On Tuesday, March 15, the Foxcroft girls had their second day of classes at Jesús María de Juan Bravo. They all loved the experience of sitting in a class and speaking only Spanish, and instantly became the stars of the school. By lunchtime, they were begging me to arrange our schedule so that they could spend as much time as possible in the classroom with their host sisters!
Nonetheless, after lunch we went out on an excursion to the old city center of Madrid. Juan Bravo let us borrow our usual guide, Asunción, as well as Luisa, a teacher of both history and art, to tour us around the section of Madrid that was built primarily during the reign of the Hapsburgs. Because of their influence, this area of the city is known as Madrid de los Austrias, or The Austrians’ Madrid. We set out on the Metro and arrived at the city’s famous opera house. The theater’s main facade faces onto a gorgeous courtyard, filled with flowers and fountains and bounded by colorful apartment houses.
Most impressive of all, though, was the royal palace directly across from us. It is an immense structure built between 1738 and 1755 on the site of a previous castle founded by the old Muslim kings of Spain. The palace sits on the crest of a hill, so the courtyards and gardens offered us incredible views of the whole city of Madrid and its outskirts. We walked down into the Gardens of Sabatini just alongside the palace to enjoy the view while strolling through boxwood mazes or appreciating statues and fountains. From the gardens, we walked over to the palace’s main courtyard, which has been the site of several royal weddings and coronations. Directly across from the courtyard is Madrid’s main cathedral, a huge and impressive edifice in the Gothic style.
We continued to wind through the old city as Luisa pointed out interesting or historic sights–churches, parade routes, and even the old marriage registry! Before heading back to school, we all made a stop at a somewhat peculiar little shop. “El Jardin del Convento” sells exclusively goods made in local monasteries and convents. We were surprised and impressed by the huge assortment of wines and liqueurs, cookies, sweets, jellies and textiles available from the local religious orders. Asunción and Luisa recommended to us some almond cookies and a box of “polvorones,” a bizzare kind of sweet that puffs into a sort of chocolate dust when you smash it inside its wrapping.
The Foxcroft girls were very appreciative of the tour, and surprised to see a part of the city so very different from where we are staying just a couple of metro stops away!
The plaza and apartments across from the Palacio Real
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