Please be aware that I am writing this on my iPhone and any spelling errors are as a result of the the platform being used not necessarily of the operator.
So today I got a blister on my baby toe from the cute little shoes I bought because my flip flops were hurting my feet!
We both enjoyed sleeping in until 9 am. I was awake before 9 because it seems my body was not going to let me rest. I got showered and put on a dress for the first time this trip. We went down to breakfast and it was lovely! There was a huge variety of food from fresh fruit to eggs to hams to breads to pastries. I had some fruit, the Spanish tortilla, egg on toast and some coffee.
After breakfast we headed out. We walked up to plaza de Calloa and down calle Montera because Carleana had seen a purse yesterday and she wanted to go back and pick it up. When we reached the store it wasn't open yet; we decided we would come back that way because there was also a souvenir shop that we wanted to get some things from.
We continued until we reached Puerto del Sol and crossed the street turning left onto carrera San Jeromimo. On the way down the street we heard sounds of protestors and notice a fairly substantial police presence but by the time we get to the end of the street it has moved on and the barricades are down.
We arrived at plaza de Neptuno which is a roundabout with an enormous fountain in the centre of which is statue of Neptune riding a sea creature with water shooting into the air. We cross to the left toward the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum. We get our tickets and head up to the top floor and start our explorations.
The top floor is dedicated to art from the 17 century with a heavily Italian presence to early Impressionism with a heavy French presence. I really enjoyed the early Impressionism and there were also a couple of other pieces that really got me thinking. One was a painting by Bramantino where the Christ looks like a Wraith from Stargate Atlantis but it was painted in 1490! Another was a set of two pictures that were painted by Jan van Eyck (I had seen his name on a monument in Santiago of famous people who had completed the Camino). And lastly, there was a painting by Domenico Ghirlandaio who I think trained Michelangelo.
We went down to the next floor and I was in heaven-- it was the impressionist and Avant-Gardes era. There were so many pieces that took my breath away. I was more than happy to sit on the bench and drink in the beautiful works of art. There were many pieces which made me think and others that just spoke to my soul. I really enjoyed the works of Kurt Schwitter, Juan Gris, Fernand Leger, Frantisek Kupka, Joan Miri and Paul Klee. That's not to say that I turned up my nose at the Picassos, Monets, Degas' and other notable impressionists. It's that I just discovered some new modern artists that I liked.
We took a tour of the gift shop on the bottom floor and I picked up some postcards of the art pieces I liked. Then we left the Thyssen and walked around the roundabout to the Prado. The whole area is really neat because there is a green section called the Paseo del Prado which is like a miniature park. We weren't far from the big park in the centre of Madrid called El Parco del Buen Retiro or from the botanical gardens.
When we got to the Prado we got our tickets, a map and made our way to the restaurant because we were hungry. I had a quiche with leeks and a Greek salad with a diet coke. Then we went over to the gift shop because I was looking for postcards and a small pad of paper and a pen to make notes with; besides we're were right there.
Then we toured the museum and within a short time I was bored. Firstly, there were few places to sit and secondly, there was a lot of religious art and portraits. I was looking forward to seeing the Bosch but after that I just wanted to get out. I think I might have had enough of the crowds. The Prado does have a lot of sculptures which I really liked. There were a number of sculptures dating back to ancient times. Just as you entered there were statues of the 8 Muses dating back to ancient Greece; they were owned by the queen of Sweden who had them restored by that I mean having the heads reattached mainly.
We walked back to Puerta del Sol and on the way passed by a shawl shop with mantillas and other flamenco accessories. Unfortunately, it was closed but we are going to the Reina Sofia museum tomorrow and have to pass near Puerta del Sol. We walked up calle Montera and Carleana got her purse and I picked up the rest of my gifts. We continued up the street, wandering in and out of stores that caught our eye. We stopped for ice cream and a rest before continuing on. We found ourselves on Gran Via and headed in the direction of the hotel. Once again we popped in and out of stores looking at things but not buying anything.
When we arrived at Plaza de Calloa they were broadcasting the basketball game between Spain and China. The square was quite full and the police were visible as crowd control. It was kind of neat to see all these people standing or sitting around the perimeter watching the game. We continued down the street to our hotel.
When we arrived in our room we were greeted by sweet air conditioning and I just lay on the bed for a bit enjoy being cool. It was bliss to be off my feet and laying down after walking for almost 8 hours on marble and cement. When I took my shoes off I discovered the blister on my baby toe; so I guess I'm back to flip flops for at least part if the day and I better dig out my band aids!
So we spent some time chilling and at about 9 went to get some dinner. We thought we would try the all you can eat buffet around the corner. It was alright. Then we took a stroll and ended up on a street we hadn't been on before but we managed to find our way back to Plaza de Calloa and they were showing the soccer game between Spain and Honduras. It was even more crowded than this afternoon. There was a bigger police presence as well. We made our way over to Starbucks and got drinks then walked back to the hotel.
I had a soak in the tub because my legs and feet were sore. I finished my blog and went to bed. Sleeping in tomorrow until at least 9 am. Plan is to go to the royal palace, the Reina Sofia, the parco del buen retiro and a bit more shopping before packing everything up for home.
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