!! Yup, somehow, I found myself out and about all except the first weekend, last weekend, and 2 other weekends somewhere in between. Mission accomplished? Yes, I would most definitely say so.
Anywho, on Saturday, I returned to El Escorial, this time with BG paying the tab, and got to see something I completely missed last time, El Valle de Los Caidos, or Valley of the Fallen. I really have no idea how I managed to miss seeing this anywhere or any sign pointing towards this when I was there the first time:
What you are looking at now is the mausoleum constructed by Franco, the dictator of Spain for about 40 years, for himself and other casualties from the Spanish Civil War that took place 1936-39. Inside that mountain and under that cross is a HUGE basilica that is actually larger than the Vatican. However, because no basilica is allowed to be larger than the Vatican, there is a gate inside that officially makes Franco’s basilica smaller than the Vatican. This is what the inside looks like…
It’s actually kind of dark and gloomy inside. And why not? It’s inside a cave! I found it hard to enjoy this amazing monument, though. I just couldn’t get it out of my mind that a dictator that used his political prisoners to build his own mausoleum was behind it all. Place on top of that all the negative connotations the word dictator brings to mind thanks to an American education. Just a bit intense. To relieve the tension, however, my friends and I decided to join the fallen at the Valley of the Fallen…
Sunday was dedicated to museums in Madrid, mostly because they are free to everyone on Sundays. I went to the Prado Museum, home to tons of Spanish masterpieces and a few others. However, I spent way more time at the Royal Palace!
I opted to take videos of my time in the Palace instead of pictures. So if you are in the mood for some royalty, just give me a holler when I am back in the States and I’ll be more than happy to share this with you!
What’s next on my agenda? BARCELONA!! Leaving this Friday morning…woot woot!
1 comment:
You changed your blog, I wasn't sure if I was in the correct one...everything looks similar to Queretaro, can't believe the similarity. Anywho, have fun in Barcelona and keep sending photos. Also make sure you enjoy your last couple of weeks in Europe.
xoxo
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