Reina Sofia and Salmon

Reina Sofia Museum

Sunday, October 15, 2017, Madrid--Saturday was a quiet day, so to speak, after the hectic activities of the past week.   We had a slow and leisurely breakfast then took the bus to the Reina Sofia Museum.  It's a modern art museum, almost exclusively from 1900 with a strong collection of Miro and other Spanish 20th century artists.  Probably it's most famous work is Picasso's Guernica, which cannot be photographed.  You forget how big it is.  It is probably 25 feet long and about 10 feet high.  The agony of the subject is overwhelming.

Arte Povera

We spent some time in an exhibit of post-World War II Italian art, known as "arte povera," or art of poverty.  Very well done and very simple, mostly, designed to show the simplicity of life before the industrialization (and dehumanization according to the artists) of Italian life after WW2.  

Olive trees in courtyard

Our last stop was the garden to see the Calder moving very slowly in the still air of the courtyard. 

Later yesterday afternoon we visited on of the local wine shop to explore Spanish wines with our friend Tim.   After he headed off to a party, we sat on the most exclusive shopping street of the city sipping French rosé and Spanish bierzo wines.  

Rosé from France

Bierzo from Spain

Dinner at home with much conversation over salmon, spinach salad, roasted tomatoes, potatoes and a lovely Gargalo godello 2016 white.  An excellent and reasonably priced bottle.

Today, off by bus to El Escorial.

Carmen and Thyssen

Not great seats, but there are big screen TVs!

Teatro Real, Lobby

Saturday, October 14, Madrid--Thursday night at the Opera was magnificent.  The production of Carmen was superb.  Although the seats were dreadful--the last available--we did manage a good view of the stage and hear the lovely voices.  Andrea Care was the tenor playing Don José, Stephanie D'Oustrac sang the role of Carmen, and Olga Busuioc as Micaela.  All were magnificent, but Ben felt that Care out-performed the two women.   The cast, including lots of bare-chested soldats were superb.  It was set in more modern times with the gypsy encampment being a collection of rusting old Mercedes! In French with English and Spanish surtitles.

Paella con Mariscos

John--Opera Metro Station post performance

We had headed down to the Teatro Real early for a meal. We found an enjoyable restaurant, La Traviata, (strange name on a operatic square?) where we enjoyed a bottle of Madrileño red, a mixture of syrah, cabernet sauvignon and temperanillo, which went well with the seafood paella we ordered.  

Feininger

Happy Violinist

Friday we headed off to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection to view a span of Western painting.  Many of the pictures were very well known, but we were taken with others we had never seen, including on from 1912 by Lyonel Feininger, and a rather fun one by a not-so-well-known Dutch painter, van Honthorst.

Yesterday evening we went out to a local restaurant, La Parra, around the corner from where we are staying with our friend Barry, an art curator and dealer, from Sydney who is also visiting our friend Tim.  Dinner was modernized Spanish food, including a squid lasagna made with layers of wontons, croquettes of ham in a cream sauce, grilled turbot.  We enjoyed a white, a Portuguese Alentejo.  Since the Madrileños keep very late hours--dinner started at 9:30 but the restaurant wasn't humming till 10:00 PM--we didn't make it to bed till after midnight.

Kings, Cardinals and Rabbis

Thursday, October 11, 2017--Hectic two days!  Yesterday we boarded a mid-morning train for a full day of sightseeing and tourism in Toledo and this morning we saw King Filipe VI!  

El Greco

Gold Monstrance

Toledo is gorgeous.  No other words can describe this hill top city, once the capital of Spain, home for hundreds of years to a poly-religious population of christians, muslims and jews.   The cathedral, the second largest in Spain, is magnificent.   From the tombs of cardinals with their hats hanging from the ceiling for over centuries, to the altars and the solid gold monstrance used for the Festival of Corpus Christi, the cathedral exudes history.  Of major interest, in the sacristy, now a museum,  are not only restored El Greco paintings but "god" written in Hebrew in the frescoed ceiling.

Toledo is all hills, up and down, tiring and lots of tourists but equally beautiful with views and moorish architecture.  One area, La Juderia, the Jewish Quarter, now the home of no Jews, has two buildings once synagogues.   The one we visited, the El Transito Synagogue and Sepharic Museum, still had intact architecture, from the days of Samuel Levi, treasurer to King Peter, in 1336.  It still has its magnificent ceiling.

Sephardic synagoge

Tired and worn, we returned to Madrid.  After a short rest we headed out to the restaurant Aire, part of a syndicate of restaurants named after the four elements.   Dinner included paté de fois with toast laced with fruit pieces,  croquettes of seafood, ceviche of goose with Peruvian spices and .........   All this was complemented by an excellent Albariño and conversation from friends Tim and Barry, both from Australia.

King Felipe 

Today, after the lengthy miles of walk yesterday, we are resting in preparation for Bizet's "Carmen" at the Teatro Real this evening.   We did however head down the street to one of the city's main boulevards for the celebration of Spain's national day.  This included a drive-by from King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.  

Goya, Velaszquez and Palaces

At the Prado

Madrid, Tuesday, October 9, 2017.   We spent a good part of the day at the Prado, the National Art Museum, exploring the Velazquez and Goya rooms, with the side benefit of seeing a portrait of King Philip III of Spain that has only recently been shown to be Velazquez's work.  Velazquez managed to capture the facial expressions of 17th century Spaniards beautifully (although he never met Phillip III).  Goya, on the other hand, 18th century to early 19th century, painted not only royal and common figures but transferred some of his own thoughts to canvas and frescos.  Among these are an entire room full of his "black paintings" of horribly distorted humans and inhuman actions.

