Madrid to Valladolid: Saturday, Jan. 11 by Lizzie C.

This morning we went to meet our tour guide, César, for a walking tour of our Madrid neighborhood.  In Spanish, he explained the history and significance of different buildings, monuments, and statues.  We saw Plaza Mayor, an old jail that had once housed the French king Francis I, and heard two ghost stories about a nearby building.

¡Hasta luego, César!

Afterwards, we split into two groups and found different lunch places.  My group ate jamón sandwiches and potatoes.  We met back at the hotel to check out, then pulled our luggage a few blocks up Gran Vía to meet our bus to the train station.  After security and a wait, we boarded the train for the hour ride.  We were very nervous on the train to meet our host families, but also excited.  Our families greeted us with signs and besos at the train station before we left with them to start the homestay portion of our trip!