[Friday July 5, 2013]
I woke up at the same time that I did everyday this week;
the only difference was that I was going to be sitting on a bus for an hour
instead of in a classroom today. I finished packing up all of my things and
putting them into Daddy’s Houdini bag since there are no zippers on the sides
not facing your back and I could put everything into one easy-to-carry bag. I
then double checked the map and headed towards the bus station. I made it to
the station with about 10 minutes to spare, and then on the bus in the front
row with 5 minutes to spare. In the row behind me there were 2 Uni. of
Minnesota students and 1 Penn State student who slept through their alarm and
missed their group excursion. I felt bad for them at first but then I learned
that they had been out partying until 4am when they knew they had to leave at
6:30. It will definitely be a learning experience for them. They had a dozen
questions on how to get off the bus and into the Metro, how to ride and
navigate the Metro, and all of the things they’d need to know to be able to
catch a connecting train to their group. I only knew a little from visiting
Madrid last Sunday and the things I had read online in preparation for
traveling this weekend, but they knew next to nothing. I guess one good thing
about going off on my own is that I have to become self reliant and figuring
things out and not just depending on my tour guide to hold my hand.
When we got off the bus I wished them luck and then realized
that I needed some too. I knew I needed to get off the Metro at the Atocha
station, but I couldn’t see it on the map I had. I eventually saw it on Line 1
and just had to take the circular Line 6 to Pacifico station (thank goodness
for family living in similar named towns!) and switch to Line 1. Once on Line 1
I had to ride for 4 stops and then I was done with the Metro. I got up onto the
street and referred to the screenshot on my phone I took of the map of the
Atocha station in relation to my hotel. I looked up from my phone and realized
the station and the hotel are nearly in eyesight of each other. I laughed at my
earlier fear of being lost in a neighborhood and walked into the reception
area.
This was the true test of my Spanish abilities. I went to
the desk and said that I have a reservation for this weekend. He asked for my
name and I pulled the American move by spelling it with English pronunciation
of the letters instead of the Spanish pronunciation. The receptionist said I
didn’t have a reservation, but asked for my ID to be sure. When he had the
actually letters of my name he was able to find my reservation. I am in room
404 and the room is roughly as square as my dorm room in Neihardt was wide, the
bathroom in huge compared to the one as my host family’s, and the view is four
stories above an inner courtyard. I’m too nervous to stick my head too far out
of the window to look all of the way down. I then unpacked, sent out an “I made
it to Madrid safely” email, double checked the way to Museo del Prado and
headed out of the door.
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| Room key! |
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| My hostal room. |
When I finally got to the side of El Prado with the ticket
office I had to wait in line for about five or so minutes. While I was in line
I saw that students got into the Museo for free and figured it wouldn’t hurt to
say that I was a student. I showed my NCard and my Nebraska ID and got my free
ticket. I was so excited. That was around 11:30 am. I then went through
security and picked up a map. I then wandered through every single room on all
four floors (the top and bottom are a lot smaller with only one or two
exhibits) for the next 6 hours. I did take a break to eat in the café where I
got tortilla española- my absolute favorite food here. I love the paintings by
El Grecco and can’t wait to go to the Museo de El Grecco in Toledo next week.
There were a lot of exhibits and they were all organized by region, era, style,
or some other unifying feature. My favorite moment was turning around and
seeing the ‘The Second of May 1808’
and ‘The Third of May 1808’ which are
two paintings of Francisco Goya that are in all of my Spanish culture books
over the years. I loved seeing all of Goya’s pieces in Prado and all of the
paintings that are talked about when learning about the Spanish culture. I do
have to admit that my favorite painting was “Head of a sleeping cat” by
Francisco Domingo Marqués [http://www.museodelprado.es/coleccion/galeria-on-line/galeria-on-line/obra/gato-circulo/]
On the bottom floor there is a vault with the Tesoro del Dauphin, which was a
collection of very intricate vases, glasses, and cups; as well as landscapes
made out of stone pieces shaped together in an extremely detailed puzzle. All
of the exhibits were worthy of going back and seeing again, but there is just
so much to see and even 6 hours isn’t enough!
