The flight, Madrid, Segovia, Burgos and Santander

Hi everyone,

About our flights...
The flights were wonderful!  Austin to Newark was really nice.  All the students were excited about getting to Spain and starting their study abroad.  We even ran into Mr. Mayton (one of the assistant principals from WHS).  From Newark to Madrid, the flight was smooth sailing.  The food was good and no problems.  Many students slept on the flight and were ready for exploring Madrid.

In Madrid...(Saturday June 11th)
We were really really busy!  We immediately went to the hotel, dropped off their bags and hit the city to see everything possible.  We saw about a weeks worth of things in less than 12 hours.  Some of the kids were tired, but they held up great.  We are so happy that they were able to see as much as they did while in Madrid.

In Segovia...(Sunday June 12th)
We got off the bus in front of the Roman Aqueduct.  Talk about impressive!!!  We spent about 3 or 4 hours in Segovia.  We saw store fronts, churches, examples of two styles of old achitecture and we also toured the Alcazar de Segovia.  If you have a moment, google this place and look at the pictures/images that are on the internet.  Disney was inspired by this castle and thus Disney Land and Disney World have castle that are similar to this one.

In Burgos...(Sunday June 12th)
We had a very short amount of time to visit the gothic cathedral.  So many of the students were taking pictures of the achitecture...the ceilings, altars etc...  An amazing Cathedral if you ever get a chance to travel to Spain.  If you have a moment, you should also google La Catedral de Burgos. 

In Santander...(June 12th)
We arrived about 9:15pm last night and all the families were waiting.  The students were nervous by then, but also excited.  This morning (June 13th) when we met our students at the Universidad de Cantabria...la escuela de idiomas...we asked them about their dinners and families.  Everyone had wonderful things to say.  They also slept well and were excited to start the day.  Today they had their placement exams and then their first class.  They will be returning home at 2pm to have lunch with their families.  This afternoon we plan to show them Santander so they know how to get around and explore the city a bit.

We are having a great time and are so happy that your child was able to join us on this wonderful new adventure. 

Hasta la próxima vez...until next time.
Susan & Rachel