Traveloteacher

Croatian high school students go on one-week school trips before the begin of their last year of school. Most of them choose destinations abroad, and Spain, Greece and the Czech Republic are the most popular. With my class of 2000 I visited Spain. We flew to Madrid and stayed for four days before we hit the road. On the long way home we saw the unbelievably beautiful fountains of Barcelona, Nice and Monte Carlo. But that's another story. We had a guide and it was only on my second trip to Madrid with my family that I really got the feeling of the city. With a guide, I always feel like a package, just sit back and listen to what the guide says. However, it was on this trip with my class that I visited Segovia and El Escorial. Segovia is a beautiful city with plenty of things to see. The Roman Aqueduct is one of the best preserved in the world. Unlike Toledo, the city is pedestrianized, which makes it perfect for leisurely strolls through its medieval streets. Real Monasterio de San ...

Atocha Railway Station would be an ordinary station, were it not for a beautiful tropical garden inside. It's not big, but it's amazing and rather unusual. We were told that Renfe trains are the fastest way to get to Toledo. It took us 35 minutes and 13 euros to get there. Rain couldn't have spoiled the view of this fortified city, with the Alcazar standing proudly for centuries on its highest point. The cathedral with its amazing stained glass windows is worth seeing. The streets of Toledo make you think you've stepped back into the Middle Ages. El Greco Museum, situated in the Jewish Quarter houses many works of art of this outstanding painter, sculptor and architect of Greek origin. One of his masterpieces, The Burial of the Count of Orgaz, can be seen in the Church of Santo Tome.

Many visitors come to Madrid not only because of its sights, but also because of its outstanding art collections in the world's finest museums: the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina Sofia Museums. They're huge and a lot of time is needed to enjoy the works of art properly. A little preparation can come in handy as well. On Plaza de Cibeles there is a fountain with the statue of the goddess Cybele in a chariot pulled by lions, a symbol of the city. There is also the impressive building of the Post Office on this square. On the other side of Paseo del Prado there's another fascinating fountain, Fuente de Neptuno, featuring Neptune on his chariot holding a trident. They used to look at each other, but now they don't. Both of them face the city center. Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is a must see, but I saw it on my previous visit to Madrid, on a class trip in 1999 and this was enough for me. So the boys took the metro to delight in exploring this impressive stadium, l...

We visited Madrid in early November, together with another stand-by family of three. Our Zagreb plane arrived in Frankfurt late so we missed the morning flight to Madrid. Luckily, Lufthansa flies almost every two hours, and although the plane was fully booked, thanks to some no show passengers, we managed to board the plane. After two hours and a bit more, we landed in sunny Madrid. At the airport we bought a ten-journey ticket for 6 euros. Metro Line 8 is the only line that connects Barajas Airport and Madrid. In order to get to the center you need to change at Mar de Cristal. Hotel Ingles in Calle Echegaray boasts having Virginia Woolf stay there on her Madrid trips. It’s centrally located and English is spoken there. The latter should be something we take for granted when traveling, but here in Madrid it was rather an exception. I used my poor knowledge of Italian to communicate with people, but it was incredibly difficult. In Museo del Jamon, for example, the waitress gave up on u...

Madrid