Farewell León, Hello Segovia (and Madrid)

And so it was with the heaviest of hearts that we left our beloved León first thing yesterday morning. The only thing more potent than the students' exhaustion at 6:00am was the intensity of the mixed emotions expressed in their farewells - sadness for departing (oh yes, there were many tears) and genuine happiness for having gotten to share another family's life for a few extraordinary weeks. The families, of course, were just as sad to see the students go, and many of them were crying along with the students as the bus pulled up to ferry us away. Nevertheless, away we went...

That morning took us en route to Segovia, but on the way, we dropped by for coffee and breakfast at a most familiar spot (careful followers of the blog may recognize it from one of the first posts) - the first stop that we made as a group in Spain after leaving the airport. It was striking for us, the instructors, to look at the same group of students in the same place they had stood nervous and exhausted only 7 short weeks ago - now notably more confident, all smiles, and importantly among their wonderful friends. That is one of the most beautiful and striking things about this group - there have been no cliques, no bullying, no exclusions or acts of cruelty. Instead, this is a group of students who are just as eager to seek their own goals as they are to reach out and help a fellow pilgrim along their path. They are genuinely kind, thoughtful, giving, and FUN, and each of them has benefited in some way from the rest of the group. I personally feel very fortunate to have gotten to know them. To see how comfortable this group is with each other, one would never believe that most of them met for the first time in Bloomington a few short months ago.

The "after" shot - this is a seasoned, worldly group of travelers

After a nostalgic break for coffee, we proceeded on to Segovia - home of one of the world's most famous aqueducts (and famous for good reason). Our very charismatic and knowledgeable native Segovian tour guide, Mariano, took us on a historical stroll through Segovia's ancient downtown, explaining the changes in civilizations over the centuries, the development and function of the aqueduct, and many other interesting anecdotes.

Segovia's unbelievable aqueduct. It is not only aesthetically and mathematically beautiful, but functional as well!

Zak, Blaize, Taylor, Marlana, Ben, and
a legendary aqueduct

Jenna, Lizzie, Piper, Anna, Carol, Annie,
and a legendary aqueduct

The tour culminated with a visit to Segovia's medieval palace, which was occupied by dozens of Spanish kings and queens. The palace was truly breathtaking, and featured suits of armor, weapons, thrones, tapestries, and many other striking centuries-old details.

In front of Segovia's Alcázar (palace)

Admiring a centuries-old suit of armor

By the evening, the group arrived in Madrid and set up in the university residence halls where we'll be staying until the departure on Sunday morning. The students were exhausted and feeling an intense combination of sadness for leaving León behind and excitement for returning to the US.

Today's jam-packed adventures took us from the world-famous Prado art Museum to the Retiro Park (Madrid's expansive version of Central Park) to the Spanish Royal Palace, to Madrid's Plaza Mayor, to a brief stop in Madrid's social center - la Puerta del Sol.

Demonstrating appropriate discretion in front of Madrid's royal palace. King Felipe was proud.

In the Puerta del Sol looking sleepy but smiley 

Tomorrow will be full of exploration and fun as well, capped off in the evening with our annual farewell party (just students and instructors this time). We'll have pizza, play music, and enjoy our last evening together in Spain... for now.

Before you know it, the students will be arriving back in Chicago on Sunday afternoon! We're almost at the finish line, and it's been an incredible 7 weeks. Until next time,
~Mark