This weekend, some of the Texas crowd (Jen, James, Kristin, and I) headed to Madrid to explore a new-to-me Spanish city. I'll be honest - for me, going to Madrid was more of a "check-the-box" place to go than somewhere I was really interested in visiting. Sneak preview: I was wrong.
Thursday afternoon the four of us boarded a RENFRE high-speed train in Barcelona and made the two hour trip to Madrid. The train was a highlight as we got to enjoy some simply stunning scenery while spreading out in a convenient four-person area. Adding to our ease of travel was the proximity our hotel. We stayed at the NH Nacional on Paseo de Prado, which was only a five minute walk from the train station. I was thoroughly impressed with how easy it was to get from Point A to Point B on our journey.
The first night we headed to Cava Baja, a hip area of Madrid with tons of tapas restaurants. Our second stop was supposed to be known for amazing mushrooms and peppers, but our enjoyment came instead from an 80-year old man playing piano and singing his heart out like Louis Armstrong. He had the locals up and dancing, much to the delight of a giant table of Chinese tourists who got to experience some heavy Flamenco action! From there we stumbled upon the most amazing market ever - each area had different types of tapas, beer, wine, chocolates, empanadas, sushi, etc...to buy. We each got things that peaked our interest while standing around heat lamps enjoying the market's energy. Around 11:30pm, we happened upon a bar advertising 1 euro beers, and to be expected we happily ended our night there.
We used Friday as our "Explore Madrid" day because the weather forecasts looked bad for the rest of our trip. After starting out with breakfast of "tortilla, cafe con leche y zuma" (Spanish omelette, coffee, and freshly squeezed o.j. for a total of 3 euros) at a lovely cafe, we walked around the Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, the Cuartel de la Montana Park containing the 2nd century Egyptian Templo de Debod, and onwards to Ermita de San Antonio, which was my #1 thing I wanted to see. The church was painted entirely by Goya and one assistant in ~120 days and also serves as his final resting place. I was blown away by place, especially once we went to an identical church next door that was essentially a blank canvas. Ah, to have the mind of an artists and the capability to produce such greatness....
From there we walked through the city to the Bellas Artes Center to enjoy extensive views of Madrid from the rooftop terrace.
This was followed by a 2+ hour lunch (Spain style, filled with paella, a
main course, and Catalan cream!), a stop for some vino to take off the
newly arrived chill, and then... a visit to the Reina Sophia during the
free 7-9pm hours. I admit - once we arrived, I was on a mission to see
Picasso's Guernica. I was not disappointed at all as I have wanted to
see this since I was 16. However, highlights of the visit where the
temporary exhibits - one a photography memoir by Robert Adams and the
other full of Maria Blanchard paintings. I had not heard of either of
these artists, but I left both exhibits as a huge fan. Other highlights
were the massive collections of Picasso's, Masson's, Braque's,
Man-Ray's, and so many more. I would be hard pressed to choose a
favorite part and I definitely did not feel that two hours gave this
museum justice.
From there, we found a local restaurant and had a tapas/vino feast. I
finally had to leave the party early (at midnight!) because I was
exhausted. Rightfully so - Madrid was so much more than I had
imagined.
Saturday's rainy weather forecasts proved accurate, but luckily our only plans were to spend the day at the Prado. The four of us started with breakfast at another local cafeteria, and then split up upon arriving at the museum. I visited every single room in the entire place for fear of missing something special. I was thoroughly impressed with about 90% of the museum, which I felt was a great amount considering how I typically favor mainly 20th-Century art. Some highlights for me included: Goya's Black Paintings, everything by El Greco, Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and other paintings, Las Meninas (of course) and the way Velasquez painted animals, Rembrandt's court jesters, a temporary exhibit about Jan Van Eyck, and an area dominated by Titian. In one aspect, it was my art history education in real life - and there is nothing like seeing a painting you've studied in person. Yet, even more it was seeing such a vast collection for each artist and getting a feel for how their works changed throughout their lives.
Later Jen and I grabbed our books and headed to a coffee shop to read and warm up. I then realized that the Caixa Forum next door was free, so we wandered over. So glad we did - this place was architecturally stunning and an exhibit on maps was delightful.
That evening, the two of us went to a local bar called Cafe Central to
listen to a cuban jazz band. However, the highlight was meeting Soll's
friends Richard & Candice, who live in Madrid and were
absolutely charming. We had such a great time hearing about their
ex-pat journeys, and we both left totally inspired to really learn
Spanish and work abroad. (Soll - I owe you so much for the
introduction!)
Jen and I wanted to visit the Thyssen-Bornesmisza Museum (the third museum of Madrid's Museum Triangle, but often the one left out), so we headed there first thing Sunday morning. This ended up being my favorite museum!! In addition to being one of the best collections of 20th-Century art, the pieces from other time periods were thoughtful, different, engaging, and managed to capture my attention the whole visit. We actually approached the museum backwards, going from later works to the early pieces, and I think that my initial enthusiasm (Kandinksys! Miros! Ben Shans! Kirchners! Chagalls! Monets! Picassos! You get the point!) kept me going the whole way. I highly recommend this museum, obviously, and I will definitely be buying a book of the collection.
And, um, I couldn't resist anymore. I stopped at Starbucks for a BIG cup of to-go coffee. I love how the Europeans treasure their coffee, but sometimes a girl just needs some damn coffee!
From there, we headed to the Botanical Gardens to walk around. Winter was not the ideal time to go of course, but it was still pretty and I enjoyed the greenhouses filled with cacti. Notice anything strange in this picture?
