Final Post - Madrid

Our last full day we hit Retiro Park, had patatas bravas where they originated, ate at the most famous churros con chocolate place, took a final exam, and had our steak dinner where Woodberry has been going for probably more than 20 years, the one and only Casa Paco.

Day 31 - Avila - Segovia

We left early to catch a train to Avila, a beautiful walled in city also famous for its chuleton (think big t-bone steak.)  We then headed to Segovia to see its many monuments and dine on its famous cochinillo (suckling pig.)

Day 30 - Madrid

We started the day with a breakfast mixer in the Plaza Mayor with a girls school where my wife and I used to work in California.  We mixed the tables and had a chance to compare programs.  We then did a walking tour of the Cathedral and some residential neighborhoods.  We had a grilled meat lunch and then some frre time to shop or recover from the crazy night we had celebrating Spain's big win (a newspaper had a photo of one of our students celebrating.)  We then tried to see the parade with the players but the multitude of fans slowed it down too much for us to wait so we went the the Reina Sofia museum and then took a metro to dinner.  When we exited the metro the team buse was about to pass so we had front row spots by pure luck.  We then had a great dinner at Bardemcilla. 

Days 28 and 29 - Valencia - Madrid

Yesterday was free for the students to enjoy one last day at the beach and enjoy Valencia's great host families.  Today we arrived in Madrid as is we had planned to be at the epicenter of the country's inevitable first World Cup championship.  Before the craziness began, we caught an hour of the Prado Museum.

Day 27 - Valencia

We had an incredible morning as we hired one of the top chefs in Valencia to take us through Spain’s best produce market to teach us the tricks of the trade on how to pick fresh fish, vegetables, etc. Then, back at his restaurant, he taught us the levels of quality within cured hams and the variety of olive oils, among many other things. Then he kicked us out of his restaurant so he could prepare a huge lunch for us (while we took a quick tour of the Lonja, the medieval stock market) that combined both classic and innovative dishes. The most modern was the gazpacho that had some ingredients frozen, some in foam and mixed together was simply delicious. The traditional baked rice dish, arroz al horno (blood sausage, rib meat, potato, tomato and garbanzo beans,) tasted even better than it looks in the photo.