Madrid...The Last Mile

Greetings friends and family,

Madrid is the last mile of my trip, over the course of three nights. I’ve made good progress in the time that I have been here.

Time is blending together, so I will try to recall what I did when.

So Wednesday night, Leslie and I went to the Reinas Sofia Museum. We were able to gain entry during a “free entry” time that was the last two hours of their open hours. It’s mainly modern art, and I am reminded that I am not a big fan. However, it does house some works by Picasso, including the famous Guernica. It also houses some Salvador Dali’s, who I have actually liked through the ages despite the fact that he’s part of the Surrealism genre.

Thursday morning, went to the Royal Palace and the Cervantes Monument. The monument has two sculptures of the woman he loved. It’s interesting. One showed how she really looked (older, plain, worn) the other showed how he viewed her, which was beautiful. It was quite touching because love does cause our eyes to see something beautiful.

In the late afternoon, I tagged along with Leslie because she wanted to see the Temple of Debod. My understanding is that Egypt gifted the temple to Spain after Spanish architectures helped the country do some work. It was very cool! There were some very pronounced hieroglyphics and the piece dates back 2000 years or so. It is dedicated to Osiris.

Then walked around Puerta del Sol, which is a thriving center. Walked along the Gran Via, which is kind of like their Fifth Avenue. And back to Plaza Mayor, which is where we walked the first day there. It’s fun walking the city at night, especially in the many squares along the way. People are everywhere, just enjoying being outside.

Today, Friday, I spent time in the Retiro Parks. It’s very warm out so it was fun to people watch as people enjoyed the sun.

Also went to the Prado Museum, which Rick Steve’s votes as having the greatest collection of paintings by the European masters. There were works by Spanish artists Goya and Velazquez as was well as Italian and Flemish painters. I meant to spend two hours there, but I ended up spending a little over three. There was so much to see, and I ended up covering pretty much all of the museum.

Then, as if that was not enough, I went to the Thyssen-Bornemisz Museum. They actually have some of the works of Edvard Munch in a special exhibit. I like his works, and there was a smaller drawn out image of the Scream that was there. There were several quotes from him littered about:

“I do not paint what I see but what I saw.”

“I see people behind their masks...who restlessly scurry along a tortuous road to the end.”

Yeah…he sounds a little blue.

The permanent exhibit had some Picasso, Dali, Monet, etc.

This is my last night here (sob). I fly out tomorrow morning. I did enjoy Spain and Portugal very much. So much history in one place.

I think those are the highlights. The rest of the time was just spent wandering around different areas of the city. It has a strong pulse. It’s feels less chaotic now than when I arrived.

I actually feel like I am coming home early. I have spent the previous three Halloween nights in Europe. This time, it will be a day of travel to arrive home in the midst of the festivities.

I hope Linus finds the right pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin.

"Another winter day has come and gone in even Paris and Rome…”