This post features student writing.

Hi! My name is Clara and I was the student leader for the day.

Today was our first full day in Madrid and by far the most fun. We started the day off by walking to El Museo Del Prado, one of the most famous museums across the globe. We saw some of the most renowned pieces of art such as, El Jardín de las Delicias, Astyx (sticks) River, Las Tres Gracias, and Las Meninas. After spending a few hours in the museum, we headed to a beautiful park called El Parque del Buen Retiro, where we took a group picture. Sadly, we didn’t get to spend much time admiring the beauty of the park, so we plan to spend more time there later this week. We went to lunch at a local tapas restaurant where we sampled dishes that we would later make for dinner. Tapas are various small portion snacks that are usually meant to share with others.

Next, we had some time to ourselves which we all spent either exploring the city in small groups or resting at our hotel. After some relaxation, we strapped on our aprons and headed to the kitchen via the metro. We split up into groups of four—each of which had a different cooking assignment. I had the job of cutting various vegetables for the paella while others roasted potatoes or made the calamari. After what seemed like hours in a hot kitchen with 16 loud teenagers (and good food, of course), we sat down to eat dinner. We quickly finished the paella and tapas and moved on to the churros and chocolate caliente for dessert. After a day filled with learning and fun we headed back to the hotel and settled in for the night.

I had so much fun being the leader today and I’m so happy to pass it on to Addison for tomorrow. Muchas gracias!

— Clara