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| Outside of El Prado |
I headed back to my hotel room to lay down for a bit but I’m
to jazzed up from the Museo to sleep so I typed up my day until I started to
feel tired. I guess I was really tired because I slept from 7pm to 8:30am only
waking up a few times because of noise in the hall way.
[Saturday, July 6, 2013]
Once I woke up I set a few emails and then decided it was
time to get ready for the day and eat dinner and breakfast since I’m super
hungry now. I found a little diner called ‘El Brillante’ and had café con leche
and churros for breakfast. It was a good life choice up until the point that
the fried churros made my stomach squeamish- why don’t I eat more fried food so
this won’t happen? I sat at the bar and listened to all of the conversations
going on between the waiters, the bartenders, and the cooks behind me. It was a
good experience in understanding fast paced speech.
I then headed out the door to Centro del Arte Reina Sofia.
Once there I utilized my student ID again and got a free ticket to everything but
Dali’s exhibit in which you needed tickets in advance. Centro del Arte is known
for it’s modern exhibits. I went through the special exhibits first before
heading over to the main building. There is a lot of so-called ‘art’ that
honestly looks like something stuck on our fridge when I was younger but there
was one room that had a single installment that sort of made me home sick. The
title of the installment was “Threads” and it was a 7-foot or so high stack of
hay. I walked around it a couple of times giggling to myself since it didn’t
smell like hay at all- so no Nebraska smell. I was really confused at first to
how they consider hay as art but then I read the artist information plaque and
realized that by calling it ‘Threads” there was more to this hay than scarecrow
stuffing. The next thing I really liked was an exhibit room titled “Vibrations”
with the theme of optical illusions that give the impression of vibrating
artwork. It was fun to walk circles around artworks and see the different views
of the same piece that was stationary but appeared to be vibrating. I didn’t
have a map at this point so I began wandering rather aimlessly through the
museum, seeing different influential artists’ work. I eventually got up the
floors to room 206 that showcases Picasso’s Guernica. I fought my way through
hordes of tourists staring at their guidebooks to get a closer view. I then
moved to different viewpoints to see all of the angles you can get in one room.
Along one wall is a series of eight photographs depicting the mural at
different stages and seeing the progress made the final mural seem all the more
impressive. I spent about 3 hours in Reina Sofia.
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| In front of the Reina Sofia sign. |
I then headed back to the hotel to find a place to eat. I
ended up at El Rincón de las Tapas and was handed a menu in French. I was so
confused! I thought my Spanish had gotten really bad until I saw the French
flag in the corner. I then had to get my waitress’ attention and ask for a menu
in Spanish or English- she apologized and said that I looked French. I wasn’t
sure if that was a compliment or not… Once I got my menu I still ordered
tortilla Española and café con leche. I’m too weird about meat to try any at
anyplace but with my host family where I know it’s cooked correctly. Since it
was around 3 when I ate lunch, the news was on the tele and I watched a clip of
Pamplona and the running of the bulls.
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| Pan, tortilla, y café con leche |
I then went back to
my hotel to make my plans for the evening. I decided that I had three places
left I’d still like to visit: Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Plaza Mayor, and Parque
de Retiro. Out of the seven places within a safe distance from my hotel out of
the Top 10 book, I’d been to four: Palacio Real and El Rastro (last Sunday),
Museo del Prado, and Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. I decided that since museums
can take a lot of time to get through everything (for example, 6 hours in El
Prado) to go to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.
Once I got to Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza I went to the ticket
counter to get my ticket, and my student ID got me a reduced ticket for only 6€.
I started from the ground floor and worked my way up to the 2nd
level (although I realized later that chronologically you start from the top
and work your way down.) I was about ten rooms into the museum when I man asked
if I could take his picture (which is allowed near about 90% of the artwork) in
front of a painting, Composición de colores 1, by Piet Mondrian. He was
surprised that I understood him when he spoke English and that’s when I said I
was from Nebraska. He got really excited and looked like I just told him I was
Santa, and explained that he was born in Nebraska. We talked for a little bit
and then he introduced me as his ‘fellow Husker’ to his partner, whose name I
can’t remember. It was an interesting interaction that definitely made me smile.
