So darlings, it is 11pm and I have just returned from the Wharton Alumni Reception, which was held at a sophisticated restaurant in the northern part of Madrid. It was fabulous and I met amazing people - from recent graduates to retirees! The young men are all fabulous and accomplished, it's great fun to chat with them :) Carlos is hilarious, he has been following us around from Monterrey to Mexico City and now to Madrid, and today I found out why. He is traveling the world during a 3-month vacation, before he starts his job in September, and he has been scheduling his trips in accordance with where we are! So.... guess what! He will join us in Barcelona as well :)

The man we (at my table) chatted most with was a consultant for small size businesses and the World Bank. On Saturday he will be in Romania doing training with young executives in the western city of Timisoara :) I also found out that the Vice-President of Santander Bank and the President of Mastercard Spain are (or were, not sure) Wharton alumni!

My classmates have gone out tonight, but I am tooooooo sleeepppyyyyyy. I am going to rest because tomorrow morning we are off to El Escorial, former castle, royal residence, church and monastery. Today our Spanish professor has told us that the place was built by Philip II ("El Rey Negro"), son of Carlos V, at the end of the 16th century. It was interesting to learn that the reason he was referred to as "the black king" is that he always dressed in black to give the image of austerity, tradition and religion. Reacting to the Protestant Reformation sweeping through Europe during the sixteenth century, Philip II devoted much of his lengthy reign and much of his seemingly inexhaustible supply of New World gold to stemming the Protestant tide.

I will write more when I return from El Escorial. This weekend, I will be going out with Liana and some friends of hers and then on Monday we are off to Toledo (after class, of course :)).