This past weekend was ‘puente’, which literally translates as bridge. In this case Puente refers to a long weekend, I actually had 5 days off and it was great! Initially, I was hoping to go somewhere farther away so that I could go to a new country. Prague, Vienna, or Switzerland were at the top of my list however, the lack of money and planning prevailed, and I ended up in Madrid for four days.
I wasn’t overly enthused at the prospect of this because the thought of Madrid brought to mind a large, overwhelming city, where I was destined to get lost and struggle to find things to do. Fortunately, I was so incorrect in thinking this! I fell in LOVE with Madrid (so much so that my friend Brittany and I threatened to not go back to Sevilla). The city looks much more ‘European’ than southern Spain and has a completely different feel to it. Not to mention there were hills and I was freezing the whole time! Despite the discomforts, this was a welcome change. Don’t get me wrong, Sevilla is a beautiful city and I would totally recommend it for a vacation, but Madrid seems like a better place to live!
Finding coffee shops in Sevilla is a struggle. Luckily, we were blessed with beautiful coffee in a cute cafe in Madrid.
Most of my time in this charming city was spent in art museums. The first stop was the Prado, conveniently located down the street from our hostel (La Posada de Huertas, I would recommend staying here. It is cheap and convenient). The Prado is home to classical and renaissance art; I saw many pieces by Rubens, Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez (somehow I missed Renoir…). The highlight however, was seeing Las Meninas in person. It was really incredible!
The next stop was the modern art museum, Reina Sofia. The building was very trendy and cool, housing many wonderful and questionable pieces of ‘art’. Time was limited here, so I spent most of my time looking at the collection of paintings by Picasso. I must say the Guernica is much more impressive in person. It is hard to understand what makes a famous piece of art so famous until you look at it in person!
The best photo I could get of Guernica (on left). I bet you wouldn't think the one on the right is by Salvador Dali! But it is!
So despite the rain, cold, and achy feet, I can only reflect positively on Madrid. I would recommend El Rastro (the huge outdoor market on Sundays), it is fun and there are lots of good deals. Also, I didn’t get to the palace, Franco’s grave, or the botanical gardens but they are, I hear, sites worth seeing! Plus, the metro system is fabulous—we didn’t get lost once (it rivals the simplicity of D.C.). I also, found the people to be very friendly and their Spanish accent is much easier to understand!
New friend Katie on the left and the lovely Brittany on the right
As usual, photos to come when I can get to functioning internet!
I wasn’t overly enthused at the prospect of this because the thought of Madrid brought to mind a large, overwhelming city, where I was destined to get lost and struggle to find things to do. Fortunately, I was so incorrect in thinking this! I fell in LOVE with Madrid (so much so that my friend Brittany and I threatened to not go back to Sevilla). The city looks much more ‘European’ than southern Spain and has a completely different feel to it. Not to mention there were hills and I was freezing the whole time! Despite the discomforts, this was a welcome change. Don’t get me wrong, Sevilla is a beautiful city and I would totally recommend it for a vacation, but Madrid seems like a better place to live!
Finding coffee shops in Sevilla is a struggle. Luckily, we were blessed with beautiful coffee in a cute cafe in Madrid.
Most of my time in this charming city was spent in art museums. The first stop was the Prado, conveniently located down the street from our hostel (La Posada de Huertas, I would recommend staying here. It is cheap and convenient). The Prado is home to classical and renaissance art; I saw many pieces by Rubens, Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez (somehow I missed Renoir…). The highlight however, was seeing Las Meninas in person. It was really incredible!
The next stop was the modern art museum, Reina Sofia. The building was very trendy and cool, housing many wonderful and questionable pieces of ‘art’. Time was limited here, so I spent most of my time looking at the collection of paintings by Picasso. I must say the Guernica is much more impressive in person. It is hard to understand what makes a famous piece of art so famous until you look at it in person!
The best photo I could get of Guernica (on left). I bet you wouldn't think the one on the right is by Salvador Dali! But it is!
So despite the rain, cold, and achy feet, I can only reflect positively on Madrid. I would recommend El Rastro (the huge outdoor market on Sundays), it is fun and there are lots of good deals. Also, I didn’t get to the palace, Franco’s grave, or the botanical gardens but they are, I hear, sites worth seeing! Plus, the metro system is fabulous—we didn’t get lost once (it rivals the simplicity of D.C.). I also, found the people to be very friendly and their Spanish accent is much easier to understand!
New friend Katie on the left and the lovely Brittany on the right
As usual, photos to come when I can get to functioning internet!
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