Still on the ground floor in room 45 for future reference, I
turned and saw Max Ernst’s “33 Girls Chasing Butterflies”/ “33 muchachas en
busca de la mariposa blanca” out of the corner of my eye and was instantly
enthralled. My first reaction was similar to Nicholas Cage in National Treasure
“I’m going to steal the Declaration of Independence.” I spent a solid five
minutes looking at it. I then pulled myself away from it and saw several other
favorites like Georgia O’Keefe, Picasso, and Van Gogh. After I finished my tour
I headed back downstairs to look at Ernst’s painting again. If it hadn’t been
too tacky I would’ve sat on the floor in front of it, but instead I sat on the
bench in the middle of the room. On my way out of the museum I looked through
everything to see if there was anything with Ernst’s painting on it but there
wasn’t, so it is now near the top on my ‘when I get back to the states, I need
to do this’ list. I don’t think I’ve ever been this enthralled by a painting
before but I definitely don’t mind. Out of the 3 or so hours I spent at the
museo, I probably spent 15 looking at it.
 |
| I absolutely love this painting. "33 muchachas en busca de la mariposa blanca" Max Ernst |
On my way back to the hotel I had to walk down Paseo del
Prado, and I completely forgot that this weekend is Gay Pride weekend so the
Paseo is packed with people celebrating. I accidentally walked in front of a
group of people with water guns and when I got in the crosshairs they all
apologized profusely but it was so warm outside that I really didn’t mind. There
were a lot of parade goers wearing not much more than the closest to illegal
swimsuit you can wear in public or dressed in drag or a combination of the two,
as well as people wearing their everyday clothes. I am not all that familiar
with the LGBT culture, since Lincoln isn’t exactly the most liberal of places,
so it was shock at first. Since the streets were closed down to traffic there
were a lot of police officers patrolling, which made me feel a little safer. Once
I was back in my hotel room I double checked my Top 10 book and realized I only
had Plaza Mayor and Parque del Retiro left. I decided to stop at a supermercado
for dinner food and then sit and wander through Parque del Retiro before dark. Not
necessarily one of my better ideas. In the half hour I was in my room the
amount of people in Paseo del Prado had doubled if not tripled. I decided that
instead of panicking my way through the crowd to get to the Parque del Retiro
on the other side, I’d head in the opposite direction to find a
supermarcado. I found one and got a
sandwich with queso and nuez (cheese and walnut), orange Fanta (since I never
drink pop at home, its still a new experience; and the parade goers had cleared
most of the shelves already), and this twizzler type treat. I ate my treat on
the way back to Reina Sofia, which is within a stone’s throw of my hotel and I
people-watched from a bench in front of Reina Sofia. A pigeon sat next to me on
the bench and freaked me out, which in turn freaked it out. I couldn’t stop
laughing as I ate my sandwich. There were a group of 3 men who were obviously
drunk that made me uncomfortable so I decided that I could walk and drink Fanta
at the same time since my sandwich was gone. I headed towards the café I’d
eaten breakfast in since I knew there were enough tables to get in the way, as
well as an exit on the other side. Once I got through the restaurant I double-checked
to make sure they weren’t following me and then circled around the block to get
back to my hotel.
Once in my hotel I coordinated a Skyping date with Momma,
Daddy, Papa and Gramma. It’s been two weeks since I was home and two weeks from
returning- nearly exactly halfway! It weird how fast the time has flown, yet at
the same time it’s gone super slow. I then took a shower in a shower that is
bigger than the one with my host family. I didn’t bump my elbows against a wall
at all! I made the mistake of completely shutting the windows instead of just
obstructing the view since the hotel room got really hot, humid and stuffy.
There is a fan which helps move air around by doesn’t bring new air into the
room. At nearly midnight Spain time I got to Skype with my family, which made
for a pretty good end of the first half of my time here in Spain. I love
technology and being able to see everyone even though there is several thousand
miles, and 7 time zones dividing us. It was good to see everyone’s face and
hear their voices and talk with everyone.
