Many of the program classes had some local excursions this weekend, so my friends and I opted to stay in Madrid. My weekend started with a visit to La Feria to see a modern art exhibit. I enjoyed walking around and seeing all of the art. My friend Kristen and I chose a piece called “Nicole 2” to analyze and present to the class. It was cool to see all of the different mediums that the artists chose, and I am looking forward to replicating one of the pieces for homework this week.

Saturday was just as phenomenal. A friend of mine mentioned that the trees at Parque Quinta de los Molinos were blooming this weekend, and because it was a beautiful, summery day, we decided to organize a picnic. Before heading out to the park, we went to the Corte Inglés to pick up some food. Once at the park, we found a lovely spot near one of the many trees in bloom with the perfect ratio of sun and shade. We spent the afternoon eating, laughing, taking way too many photos and doing some of our Sketchbook homework. As the afternoon started to turn into evening, one of the people in our group suggested that we see the sunset at Templo de Debod. After a quick stop in a nearby coffee shop for some café con leche and té chai, we marveled at the fantastic and breathtaking views.

On Sunday, I played in a volleyball game with Las Gladiadoras and we won! After returning back to my homestay in La Latina, I packed up my bag and went to La Bicicleta in Malasaña to meet my group partners to prepare for our upcoming presentation in Is Spain Different. Our topic was about the 1-Octubre referendum in Cataluña and we spent a few hours planning and practicing our presentation over some coffee and chai lattes.

What a fun weekend!