Was a long and dark December...

...Actually, no. These pictures were taken during our trip to Madrid, from October 28th to November 1st. Yeah. So here they are.

 This is on our way to...

 ...El Escorial! It is a palace built by Felipe II. He designed it so that the church is in the center to enhance the importance of religion in everyone's life.

 Like many famous landmarks in Spain, we weren't allowed to take pictures inside. So all you get to see are the ones of the courtyard. Sorry.

 Fin. (The end.)

We REALLY wanted to go, but the cheapest tickets were 60 euro. :(

 This is outside the Prado Museum (my favorite so far). That is a statue of Velazquez, a very famous painter. I loved studying a lot of the art and artists, and then later going to the museums to see their works. It was very cool!

 This is the aqueduct in Segovia. It's very old and still in use.

 This is the cathedral in Segovia.

 We had studied and been tested on the Gothic era and the Romantic era before traveling to Madrid, so everyone got annoyed when I said, "You guys, you guys... pop quiz... is it Gothic or Romantic?" Hahahahahaha. It's Gothic. :-P

 These are the views from the castle. This castle is very special, because it is one of Disney's inspirations for his castle.

 This is a reflection of my friend Katherine and me in a well of the castle.

 The aqueduct again.

 This is a cool fountain/building during our walking tour in Madrid.

 This is the Temple de Debod. It is an ancient Egyptian temple from the 2nd century B.C.

 I believe this type of architecture is modern.

 This is the Palacio Real from the back...

 ...and the front!

 "The equestrian statue of Felipe IV by the sculptor Pedro de Tacca, founded in Florence in 1640 with the advice of Galileo, was donated by the Grand Dukes of Tuscany. Initially installed in the gardens of Buen Retiro Palace, in 1844, under the reign of Isabel II, it was transferred to East Palace."

 Good ol' paella. I admit it wasn't fantastic. My host mom makes it a lot better than the restaurant in Madrid.

 This is Toledo, the city that was a religious capital for the visigodos waaaaaaaaay back in the day. It's one of my favorite cities!

 This is the cathedral in Toledo. Once again, it is difficult to get good pictures of such big objects with such a small camera lens.

 In most villages, the streets are very narrow. The technique helps provide shade for most of the day during the hotter months. It's quite effective.

 This is inside the cathedral of Toledo. We didn't have much time walk around inside because our bus was leaving at 3:30 and the cathedral opened at 2:30.

 This was one of the most impressing parts. It's so beautiful!

More to come...

<3