You rascas my back, I rasco yours

For the remainder of our 4 day stay in Madrid, I quickly established a rhythm.  In the early morning, Marco would quietly get dressed and leave for his conferences and meetings.  It was so strange to see him in a business suit again after a month of shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops.  I guess this was easing me back to reality slowly!

I would sleep in and only just get up in time for the buffet breakfast downstairs.  At first, I thought that the breakfast was complimentary, but once I realized that they charged $25, I decided to try to eat my money's worth (pretty much impossible - I would have had to stuff myself with jamon probably).  But it really was one of the best breakfast buffets I've ever had (if you ever go to Madrid - stay at the Tres Cibeles - great location and nice rooms just don't book a single).  It was divided into large sections, one for cold cuts and cheese; another for artfully arranged fruit in small glassware and yogurt, and 6 large jugs of different juices ; the third for a  selection of pastries and bread; a hot food section with scrambled eggs, sausages and Spanish tortillas, and the last was a smorgasbord of tiny desserts which I never had room to even sample.  Breakfast usually took around an hour for me to get through.

By then, I was itching to go into the sunshine and take on Madrid.  However, the city had surprisingly few Big Hits to offer.  Aside from a smattering of museums and art galleries, there was just the palace, the bull ring, and a large park.  Marco had asked me to save the palace and the park so that he could go on the weekend with me, so I thought I would attack the Prado art gallery and the Reina Sofia by myself first.

I left for the Prado around 11am, thinking that after eating such a massive breakfast it should at least hold me over until I finished the museum.  Man, did I ever underestimate how long it would take me to go through the place.  After 3 hours, I barely walked through the first floor, never mind touching the rest of it.  The place was like a maze of rooms, and even after my second trip there I still did not get my bearings.

It was a lovely day though, and I certainly took my time with this excursion.  The walk itself from my hotel to the museum was beautiful.  One of the main thoroughfares to get there,  the Pasaje de Prado, had a small strip of a park that was literally built along the center of the road, dividing the two lanes.  It reminded me very much of the Pan Handle in San Francisco.  It was so nice and warm that day that it seemed almost a shame to spend so much time in doors.  So, after I arrived and got my ticket, I sat down for a little while to bask and people watch.

However, to my great surprise, I was immediately approached by two teenage Spanish boys, awkward and spotty, asking me if I spoke English.  Apparently they had some sort of a school project for their English class to collect information regarding tourists.  I happily complied, but after it was all over, it struck me what an amazing opportunity that would have been to practice my Spanish - you rascas my back, I rasco yours right?
So after the boys left, I patiently waited for the next bunch and offered an exchange - they could ask me the questions in English but I would give them the answers in Spanish.  It turned out to be a great conversation!  I surprised myself with actually being able to piece together a coherent response - I told them where I was from, what I planned on visiting in Madrid, where else I had been in Spain, and what my favorite Spanish dish was so far (langostinos a la plancha).

By then, it was already noon before I stepped foot into the museum. After 3 more hours in the museum, I was tired, and starving and had to admit defeat.  But the main goal of the trip, to finally get acquainted with this Goya that the Spanish are so infatuated with, was at least somewhat accomplished.  I was really astonished at
the quality of the art there - so many pieces were just so intricate and gorgeous that I would be staring at it for a long time.  Here are some of my favorites:

  (this painting really captivated me, but I don't know the name of it and now I can't find a decent photo of it online!  Wasn't allowed to take any photos in the museum)


Life Sized Portraits of Adam and Eve               I loved this miniature saltcellar.  The merman was gorgeous
The anatomy was incredible.                              and the whole thing was adorned with precious jewels

In fact, I was so captivated by certain paintings, that I thought it would have been such an awful shame for Marco to miss them.  One day, he finished his meetings early and I gave him a whirlwind tour of all of my favorites in less than two hours - we skipped a lot and only stayed for the truly stunning pieces.  Again, we did not have time to even touch the second floor.  I guess we're just going to have to come back again some day -- but only on an expenses paid business trip.  My last impression of Madrid is that it's a great city for business, not so much if you're simply there on vacation.