Hello, again, Blogonauts!

Madrid gives its visitors a superb first impression. Indeed, the city wears an almost swaggering, matador-level pride on its richly decorated sleeve.

Walking through Madrid's center, you are bedazzled with lit towers, neo-Grecian statues, elaborate balconies, ceramic tiles, and other ornamentation galore. The layout of the streets at first can be a bit bewildering, but this seeming tangle results in frequent oddly shaped plazas where cafés and restaurants flourish. The news reports indicate that the Spanish economy is in the doldrums, but in the center of Madrid, there is little evidence of it.

We arrived in Madrid late Thursday afternoon, and on Friday morning Bob, Shawn, and I left Toby at the hotel to plan the next leg of his trip. (He is continuing his travels elsewhere in Europe after we return home.) We, in turn, paraded off to the Museo del Prado, one of the world’s greatest art museums.

The array of paintings in the Prado is so numerous that it can quickly seem overwhelming. The curators, however, have organized their pieces by era and geography. And bless their olive-loving hearts! Next to each artwork they have placed a brief descriptive plaque that is printed in both Spanish and English.

The understandable emphasis on Spanish art means that the museum contains some of the most famous work by El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya. Several of their paintings (and those of others) are easily recognized from art and history books. But in person you can step close to see individual brush strokes, then step back to gain the distant perspective. And thus, the artist’s vision, care, and talent have a greater impact on the viewer.

Once we finished at the Prado, rejoined Toby, and grabbed some lunch, we walked toward the Manzanares River to tour the Palacio Real de Madrid, the official home of the Spanish king. Photographs were prohibited in the opulent palace rooms, but it is safe to say that Spain scored well in the competition among the royal heads of Europe to build grand (i.e., over-the-top) residences. (After going through the palace proper, there was an exhibit of armor that stretched back to the Middle Ages, and there a few photographs were sneakily possible.)

We then paid our obligatory call upon Santa María la Real de La Almudena, Madrid's Catholic cathedral. Oddly Madrid's cathedral is the newest church we wandered into during the entire trip. Construction began in 1879 and (due to delays caused by the Spanish civil war) was not completed until 1993. The cathedral stands literally in King Juan Carlos’ front yard, which seems a bit anachronistic, considering how secular Spanish society has become in the last 40 years.

The evening approached, and we reconvened for dinner on Plaza Santa Anna and what we assumed would be the close of our day. But as we meandered back toward the hotel, we passed a cabaret that offered flamenco performances. And olé! One of their shows was starting in 5 minutes! On the spur of the moment, we walked in, claimed the closest available table, and for the next hour were wowed by the verve of the dancers, singer, and guitarist. (Highly recommended!)

On Saturday, we visited the El Museo de Arte Thyssen-Bornemisza, which contains a smaller collection than the Prado, but one that comprises a broader scope of paintings. In particular, they have more American and impressionist works, and the collection stretches into the modern era.

Then on our last evening in Spain we ate dinner at Plaza Mayor, and toddled around collecting last-minute souvenirs at the shops catering to wanderers like us.

There’s more to say about Spain, and I’ll post that once I get home. So keep an eye out for a final chapter or two in this blog.

So … blog to you later!