Day Twenty-Eight
Date: 26 April 2013
Place: Madrid
Weather: Cool but
fine.
Accommodation: Hotel
El Coloso, Madrid
Team Travel is having a couple of days in Madrid going our
own ways so today’s report is from my perspective only and not a collective
one.
David and I set off to do some shopping which included
buying some outfits for the grandchildren.
There are so many lovely clothes for children! As we walked the Grand Via, one of the main
streets in Madrid, it was noticeable that there were several people lying on
the ground sleeping with all their possessions and a cup out the front. There are also more beggars who quietly ask
for money.
We had seen on the news the previous night that there were
demonstrations in the main square in Madrid about the horrific
unemployment rate which stands at 27%.
Unfortunately, this affects the younger population however we did see an
interview on BBC TV saying that these figures affect three generations: the jobless middle class, their children and
the elderly parents who they have to live with.
It’s a very sad situation for such a lovely country. The people have been very accommodating and
friendly even when we have lots of communication problems.
The Centro de Arte Reina Sofia...front entrance with body guards out the front.
JUST in the photo....Queen Sofia probably having a preview of the Salvador Dali exhibition.
The rear entrance....pleased we'd bought our tickets earlier.
After buying gifts we used the second day of our Madrid Red Tourist
Bus and set off for the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza but somehow we missed that stop so we headed
to Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. Just as
well because as we were walking up to the main entrance which appeared to be
blocked by armed guards Queen Sofia exited from the building to an awaiting
car.
The latter museum is famous for housing the Guernica by
Pablo Picasso. As we had been through so
many galleries the sole purpose of this visit was for this painting only
however we did wander around a couple of the other galleries and enjoyed views
over the local area. We were pleased to have
bought the 3 in 1 ticket as we avoided the long queues at both galleries today.
I must admit that I was not surprised to see the size of the
Guernica (huge) but I did imagine it to be in colour! All these years I thought I was looking at
black and white prints and the painting is monochromatic black and white. Live and learn!
The next visit was a little distance up the road to the
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza which houses a mind boggling array of art work
covering from the 13th to the 20th century. Works include Rembrandt, Monet, Pissaro, El
Greco, Rubens, old religious icons, Picasso, Dali and so on…… quite overwhelming actually. The collections houses 700 permanent
paintings with a further 600 paintings on display from Carmen Cervera, wife of
the industrial magnate Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen. The magnate and his son had amassed a private
art collection of monumental proportions and was acquired (at a good price!)
with bidders from all over the world.
Wonderful....The Museo de Thyssen-Bornemisza
After two hours we had reached saturation point and we were
back on the bus to explore the rest of the city. We passed the ‘home’ of Real Madrid the city’s
famous football club. Due to safety
reasons games only take eighty thousand spectators with seventy thousand
tickets already taken by season ticket holders.
Great architecture in Madrid...quite a few buildings have this interesting shape.
Home of Real Madrid!
It was time for an earlier dinner so we wandered down to the
Plaza San Miguel and miraculously found a table and some stools so we spent a
lovely time sipping beer, wine and choosing tapas.
This will be my last blog for Spain as I plan a rest day
tomorrow and get myself ready for the plane to Morocco early on Sunday
morning. If you are keen to follow our
next adventures you can find us on:
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