El Palacio de Cristal
This is the Palacio de Cristal ("Crystal Palace"), a glass pavilion inspired by The Crystal Palace in London, undoubtedly the gardens' most extraordinary building. Built along with its artificial pond in 1887 by architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco for the Philippine Islands Exhibitions, it was first used to display flower species indigenous to the islands. When we were in Spain the last time it had been converted to an art museum.

The Parque del Buen Retiro is the most popular park in Madrid. It can get crowded during weekends when many Madrilenian families go for a stroll in the park and street musicians, sidewalk painters, fortune tellers, jugglers and street performers animate the crowd. The Retiro Park was created as a royal park; it belonged to the Real Sitio del Buen Retiro palace. In 1632, the palace was built by King Philips IV as a retreat for the Royal family. Retiro stands for retreat, hence the name of the park and palace. At the time the park was well outside the city walls, but now Madrid has completely enclosed the Retiro Park. If the weather is nice we may rent row boats there one afternoon!

Below is a picture of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza at the Cervantes Memorial. We will be getting a group picture taken here. Spanish IV students, you will appreciate it even more as we will be reading the book next quarter!

Final Bill from CHA

By now you all should have received the final bill in the mail from CHA. It lists all of the payments you have made to date and the final balance which, as we all know, is due December the 25th. If you have NOT received this bill please let me know immediately. Also, be aware that there is a $50 late fee if you pay after the 25th. You should have also received information about the optional insurance. This can not be purchased after you make your final payment. The cost is $109 but well worth it if you need to use it.

MADRID

Our first stop will be Madrid,the capital of Spain since 1561. It is the largest city in the Iberian Peninsula. It is also the third most populous city in the European Union. It is located almost directly in the center of the country.

Here are some places of interest that we will visit in Madrid:

Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor has been the site of executions, tournaments, weddings, bullfights and inquisition trials. This very large square is surround continuously by one very large square building from which onlookers perched to view the festivities in the square below. On the ground floor level of the Plaza Mayor building are cafes, bars, shops and restaurants; most catering to the tourist.

Philip II ordered the construction of the square as part of his plan to make Madrid the capital of Spain. In the center of the plaza sets the statue of Philip III, straddling his horse. He is honored here for completing the construction of
The square in 1619 AD. There is a picture of the Plaza Mayor in the first chapter of the Spanish IV textbook.


Cervantes Memorial

The most popular sight at the Plaza de España is the monument to Miguel de Cervantes, writer of the world famous story of Don Quixote de la Mancha and his trusty squire, Sancho Panza. Visitors flock to the monument to get their picture taken in front of the bronze statues of Don Quixote on his horse and Sancho Panza on his mule. Behind them is statue of Cervantes himself, looking over his creations.

Meeting Recap

Thanks to all who came to the meeting on Tuesday. By now you should all either have your passport or be in the process of getting it. Remember, the name on the passport must exactly match the name on your ticket. Pay particular attention to your middle name. If you notice a discrepancy contact me immediately! Once you get your passport go to the CHA website, click on the red icon in the lower left corner and add the requested information (passport number, issuing country and expiration date)

I am still in need of some numbers for the phone chain as well as parent e-mail addresses. If you have not yet given me your info, e-mail it to senoray@yahoo.com.

Important Meeting!
There will be a meeting for both parents and students on Tuesday October 19th at 7:00 p.m. in the school cafeteria. We will be discussing passports, airline company policies, roommates and a change of itinerary. We will review the optional insurance policy and pass out forms for those wishing to sign up. In order to communicate more effectively we will be creating a phone chain as well as an e-mail chain. Make sure you bring 2 copies of your passport with you (if you already have yours). Remember that there are 3 to a room when choosing roommmates. Our final payment day is December 25th (just think of this as a huge Christmas present!) and you can make payments on-line at www.cha-tours.com

Bienvenidos!

Welcome to the Spain blog! This will be the place to get information about our trip. To date we have 23 participants signed up (check out the list on the left) and there is a rumor that there will be one more! If you know of anyone else interested they can register up until September 30th.

It's too soon to start packing your suitcases but there is something you can do to get ready for the trip: GET YOUR PASSPORT! Summer is a great time to get that taken care of. See: Useful websites.

Just to let me know that you read this first post, please e-mail me at senoray@yahoo.com or simply make a comment on this page. All who do will be entered in a drawing to win some Euros.

We will be having another get-together the week before school starts. Date and time: TBA. I am thinking ice cream....