My weekend full of class trips continued on Saturday with two excursions for my cultural studies class. The first was to the Reina Sofia art museum to see Civil War art. Many of the pieces we looked at I had just looked at with my parents but this time I had my teacher as a guide telling me the meaning. We studied Guernica in depth and looked at some Dali. Then we had a 20 minute break before our next trip. The second trip was to the Valley of the Fallen. This monument was built by Franco as a memorial to the victoms of the Spanish Civil War. It is also where he is burried. It is about 45 minutes outside of the city and is built underneath a mountain. The monument is quite controvercial because it was built by republican war prisioners and many died in the construction process. On top of the mountain there is a giant cross. You can see the cross from miles away. It was a pretty intense experience. Apparently this was Franco's pride and joy and his power is evident in every aspect. Inside there is a bisilica that still holds mass everyday. There are also the bodies of many people who died during the civil war. We got an extensive history lesson as we explored the grounds. I'm really glad I saw it, but I don't think I will be going back.
Today I had a great day! The AYA director invited us all over to her house for cooking class. We learned to make tortilla espanola, an omlet type thing. Then we made a spinach dish and arroz con leche for dessert. We learned to make sangria also! It was fun to work together to make a delicious spanish meal. I will definitly be repeating some of the recipies this summer for my family and friends. I'll leave you with some pictures of our wonderful cooking!
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