Churros and Chocolate!
When in Rome - when in Spain.........figured I had to try the Churros and Chocolate. So I did! And at what I read is the best place in town - Chocolateria Valor. And they are not my thing - sorry. But at least I can say I tried them.
4 Churros and a huge cup of dark chocolate for 4.3 Euros.
Tomorrow I will save my calories and get something from this place!!!
They had 3 or 4 windows filled with gorgeous pastries!!!
It's true what you hear about the late eating hours here in Spain. It would definitely take some getting used to. Restaurants open at 1 PM for lunch and 8 or 8:30 PM for dinner. Cafe's thank goodness are open all day. Most people eat dinner at 9:30 or 10 PM - pretty much my bed time! How do they last so late for dinner??? Well they eat pastries and donuts with a cappuccino on their way home to hold them over!! The shops with these delicious pastries are packed with people snacking on them and tapas while chatting with friends. They know how to enjoy life!!!
It was another perfect day here in Madrid - clear and sunny and not too warm. Which was great because I had a lot of walking to do. Started my day at the Prado Museum - really one of the top art museums in the world. It definitely did not disappoint. Like the Louvre it is huge - you could spend a week there! I was feeling overwhelmed with how to begin and decided to purchase a little book called the Visitor's Guide to 50 Masterpieces at the Museo Del Prado - best 5 Euros spent ever! It took me through a large section of the museum and told me about those 50 important works moving forward through time. I wasn't very familiar with the most famous Spainish painters but was totally impressed with the work I saw. And I have the book to bring home with pictures of them all!
They don't allow pictures inside the museum so here are a few shots of the outside. It's a beautiful area of town!
I was there about 4 hours and wanted a little fresh air before heading to my next museum - so walked through a bit of the Parque Del Buen Retiro - which is just east of the Prado. It is a beautiful park - kind of their Central Park. Huge really with all kinds of walks, statues and trees. It made me wish I had my running shoes as I saw tons of people running on the wonderful paths. On the south end is the Palacio de Cristal - a crystal palace which was spectacular!! It is used for concerts and special exhibits. In fact there was a violinist playing outside the structure today - perfect!!
Beautiful flowers blooming on the trees that line the paths. Check out those turtles playing King of the Hill in the lake!! Beautiful tiles outline the structure above and below all the glass.
My next stop was the Centro De Arte Reina Sofia which is Madrid's collection of contemporary art - most famous for Picasso's Guernica - claimed by some to be the single-most important artwork of the 20th century. It is inspired by the bombing of the town of Guernica by Hitler. It's a hard piece to look at - I could almost hear the people screaming. In the room preceding it they have the sketches Picasso did to prepare for it - very moving. The museum also has quite a bit of work from Dali - which is always interesting. The building itself is in two sections - an older area that was originally a hospital, and a new addition that is quite modern. The hallways of the old section reminded me of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - which was kind of a random thing to be reminded of!!!
Sculpture as you enter the museum and the picture on the left shows the old building on the right and the new elevator of the new section. An interesting contrast but it works!
Ok are you still with me?? I have a few things to post from yesterday. In the afternoon I made a visit to see the Royal Palace. So glad I did - it was really spectacular! Considered to be right up there in grandeur with Versailles in France and the Schonbrunn Palace outside of Vienna. I have seen both of them and thought Palacio Real as it is called - is equally as beautiful. Quite a bit of the original decor is still available to see - and I was especially intrigued by the amazing clocks in every room. Unfortunately they don't allow any pictures but I have a few of the exterior. Since it was raining I didn't get to see the gardens behind it, but really enjoyed seeing how royalty lives! Or did live as currently the palace is only used for special occasions although Spain still has a King and Queen that live just outside of town.
This is only a small part of the palace - no way to get the whole thing in except maybe from the air!
The painting is in the entry on the ceiling as you come in - It's the only thing you can photograph but it will give you a sense of the detail.
The Cathedral of Madrid was right next door so I figured why not stop in - especially since I've been averaging 2 churches a day!! It is officially called Catedral De Nuestra Senora De La Almudena. It was huge and had at least a dozen or more chapels around the interior. As churches go it is really not that old. Construction began in 1879 and it was finished in 1992.
That's Senora De La Almudena! She likes to make a big entrance apparently.
Well that's it for today! Here are my totals so far. In 5 days I have seen:
5 Churches
4 Museums
2 Parks
1 Palace
Walked 52 Miles
Not keeping track of how much wine I have drank!!!
Thanks for reading and hope your day has been great too!!!