We were able to sleep in today, since we had no schedule and breakfast was served until 10:00. Oh, joy! Since I have become an expert at the Spanish Breakfast Buffet, I veer toward fruits and fruit juice. Ever had cold strawberry juice? It’s delicious. I will miss the choices when I get home to my sparsely furnished refrigerator.
It’s hard to decide what to do in Madrid. This is my third visit to the city and my sister’s first, and on my last trip, we were here for almost two weeks and stayed in an apartment, so I know the city fairly well. With the sizzling temperatures, we decided not to pound the pavement in the 90+ degree heat but enjoy the art the city has to offer in the air conditioned splendour of its three major museums: the Prado, the Thyssen and the Reina Sophia.
There was a group going to the Prado so we decided to join them. Our guide Susana took us to the right line and got us in quickly.
The museum map has a list of the must-see paintings and I took her to my favorite – and most enigmatic painting. The painter is Diego Velásquez and the title is Las Meninas, The Ladies-in-Waiting. It is the signature piece in a room of portraits of royal family members, also painted by the him, and the eyes – and feet – are immediately propelled to this huge painting in the center of the circle.
Velásquez was the painter of the court and this painting shows a large room in the Royal Palace in Madrid, with several figures: it is a strange and enigmatic work, and includes the painter himself, painting the scene in the foreground. The young Infanta Margaret Theresa is surrounded by her entourage of chaperones, including two dwarves and a dog; Velásqiez portrays himself on the left, as he is looking outward at the scene he is painting, and behind him there is a mirror which reflects the king and queen surveying the scene. It is a fascinating study and is considered the best painting in the museum.
We spent some time enjoying the fleshy nudes of the Rubens as we strolled the center hall, then went down one level for my second favorite painting in the museum, the altarpiece by Hieronymous Bosch known as The Garden of Earthly Delights. I first saw this work in 1971 with my then-husband and he bought slides to take home. It is an amazing work, especially considering that it was painted between 1490 and 1510. It has been in the museum since 1939.
The detaIl is what makes the tryptich, of course. On the left we have the painter’s view of the Creation, with God presenting Eve to Adam, and the center shows what life with excess can produce; the nude figures are “socially engaged,” the animals are unlike anything you’ve ever seen and there are strange bubble-like conveyances, like something out of a science fiction narrative. The right hand side is what happens when it all goes to hell: darkness prevails, ugliness abounds, and there is also condemnation of the church with a pig dressed as a nun. A man is defecating money. The details are mesmerizing.
There is a wealth of information online if you’re interested in learning more I used Wikipedia for some basic facts.
We stopped for a drink and a bit of a rest at the Prado café. It was a madhouse with tons of elementary and high school kids in their last week of school; many teachers take them on field trips after their exams to fill in the hours
We were not able to take pictures of the paintings in the galleries but we could take them in the cafe-shops area so I took advantage of that.
On to the Thyssen! It’s just across the street, linked by a shady park.
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum is the collection of the Baron whose holdings were originally in Lugano, Switzerland. After an unsuccessful attempt to increase the building, he moved the museum here to Madrid. With over 1,600 paintings, it is one of the largest private collections in the world and is celebrating its 25th anniversary in Madrid this year. The Baton’s wife, Carmen, is the former Miss Spain of 1961 and has taken a pivotal role in the collection’s move to Spain as well as the installation of the works in their new home..
The collection is encyclopedic, with a smattering of the old and new, but I enjoyed the French impressionists and American works, including quite a few by John Singer Sargent. Pop art is also represented. Fun!
The museum is large, with a lot of space to stroll the rooms. It wasn’t crowded at all, and was a very pleasant experience. We ran into a couple of people from our group who also enjoyed it a great deal.
We had a lovely lunch at the cafe, housed in the building next door. I had tuna-tomato salad
My sister enjoyed a Caprese salad, also delicious!
We walked back to the hotel, since we had to prepare for our evening. Unfortunately we were not able to get to the Reina Sophia, which was across the street from our hotel..so close yet so far away. Our energy was shot.
we left at 5:00 for a flamenco demonstration and farewell dinner, which was held in a cave in a bar just off the Grand Via, the main shopping and entertainment street, just north of the Puerto del Sol. The flamenco group was very educational and entertaining.
Ralph and Debbie were enlisted to do some dancing. I made a video but don’t know how to upload it. I will figure it out and send it to you.
We had a dinner of many courses after the flamenco presentation – surely a farewell feast!
Tomorrow we fly away, leaving the hotel at 3:45 AM. We should be like the Spaniards and stay up all night.
There will be one more post from our Portugal-Spain trip. Stay tuned. It’s not over yet…