We had a fine light lunch at a small sidewalk restaurant at the edge of the royal botanical gardens.  We took a small walk through them (how could we resist at 50 cents per [old] person?), and enjoyed seeing some magnificent flowers and trees.   

Purchased tickets to go to Toledo tomorrow to see El Greco's home, and enjoy a 20 or so minute ride on the high speed train.

The Royal Grand Staircase

The Royal View

Yesterday we did the Royal Palace, not inhabited by the royal family since the early 20th century, but full of brilliant rococo and baroque decoration.   We realized we have seen many royal palaces now from Hampton Court to the Thai royal palace in Bangkok.  The Spanish version is huge.

Because we seemed to arrive at churches as Masses were finishing we managed to get inside a major church of a convent and enjoyed the first, and only, so far, religious person we've seen on the street--a monk.  

By the time we got home last night, and tonight too, we were walked-out, so to speak.  Yesterday we enjoyed fusion Asian cuisine at the Pink Monkey in the neighborhood as we enjoyed long conversation with our host Tim.

Travels then Tapas

Sunday, October 7, 2017--Madrid, Spain.  Beautiful day.  High about 26 (nearly 80), sunshine.  Great day to get about and see the capital.   Nearly every apartment building has flags of Spain hung from the windows in support of maintaining one Spain and not a separate Catalonia.  We will see, of course, how that plays out this coming week when Barcelona's government starts to make some moves.

The trip was uneventful.  It's much shorter in time to fly from Boston, only 6 hours and a few minutes across the Atlantic.  But that means that the Ambien doesn't really give you a chance to get a full rest, unlike a trip to Australia, say, when you get 18 hours to sleep (uncomfortably).

On arrival, we bought our week-long tourist Metro cards so we are using the really good subway system here.  Eight minute headways between trains even on Sundays!  It's much older than Metro, probably same vintage as the old Green line in Boston or the Parisian system, which means fewer escalators and elevators, but it works.  A bit hard carrying suitcases.

We arrived at the hotel about 8:30AM with a reservation for tonight.  They said come back about 9:30AM and the housekeeping staff would have our room ready.  A fine breakfast down the street at bakery Antonio Rodilla Recièn with good cappuccino.  They served fresh orange juice withe coffees and croissants.   Lo and Behold, a room all ready for us.  Very stylish, very simple, no geegaws, nothing unnecessary.  It  even has a small balcony.

Plaza Mayor

Showered, changed and off we went on the first of the Michelin walking tours.  This one through the old sections dating to the Hapsburgs.   Calle Mayor, Plaza Myjor, old 15th, 16th and 17th century buildings, narrow hilly streets.  Crowded with Sunday tourists, almost as many people taking pictures of friends and family as you seen in Piazza San Marco in Venice!   John got his wish to see a couple of churches actually in use, those the services were in Spanish.  The churches we went into, San Miguel's 18th century, and Iglesia Arzobispal 16-17th century, show quite different architecture to the worshippers.  

Lunch at the Taverna Conde de Barajas. It was on a square with a local art market.   When we first passed it was was very quiet, but on our return half an hour later, it was full of tapas nibblers and drinkers.  Excellent tapas.  Ben had a toasted bocadillo with squid, while John had one with black pudding and onions.  We split a small piece of tortilla espagnol, the Spanish potato omelette,  Enjoyed Galician Estralla.

View from Hotel

Headed back to the Hotel One Shot Luchana for a nap and now, as siesta is finishing, we are debating where to go for dinner in this more 19th century neighborhood.

Busy at home, now busy off to Spain

Washington, October 6--Tomorrow it's big jets with poor sleeping accommodations for an overnight flight to Madrid, through Boston.  Off to visit friends, explore Spain's capital and then take a week-long tour in Andalucía.  It's amazing how much stuff you think you'll need for a fortnight of travel.  John's case carries clothes for at least two climates and nearly three weeks.  

We aren't going to Catalonia so we won't worry about the live- or still-birth in Barcelona, and whatever that may entail for the inhabitants.  Madrid will likely be full of adventures, including museums, palaces, opera and, yet to be decided, a bullfight.  

Shopping---and Fairfield, Connecticut

Friday, September 22, 2017--The Equinox and we head home to Washington.   

We left Tiverton after a fine few days with friends.  We had a goal of a bit of shopping.  Went to a place in Fall River, Massachusetts, called Portugalia Marketplace.  As one clerk remarked, it's a bit of Portugal in Massachusetts.  Bought some inexpensive wines:  One a rosé turned out to be ordinary.  But a white and a red from the Doura had  the advantage being low price, and quite good.  The range of other products from high priced and good wines to crockery to such foods as linguiça was enormous.  The store is close to I-195. Easy to get to.

Stopped in Providence at Blue State Coffee near Brown and enjoyed our coffees.  Ben's art was OK.  John's latte was fine.   Then to New London to pick up lunch at a supermarket and to the Rocky Neck State Park to eat it.  Arrived at brother Andrew's about 3 and enjoyed an evening with him and nephew David as the sky turned beautiful reds and pinks and enjoyed dinner and an excelldent Aglianico del Vulture to celebrate Rosh Hoshanah.  L'Shana Tova.

Now to Washington.