We went to lunch at a local tapas bar (salted cod salad - delicious!), walked around a bit more, and then we headed to the train station for our trip back to Barcelona. (I'm actually writing this post while on the train, watching the sun set from the giant picture windows.)
So, my thoughts on Madrid. I expected a big Spanish city with some good art. This was certainly true. However, there was still a tremendous amount to see and the city's vibe seemed older, more mature, and likely a very easy place to live. If someone offered to send me here, I wouldn't think twice about saying yes. (Please Spanish economy pick up! Please!!!) The highlight of course was the art. Before I would have considered Paris, NYC, or potentially Vienna as the best art cities I've seen. But now the clear winner for me is Madrid. The art was just splendid. Upon planning this trip, I definitely did not give Madrid enough credit. I stand corrected.
The first night we headed to Cava Baja, a hip area of Madrid with tons of tapas restaurants. Our second stop was supposed to be known for amazing mushrooms and peppers, but our enjoyment came instead from an 80-year old man playing piano and singing his heart out like Louis Armstrong. He had the locals up and dancing, much to the delight of a giant table of Chinese tourists who got to experience some heavy Flamenco action! From there we stumbled upon the most amazing market ever - each area had different types of tapas, beer, wine, chocolates, empanadas, sushi, etc...to buy. We each got things that peaked our interest while standing around heat lamps enjoying the market's energy. Around 11:30pm, we happened upon a bar advertising 1 euro beers, and to be expected we happily ended our night there.
This guy had it going on! Both of them, actually. Notice the "mushrooms" on the roof!
Some possibilities at the market...
This would be me, Jen, and Kristin huddled around the heat lamps while James bought us beer.
*********
We used Friday as our "Explore Madrid" day because the weather forecasts looked bad for the rest of our trip. After starting out with breakfast of "tortilla, cafe con leche y zuma" (Spanish omelette, coffee, and freshly squeezed o.j. for a total of 3 euros) at a lovely cafe, we walked around the Plaza Mayor, Royal Palace, the Cuartel de la Montana Park containing the 2nd century Egyptian Templo de Debod, and onwards to Ermita de San Antonio, which was my #1 thing I wanted to see. The church was painted entirely by Goya and one assistant in ~120 days and also serves as his final resting place. I was blown away by place, especially once we went to an identical church next door that was essentially a blank canvas. Ah, to have the mind of an artists and the capability to produce such greatness....
View from the park in front of the Royal Palace.
Inside the Templo, which was an honest to goodness temple that Egypt gave Madrid as a thanks for their help in building the Anwar Dam.
James outside the Templo.
The outside of the church + a photo looking up at Goya's work.
From there we walked through the city to the Bellas Artes Center to enjoy extensive views of Madrid from the rooftop terrace.
*********
Saturday's rainy weather forecasts proved accurate, but luckily our only plans were to spend the day at the Prado. The four of us started with breakfast at another local cafeteria, and then split up upon arriving at the museum. I visited every single room in the entire place for fear of missing something special. I was thoroughly impressed with about 90% of the museum, which I felt was a great amount considering how I typically favor mainly 20th-Century art. Some highlights for me included: Goya's Black Paintings, everything by El Greco, Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and other paintings, Las Meninas (of course) and the way Velasquez painted animals, Rembrandt's court jesters, a temporary exhibit about Jan Van Eyck, and an area dominated by Titian. In one aspect, it was my art history education in real life - and there is nothing like seeing a painting you've studied in person. Yet, even more it was seeing such a vast collection for each artist and getting a feel for how their works changed throughout their lives.
Later Jen and I grabbed our books and headed to a coffee shop to read and warm up. I then realized that the Caixa Forum next door was free, so we wandered over. So glad we did - this place was architecturally stunning and an exhibit on maps was delightful.
********
Jen and I wanted to visit the Thyssen-Bornesmisza Museum (the third museum of Madrid's Museum Triangle, but often the one left out), so we headed there first thing Sunday morning. This ended up being my favorite museum!! In addition to being one of the best collections of 20th-Century art, the pieces from other time periods were thoughtful, different, engaging, and managed to capture my attention the whole visit. We actually approached the museum backwards, going from later works to the early pieces, and I think that my initial enthusiasm (Kandinksys! Miros! Ben Shans! Kirchners! Chagalls! Monets! Picassos! You get the point!) kept me going the whole way. I highly recommend this museum, obviously, and I will definitely be buying a book of the collection.
And, um, I couldn't resist anymore. I stopped at Starbucks for a BIG cup of to-go coffee. I love how the Europeans treasure their coffee, but sometimes a girl just needs some damn coffee!
From there, we headed to the Botanical Gardens to walk around. Winter was not the ideal time to go of course, but it was still pretty and I enjoyed the greenhouses filled with cacti. Notice anything strange in this picture?
See how glorious the train is? And its my blog viewed through this blog. Trippy!?
*********
So, my thoughts on Madrid. I expected a big Spanish city with some good art. This was certainly true. However, there was still a tremendous amount to see and the city's vibe seemed older, more mature, and likely a very easy place to live. If someone offered to send me here, I wouldn't think twice about saying yes. (Please Spanish economy pick up! Please!!!) The highlight of course was the art. Before I would have considered Paris, NYC, or potentially Vienna as the best art cities I've seen. But now the clear winner for me is Madrid. The art was just splendid. Upon planning this trip, I definitely did not give Madrid enough credit. I stand corrected.
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