[Sunday, July 7, 2013]
Today was my last day in Madrid, so I had to pack up all of
my things. I didn’t realize how many things I had brought with me until I
started cleaning up my room. I finally had the nerve to look down out of the
window and saw that it’s a four story drop to a little patio. Once I finally
had all of my things put together I returned my key to the front desk and
headed towards Parque del Retiro. Once I was in the parque I saw, not
necessarily in this order: Puerta de la Indepencia, Estanque, Monument to
Alfonso XII, Fuente de la Alcachofa, Palacio de Cristal, and Rosaleda. I ate my
breakfast of fruit I’d brought with me at Estanque (the lake near the Monument
to Alfonso XII) and Palacio de Cristal. I was carrying all of my things with me
so I took a lot of my-bag-is-cumbersome breaks. I always strategically planned
these breaks near the musicians that play everywhere, or by a pretty fountain
or flora. There were pigeons everywhere, and they were really aggressive
towards each other if food was present. There were also a lot of people walking
their dogs, sunbathing, riding bikes and running, or just sitting and enjoying
the view. I definitely would have blended in with the locals if I wasn’t
carrying my backpack. On my way towards Puerta de la Indepencia the street
market was just getting started and I had to utilize my “no, gracias” many times
because the sellers are very pushy. Once I was out of the parque I headed into
the metro station Retiro and headed towards Sol, which is close to Plaza Mayor.
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| Fuente de la Alcachofa- artichoke fountain. |
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| Monument to Alfonso XII |
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| Palacio de Cristal |
Once I got to Plaza del Sol I needed to get my barring
before heading towards Plaza Mayor. I eventually discovered I was going the
right direction when I literally stumbled into Plaza Mayor. I took a couple
photos of the statue of Felipe III and then ate lunch at Los Arcos. Can you
guess what I ordered? A hint is that this is the same meal three lunches in a
row. That’s right! I had bocallio tortilla y zumo de naranja. While I was
sitting I saw mounted police officers and took a semi-discrete photo of them.
After paying my 5€ bill I started to make the loop of coin and stamp vendors
since I was fortunate enough to be there on a Sunday. There was a vendor
selling old antique looking rings and one caught my eye so I asked how much it
was and then bought it. It’s an O shaped ring with three diamonds on the top
and three on the bottom with a pearl in the center. Once I get back to the
States I’ll have it cleaned and appraised, although I doubt the diamonds are
real, it does need a little polishing.
 |
| Finally in Plaza Mayor! |
On the bus ride to Toledo every seat was filled but I was
lucky enough to get a window seat so I could use it as a pillow. Unfortunately
the A/C couldn’t handle a full bus so it was really warm in the bus. By the
time we got done with the 50 minute bus ride I felt sick from a combination of
warm bus, an hour of motion, and not drinking enough water; and I still had to
walk back home in the middle of the hot afternoon. When I finally got back to
the casa I had it to myself, which is a blessing because I wanted to drink a
couple bottles of water, take a shower, and then finish the afternoon with a
nap. I woke up still feeling sick yet I had just taken a nap in a cool room and
had drank a lot of water, so I wasn’t sure why I was still feeling gross. I got
up to get more water since I was feeling light headed, but didn’t even make it
to the kitchen before having to hug the toilet and revisit lunch. I was really
thankful at this point that I had the casa to myself. After that I decided to
curl up on the couch with a huge water bottle and watch TV. After figuring out
the remote, I watched the end of “El Secreto de Clarissa” and then watched a
mystery movie called “Mystery Book Women: asesinato al amanecer.” I keep
nodding off during the movies, and along with the language barrier, make it
hard to understand what is happening. After about 2 hours I felt well enough to
attempt to eat something and was able to keep it down, which leads me to think
that whatever made me sick wasn’t a virus or a bug.
At about 10 Sandra and Alfonso came home and we ate dinner.
I had the same noodles and chicken as last week and then we watched Smurfs with
NPH in Spanish. I put the subtitles on because I was getting confused with
names of the Smurfs. Subtitles really help me understand what’s being said and
putting the spelling of a word with its pronunciation. But unfortunately I fell asleep before the end so I'll have to watch it again!
Love you all!
P.S. I never got lost while in Madrid which is practically a miracle! If you've ever attempted to give me directions or have driven with me, you know I get lost in the town I've lived in since I was born.
Love you all!
P.S. I never got lost while in Madrid which is practically a miracle! If you've ever attempted to give me directions or have driven with me, you know I get lost in the town I've lived in since I was born.
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