Here we are in Madrid, by the bear statue. It was a great trip despite the cloudy weather and a few very wet walks. First to get oriented by wandering. By the end, I knew my way around pretty well, but could easily get completely turned around on the myriad of narrow passageways.
Above and below, outside the palace and cathedral, a good place to start.
Meandering through the streets, there's something special on the top of just about every building.
And elaborate details, love the elephants.
Plenty to explore in our few days in Madrid.
There are also tons of shops in Madrid. Although I came home empty handed, I got my fill of gazing into windows.
The Mercado de San Miguel, one of our frequent stops in the afternoons, was a great place for a martini, sangria, and of course to sample some treats.
Cones of chips, giant stuffed olives, fresh fruits, and marzipan rolled in honey and pine nuts were some of my favorites.
We found ourselves passing through for a quick bite nearly every day.
Our first art stop was the Caixa Forum designed by Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron to see an exhibition of Delacroix's paintings and a second of artifacts from Teotihuacan.
Stairs.
I spent a fantastic museum day the the Reina Sophia with Maura and her two girls. We saw lots of great 20th century works, played "I spy"(what a great way to look at art), and visited Picasso's Guernica.
I got very art-excited examining this masterpiece with an amazingly perceptive 4 year-old, and then I scolded for taking a photo- see no cameras- upper left of my photo...oops. (In my defense, it was only in certain rooms).
The Reina Sophia also dedicated a floor to a temporary exhibition of works by Alighiero Boetti, laborious stitching and obsessive inked lines, beautiful. After a full day at the museum, we went to the Parque del Retiro to read the Happy Lion before sprinting into a cafe out of the quick burst of rain. There's Maura and the girls on the bench...way down there. It was so much fun to have a friend around to explore a new city during physic workshop days.
More art...why not. Architectural paintings at the Museo Thyssen, Yves Saint Laurent design and years of original sketches at Fundacio Mapfre, Joseph Manuel Ballester at Sala Alcala, and some inflatable globes...
Madrid's been good for time with friends, some great dinners...even though restaurants don't open until I'm about ready to go to bed, and lots of art and architecture. Next stop, Toledo (not Ohio).
