Segovia, Madrid, y hasta luego España :'(

And so the program draws quickly to a close. It sure has flown by! The students almost cannot believe that tomorrow night they'll arrive in Indianapolis, and while they will be sad to leave Spain, they are very excited to be back with you all - families, friends, and fans. 

This update will be a very quick one (mainly to share some great photos) because we will be departing soon from Madrid so that our beloved students can be reunited with you all.

Monday morning brought us our sad (but exciting) departure from León - full of tears, hugs, kisses, and promises of being reunited. It was obvious that the students had developed a deep connection to their brand new second home, and the host families were equally sad to see the students go. 

A few hours later, we arrived in Segovia, a beautiful Spanish city whose most famous tourist attraction is an ancient Roman aqueduct (seen below). We took a thorough tour of Segovia and very much enjoyed ourselves!

Seeing the aqueducts!

The beautiful Segovian aqueducts 

The students in a minor plaza in Segovia (featuring a statue of Juan Bravo in the background)

Atop the Alcázar (palace) in Segovia!

 The very same day, we arrived in the evening in Madrid - the beautiful cosmopolitan capital of Spain. We arrived in Madrid seven weeks ago, and finally we were able to explore the city a bit and enjoy ourselves. After a looooooooooooooooooong Monday, we visited the Plaza Mayor and ate a varied meal in the Mercado de San Miguel, where you can find a bit of everything.

The following day (Tuesday) was a VERY full day. We began the day in the Prado Museum, one of the most famous art museums in the world. Students were able to see original works by famous Spanish, Italian, and French artists from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries, such as Velázquez, Ribera, Sorolla, El Greco, and Goya. The Prado is an amazing experience, and sadly, all we were able to offer was a teaser for future travels.

Outside the Prado Museum (in front of a statue of Goya)

In the Parque del Retiro (Madrid's Central Park)

Several students in the Real Madrid Soccer stadium right on the field!!

The whole group in the Plaza del Sol

All in all, it was a whirlwind tour of Madrid, but we were able to see quite a lot! And now, in just a few hours, we'll be heading toward Barajas - Madrid's international airport, where our journey began at the beginning of June. It's been quite a trip!

On behalf of my fellow instructors, I thank you all for sharing these 34 students with us for the past 7 weeks. It has been an honor and a privilege for us - Mark, Sarah, Isra, Megan - to teach and lead the students in this program. We are deeply impressed with all that they've accomplished, and we're certain that you will all notice remarkable growth in these students when they return. We're all excited to see what they do in the next steps of their lives.

Very nearly 24 hours from now, you'll be reunited with your brilliant kids in Indianapolis! Until then, I hope you enjoy these photos. Very best regards, and thank you all for following this blog over the course of the summer.

~Mark