The city of Madrid is a city within a region that is also called Madrid. In the 16th century, Spain was being ruled by the Habsburg dynasty. The King Felippe II wanted to build a palace that accomplished three main goals. The first goal was the support of the Catholic Church the Spanish monarch was referred to as the Catholic monarch and during the reformation, the palace included a new basilica and a monastery which helped to support the Catholic Church. The second goal was support of the humanistic advancements of the time which is why the palace includes a boys school and a very extensive library. The third goal was the consolidation of the power of the monarch, which is why the palace is home to the royal pantheon and the home from which Kings would live. It was a lot of fun to go especially because I got to go with some fellow world scholars. There was only one hiccup in the day, to get to the palace it is not within the normal metro lines of Madrid but is on the regional train. I made a mistake and got on the wrong train which the other world scholars and our RA Matt were very worried that I was going to be severely lost. No fear I got off at the next stop and caught up with the group when the right train (the one they were on got to the next stop.) I was very worried because I was nervous at first I had gotten on an express train but I did not. The day was a lot of fun and very productive as it was a requirement for my art history course.