Long time no blog...
I am determined to get at least one picture in here, with intentions to catch up fully soon.
Ha.
Mark and I are in Madrid, Spain right now, visiting my friend Angela and her husband Bill and their two kids, Isaac and Nolan. The Blankenaus are living here for six months in an apartment just off Retiro Park, which for those not in the Madrid-know, is kind of like Central Park is for New York. So it's a VERY NICE location, close to everything, not the least of which is the beautiful park! We are walking all over the place and seeing all the sights.
Here is a partial list of things we've done in Madrid. If you've been to Madrid, you will probably be interested in this, and if not, skip right down to the next paragraph. Prado Museum (filled with painful-looking religious paintings), Reina Sofia Museum (modern art, with Picasso's "Guernica"), tour of the royal palace (I have a new definition of "ornate"), the cathedral (spacious, as most cathedrals are, but with surprisingly modern stained glass), and of course general walking around Madrid, looking at all the fantastic architecture that we know nothing about but still appreciate. Would have had the Teatro Español on the list, but got there too late go get tickets to the flamenco show tonight. "Agotadas las localidades para hoy" = SOLD OUT. Rats.
Best of all has to be going to SCHOOL! Angela is taking Spanish class two hours a day, and her teacher was nice enough to allow us to sit in a few days this week. So we've been twice, and were in a panic this morning completing our homework. Luckily the class doesn't start until 11:30. But we were still finishing the last question on the bus on the way there.
The modern art museum was interesting, although Mark and I found ourselves wondering how certain things had ended up on display. At one point, Mark pointed to an orange chair in the corner (where the museum guard sits) and remarked that it was nicer than anything we'd seen on the walls. I had to agree. It was a lovely melon color, of curvy design, and stylishly appointed with four metal legs. I regret to say that I really can't remember what was on the walls, except that it had started out as old newspaper.
Finally, though, it occurred to me that perhaps we should not measure the worth of these works in how skilled we felt the artist had to be in order to
produce them, but instead in how we
felt in their presence. I mentioned this to Mark.
Mark replied, "I feel cheated."
Bwa ha ha!
Tomorrow we head for Toledo, which is a half hour high-speed train ride away. It's a very old town which is famous for its swords. Isaac has one from a previous trip which looks pretty nifty, but we will try to restrain ourselves and stick to eyes-only. Friday we'll be back at class, and then Saturday will be our last hurrah in Madrid. Flight back Sunday leaves 8 a.m.
One last thing for now: it's 70° here and sunny. TC? 20° and snowing.
Gotta love Madrid!
