<my musings>
This week there is a heat wave in Spain. The heat is different here. It always feels about 10 degrees hotter than in Oregon. When in the direct sun, it feels even hotter. So 95 here feels like 105 does at home. And I get over heated, always have. Even when I lived in Louisiana as a little I one, I remember running inside to escape the heat, standing up on the couch and putting my face up to our little in-window air conditioner.
</my musings>
Leaving our lodging in Toledo is much easier than arriving, coming down the three flights of stairs. It’s early, but hot already. The train ride is easy and soon we’re in Madrid starting our final leg of this trip. The lodging is actually a studio apartment, which gives us some room to spread out. We find a “Mercado” and get water and some snacks. Sadly, no pretzels.
The next street over we find a corner cafe that looks good. Tia Julia has brunch served daily that looks delicious. We decide to try it out. I have a caprese salad and tom gets a dish with eggs and potatoes. Afterward a nice stroll to the Plaza Mayor which is much larger but definitely not as enjoyable as the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca. We stop for a beverage and a bite. It’s overpriced and maybe the worst lasagne ever. The Plaza is full of tourists and street performers. We watch some break dancers do their thing. It’s 95 out and they’re working hard so we contribute a couple euros as they pass the hat.
We decide to try breakfast at Tia Julia the next morning and it’s delicious. I especially love the little shot of smoothie they give us. A 2 hour tuk tuk tour gives us an overview of Madrid mostly so we can get some ideas for us to explore more in depth later.
Only a 6 minute walk from our apartment, the Reina Sofia Museum is free for seniors. Bonus! The space is remarkably large. We are both amazed and exhausted as we climb at least four flights up from the ground floor only to be on floor 1.
Picasso’s Guernica is a gigantic marvel using the angles and sharp points of cubism to capture the pain and agony suffered by the bombing of that city. Even more captivating (to me) is “A World” by Angeles Santo. Painted in 1929 when she was only 18, it’s whimsy and curious details could represent today’s world if you added some cell phones and video games. This painting has so much happening: a soccer game, people on a beach, a funeral, a movie theater. Mesmerizing.
We have dinner at Melos, a place recommended and frequented by locals. It’s tiny, crammed, and loud with diners talking and laughing. So we sidle up to a table and order a plate of peppers and a zapatilla to share, the biggest grilled ham and cheese sandwich I’ve ever seen. It was delicious, but we couldn’t finish it. They also had croquettes the size of softballs. Maybe another day.
The Royal Palace is sold out, but we aren’t really upset since there is a long line with absolutely no shade and it’s already 90 degrees. Besides, could you imagine washing the windows in a house with 3,814 rooms? We walk past the throngs waiting in the hot Madrid sun and buy tickets for the Gallery of the Royal Collections instead. Entering the gallery also gives us access to the royal gardens. We stroll, I get over heated, we go inside the gallery to cool down.
Inside this gallery there are tapestries. Many tapestries. LARGE tapestries. Of course Tom points out the areas that need some cleaning. There are some unusual musical instruments and many beautiful pieces of art. We find a Caravaggio, known for his masterful work with lighting (chiaroscuro) in his paintings, even though his subject matter might be gruesome. El Greco and Velasquez are interspersed here as well.
Two days, two galleries, one more tomorrow. That’s a record for us.
<more musings>
One way I’m living like a local is using a hand fan. We saw many of these for sale and some are stunning works of art, with equally stunning price tags. But not for me. I’m either using this fan enthusiastically while “glistening” in the heat or it’s crammed in the bottom of my purse. So the €4 fan is perfect.
</more musings>
Awesome!!!!
Can’t wait to see you!!!
WELCOME HOME ❣️❤️❣️❤️❣️
💚💜💙