Good Bye Madrid — Patti Part Two

And just when I was getting in the swing of things - time to move on. Today I did what is apparently mandatory in Spain - ate dessert at 5 PM! And made a good selection this time - tried 4 things and all delicious!!

Love that little gold dust on the top left!!

This morning it definitely looked like rain but luckily it held off until tonight. I slept in a bit - reminded myself that is an option as I'm on vacation - and headed to the last museum on my "must see" list - the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza. For those of you screaming "not another museum" relief is in sight!! I have zero plans to see any museums on my next stop in Lisbon. So hang in there for this last one. This completes the 3 museums that are called the Golden Mile in Madrid because they are all within a mile. If you think of the Prado as old art and the Sofia as new art then the Thyssen falls between the two - basically. Not exactly as the Thyssen has some old medieval art but it's niche is definitely somewhere between the other two. And it was fantastic!! And the bulk of the collection was donated by a Baron and his wife - and housed in a beautiful old mansion - very cool!

The old mansion and the new addition are beautiful together!! These are pics from the entrance.

Lots of the Impressionists and even one from my favorite artist Caravaggio. Picasso and through the newer artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. There was also a special exhibit by Andrew and Jamie Wyeth so really a bonus. I spent at least 3 hours there - feeling so fortunate to have this time to enjoy myself. But now I'm ready for a few days of relaxing and looking at the sea!!

Some other things I saw in my walk today were the beautiful Puerta De Alcala. This was originally the entrance gate to Madrid when it had a wall around it. It kind of reminded me of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. And the traffic circle around it was equally as crazy!!! I counted at least 7 traffic lanes and crossing without the green walk sign would be a sure death wish.

Beautiful flowers blooming all over Madrid!!

This building really caught my eye and I had to take a picture. It is called Palacios de Comunicaciones and is the town hall and main post office.

Also the statue of Christopher Columbus. I forget he came from Spain. In the middle of another very busy traffic circle.

Madrid has lots of tiny narrow streets connected by very large busy streets. And then just like Barcelona - very pedestrian friendly with beautiful boulevards for walking with trees, flowers and benches.

That's my time in Madrid. I really enjoyed it so much. I'm getting much better at reading maps and heading in the correct direction - whew!! Tomorrow I fly to Lisbon. I'm so excited to see it and hopefully relax a bit more. I have something really special planned for Monday - so check back in if you have time. Have a great weekend!! Adios!!