"Madrid, Spain" Madrid by tejanasueca

I spent five weeks in Madrid during the summer of 2001. It was the first time I had the opportunity to practice my school Spanish in real life. While I was very hesitant at first, I soon started talking Spanish like it was nothing. I stayed with a Spanish family north of central Madrid, and together with my friends from my American university, I studied Spanish at a shool located just next to the Retiro Park. We did bring a teacher with us from our American University, but since he was born and raised in Madrid, this did not matter much. As a matter of fact, he was so excited about being back home and working at the same time that we probably saw and learned more about Madrid and Spain than many others!!!

El Valle de los Caidos

Our teacher taught us a lot about Spanish culture, and while was not particularly fond of bullfights and fotball (yes, he really is Spanish!), he had a great passion for history , art, and especially cathedrals! Still, to this day, I can name the parts of a cathedral in Spanish, but not in English or Swedish!

Carlos, our teacher, did not only know a lot about Spanish history, he had also lived it. He was 14 when Franco died and many times told us how it was to be young in a country run by a dictator. His disgust with the man was apperant when he took us to "Valle de los Caidos" (a monument Franco built after the Civil War and also his own burial site). While this place is very beautiful and has beautiful views, I have not included it in my "must see activities" as I know it is a place that upsets many people (my mom, who used to demonstrated against Franco's regime when she was a teen in Sweden, did not appreciate the visit at all).

Plaza de Toros, Madrid

However, as you will see, there are many other places to visit in and around Madrid. There is world class art museums, bullfights, soccer/football games, castles, parks, historical towns, etc. I hope these pages will give you some insight to what there is to see and do during your visit to the Spanish capital!