Three Days in Madrid

Students Protesting in the Plaza del Sol, which we passed daily on our walks to museums. The numbers grew rapidly from just a few with home made signs, to a large media scrum

Getting up close and personal with the fabulous exhibition by Leon Golub in the almost more fabulous cultural space in the Parque Real.

The interior of the almost deserted cafe at Reina Sofia. Seems the locals and tourists flock mostly to see the older, Name art. So what's different???

Loved this sculpture at the entrance between the old and new buildings at Reina Sofia, which is to my mind the best gallery in Madrid

Graphics in the Mercado, an experience in itself (rather like Simon Johnstons)> Quite Beautiful to stroll in and salivate

The gardens and cafes at the entrance to the Palacio in front of the Palace Real

The Cathedral near the Palacio Real (main Cathedral in Madrid). It is decorated in bright colours and modern designs and makes a wonderful change from all the other beautiful but traditionally decorated cathedrals visited on this trip.

View of Madrid from the Cupola of the cathedral

The Palacio Real, complete with headless dummies on Flamenco dress. Would be great to say this was a modern art installation - instead, it was another chance to take money in exchange for a photograph.

Creative Graffiti in Madrid town

A landmark in Madrid - The Circulogico

Trees in the Parque real - Alice in Wonderland, Anyone???

In the Foyer at The Prado Museum (Colour co-ordinated!)

They start them soooo young in Spain! This was a school group taken out for the day to the Prado - I'm guessing the kids were about 4 years old! So tiny. If we don't even try until they are in high school, how will our kids ever develop the same love of the arts?

Arrived via the very human sized airport at Marrakech, into the groovy designed one at Madrid. Good connections and a helpful cabbie had me in town in good time to walk the many narrow streets and explore the plazas, sit in the Plaza Santa Ana and enjoy some tapas before hitting the sack.

Over the next few days we took in most of the Prado Museum, The Chardin exhibition and Heironymous Bosch being the stand out for us as well as a happy visit to Velaquez’s “Las Meninas”. Again, racing past Rubens to see Tintorettos needs some rationalising, and in the end we did our tastes and the museum proud, being very disciplined in what we saw. I also saw most of the later art in the Thyssen Bournimisza Museum, a private collection made public which boasts an excellent Monet and Van Gogh, but mostly interesting because it presents some good works of a wealth of artists that may never make publication in art books. The German Expressionist Painters and the Fauves are very well represented, Pechstein being the rediscovery of a great artist, for me.

I also took two broken visits to see the art at the Reina Sofia, a truly magnificent building (being a former palace, as most of these museums are) with an outstanding modern extension which seems to house only the library and the café. I like their style! We spent some time in front of Guernica, which didn’t disappoint, as well as in the surrounding rooms which present studies and sketches and other related finished paintings and information. I then explored the rest of the museum, with Juan Gris being the re-discovered artist, as well as cementing my astonishment at Picasso’s output as well as versatility and willingness to experiment throughout his life.

The student protests, centred in Plaza del Sol, are growing at a great rate and I wonder whether Spain will be next in the revolution stakes. I think Daniel would fit in well here.

Other places of interest we visited were the Palacio Real, which for my mind, leaves Buckingham palace for dead in decoration, creativity, and sheer capriciousness –every room had a different theme, no “reserve” here – and its armaments collection. Never would I have imagined that Knights in armour could look so good, in delicately carved and well designed and engineered metal made by the best European craftsmen, Silversmiths etc of their time, from Italy and Germany. It would have been a truly awe-inspiring sight to be waving madly in a crowd, as those knights, astride their prancing, jangling horses, marched by. The horse armour was exceptionally sculptural and beautiful, and the lances unexpectedly long! Ouch!.

I also explored the Cathedral and the park Real, with the Crystal Palace floating near the duck pond, and saw an outstanding retrospective exhibition by Leon Golub in the beautiful palace building at the opposite end of the walkway.
We have still to find, great tapas mixed with great wine – local knowledge needed in this capital of Tapas.

If Madrid is about its art, it didn’t disappoint, although sometimes, too much art is just that. I need to rest my eyes…and some more modern art!

