I am so glad that I came back to Madrid. I could have left Spain believing that Madrid was a city that had little to offer. But I would have been wrong. Arriving in the city at midday, I waited only long enough to ensure my luggage was secure before heading out. I had a target. Guernica. I wanted to see Pablo Picasso's masterpiece. So I made a beeline for the Reina Sofia Museum. This is a Museum of Modern Art unlike the Prado which is dedicated to the old...

We started out this morning with a bus tour of the historic precincts of Madrid. And, contrary to yesterday's impression there are some lovely areas of the city. We finished off with a visit to the Palacio Real de Madrid. The Spanish Royal Family no longer use this impressive 2,800 room palace as a residence. However it is used for state occasions such as entertaining foreign heads of state. I loved seeing the collection of beautiful violins and cellos made by St...

Was up very early this morning. Too early as it turned out. The car picked me up at the hotel at 5:40. 7:40 would have been plenty of time. Ahh but you never really know how the traffic will be getting to the airport, do you? Today's flight to Madrid was with Iberia. What an experience!! Total chaos. There seems to be no real attempt to limit the size of cabin baggage so every locker is filled to overflowing and every seat has "stuff" under it. The flight was d...