Madrid

I never visited Spain, so when I had to fly through Madrid to get to Lima, Peru for my conference, I thought I might as well take a 24 hour layover to see a new city. I do not regret my decision at all. Madrid is amazing and so different than I thought it was going to be like. There were so many beautiful stone buildings, impressive statues, and public gardens. The influence of the Hapsburg empire is so clear and lasting in the city. I guess I thought things would be different because I remember my brother Max talking about how it was 100 degrees there when he visited (in the summer way back in 1996). By contrast, Madrid in April is a cool, but sunny 65 degrees (e.g. perfect). What did I do while in Madrid? Well, I basically explored the city’s food culture and their major art museum: The Prado. The first night, I stopped by this amazing little bakery and ordered an empanada and wonderful apple custard tart to snack on before settling down in my hotel. Then, I went to an adorable café for a veggie burger and my first glass of wine in 3 weeks. The food tasted so much like home – what do I mean by that? I tasted like all of the great café food you can get in New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Durham etc. – it was fresh and healthy. I enjoyed the quaint/warm atmosphere and read my kindle for a little while before heading back to my hotel.

The next morning, I went wandering in my neighborhood and came across a really busy café, where I stopped in and ordered a café au lait and the pastry of the day (another amazing apple tart). I felt like I was in a really authentic Madrid café – I was definitely the only tourist (and woman) there. After breakfast, I made my way through the neighborhood and down to the Prado, which is located right by the royal botanical gardens. The Prado was amazing!! I saw a special exhibit called “Las Furias,” which documents the popularity of painting various Greek heroes in the gothic/horror model. I was really excited to see this gruesome/fascinating exhibit and it did not disappoint in its gravity. I also stumbled across another fascinating section of the museum, the “Varez Fisa Gallery: Spanish Art from the Romanesque to the Renaissance,” which showed a much older/Greecian Spanish style. I’m not going to lie, the Prado has a really sweet collection of masterpieces by famous artists such as Goya, Velazquez Fra Angelico, Bosch, Brueghel, Titian, Reubens. My favorite paintings were Velazquez’ "Las Meninas," Goya’s “Saturn devouring his Child,” Fra Anglico’s “The Annunciation,” Boch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights” and Bruegel’s “The Triumph of Death. 

After touring the Prado for 4.5 hours, I made my way out into the world to grab some lunch at a local café (where I tried a classic rice dish of Madrid with mussels and shrimps). 

Then it was back to exploring. I walked down to the Plaza Mayor, the Palacio Real, the Catedral de la Almudena, the Teatro Real, Puerto Del Sol, then back to the royal botanical gardens and the Parque de el Retiro where I visited the Crystal Palace (where there was a cool exhibit called “The Splendid Hotel”) , the Palace of Velazquez (where there was a modern art exhibit called “Idea: Painting Force”), and the Monumento Alfonso XII. For dinner, I grabbed some pastries from my favorite little bakery and picked up some fresh fruits and veggies from a local market.

Before I knew it, morning had come and I was setting off once again. But, before I did, I stopped by my bakery to get some food for the plane journey (I wasn’t sure if Iberia was providing any meals. They actually are, but I’m glad I have my other food!) I also stopped at a little Mom and Pop café to get some café au lait and an egg/potato tart. The journey to the airport could not have been smoother. As I said before, I had a bit of luck with my seating arrangement, and have plenty of room to spread out my things as I type away. I’ve taken a few cat naps, enjoyed the Hunger Games and Saving Mr. Banks, and managed to come to the rescue of a group of French speaking Swiss people who could not fill out there customs forms because they were only available in English and Spanish. So, I spent a good 20 minutes talking to this 80 year old lady trying to tell her what she needed to fill out on the form. Over the course of the flight, some of the older gentlemen in the group have started conversations with me about my research, travel, life etc. Once again, I am so glad to have my French speaking skills, yet I also realize how much left I have to re-learn before I am proficient once again!

Next stop: Lima (in 3 hours!)