Jamon, Jamon - Malaga

Niche with Santa Maria and flowers found in a side street, Malaga.

Painting by Andy Hope 130 in the Museum of Contemporary art, Malaga (hard to find, but worth the effort!)

Installation and part of the Retrospective Exhibition of Sylvie Fleur at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Malaga

The Cathedral as viewed from the Plaza at night Time (including sea gulls)

Malaga view from the Alcazabar Look out (towards the Bull Ring, one of only a couple authentic rings in Spain)

The rear of the cathedral, at day time

A wonderful Dali-esque addition to the streetscape during the building's renovations

At the last minute, I decided to change plans and leave the residency a day earlier and spend an extra night in Malaga. What a place!

I stayed in the Don Curro Hotel, and could not have chosen better as it was in the best part of the old city, a stroll to the “Catedral” that dominates the city and presides over a very lively plaza (best at night); a short walk to the Alcazabar (if this isn’t a rival to Alahmbra, then I can’t wait to go to Granada – It’s amazing); the Contemporary art museum, the Picasso Museum and his place of birth (the last being the only site I didn’t visit); and, as it turned out bus stations from other cities and to the airport. Although this decision involved a 7 hour trip along the coast instead of a three hour drive in the interior roads (I am still too scared to drive) the day was a really pleasant experience, as well as a test of my understanding of Spanish.

However, a word of warning. The cab driver who took me from the bus stop to the hotel failed to give me the change from a 5Euro (cost was about 3.5E) Oh well, he’s a cabbie… I bought a bottle of water – and the kiosk guy “accidentally” gave me a one and a two Euro as change instead of two 2Euro coins. I asked for the correct amount. And even at the Picasso Museum, the clerk there “accidentally” gave me change of a 10 instead of a 20 and didn’t blink and eye when I picked her up for it. Three for three transactions in the first day - always check your change!

Meeting an interesting French man in the Picasso Museum, whose Spanish was perfect (he was on holiday from working in Granada) was fortuitous, as it meant I could eat something more than “Jamon Bocadillos” (Ham sandwiches) as the menus still baffle me (despite studiously looking up the words I don’t know upon returning from eating anywhere). We enjoyed some great Spanish “Vino Rojas” and Tapas and interesting travel and life stories, before parting company way too late (he is on Spanish time and I must have had a second wind, because I couldn’t believe it was 2am in the morning when I had arisen at 7:30 am).

The next day was raining, but I still managed to find and see a great exhibition at the Muesum de Contemporary Artes by Silvie Fleury; as well as a retrospective of Andy Hope 130’s “Robin Doestoyevsky” (where Batman’s offsider takes a turn as the hero and dons a cape that often borders on historically feminine costume); and part of the Contemporary Art Museum’s permanent collection, which contains a number of Andy Warhol serigraphs and Louise Bourgoise Sculptures, as well as generally very high standard works by other artists. The area must have had some rich patrons in the past.

The rain continued, and so did I, happening upon the Thyssen Museum and deciding it’s welcoming, warm interior was worth the 6Euro admission price. The Museum contains a collection of Spanish artists of the Romantic and Impressionist style and apart from one or two, and a Zurburan in the Great Masters wing (most of the other works were by “anonymous”, so I am not sure about the selection of the name, here) the works were pretty second rate. However, it was interesting to see the rendition of traditional costumes and “daily Life” of the Spanish, a few centuries ago.

After a Menu de Dia (thank goodness for these) of Fish soup and Sardine salad, I took advantage of the siesta and a reviving 90 minute kip, so I finally managed to see the interior of the Alcazabar. I then saw the temporary exhibition of Kippenberger at the Picasso Museum. It was worth the long day required and I am now a fan of this German painter who died way too early (only a few years older than me!)

A read of my book back at the hotel and I sauntered off to a local eatery, deliberately chosen because the only language I could hear was Spanish – bound to be good! Well, the Jamon Bocadillo was actually nice and the red wine (“I’ll have what they’re having”) also good. Still an indecipherable menu!