Hi yk

Enjoying your take on Spain.
I know how much work the report is and know we appreciate the effort

Re Flamenco singing
I realize not everyone likes it, but then they must not like flamenco
It is not for everybody, but for the record the "cante" singing is the crux of the artform, not the guitar, nor the dance.
It is not flamenco without the cante

Kind of like Americans asking why the blues artists are so menlancholy or um...so "blue" all the time .....it's the heart of that artform too.

In any case glad you like part of it.

111 - op : the canteen style flamenco place that you are wondering about was probably "La Carboneria". We went there, and found it absolutely fabulous !

yk,

Thanks for your report, I am enjoying it.

Quite frankly, I'm also not a big fan of Sevilla. Many other places in Spain that I prefer.

Very nice report. I also stayed at the Hotel Colon, nice location, hated the room, and enjoyed the Sardana dancing in front of the cathedral. I was there in September so I went North to the Basque country which I enjoyed immensely.

<b>One Last Word about Seville</b>
After I slept on this, there are a few more things I did like about Seville:

1) The aroma of oranges in the air. I wonder if it's like that all year round? (And I mean oranges, not the orange blossom in Mar/April)

2) The flamenco show

3) The colorful buildings (painted with bright colors) and the beautiful tilework everywhere

A few more things that I didn't like:

1) There are lots of flies in the city - swarms of it sometimes. What's up with that?

2) I didn't particularly enjoy any of the meals I ate there. I'm not saying Seville doesn't have good food, it's just what happened to me on this brief visit.


<b>Day 7
Blunder in Cordoba</b>

The plan for the day is to leave Seville in the morning, take the AVE to Cordoba for a day visit, then continue on the AVE to Madrid in the evening.

My cousin who visited Cordoba couple of years ago alerted me that the Mezquita lets one in for free between 8:30-10am. Because of that, I booked an early train leaving Seville in order to get in Cordoba by 9am, leaving me with an hour to get from the train station to the Mezquita. I thought my plan was foolproof.

There was a wrinkle on my trip planning. When I bought the Renfe tickets on line, for some reason (maybe because of the pop-up blocker), the ticket for my Seville-Cordoba leg didn't print out. As I didn't know how busy the Seville train station would be, I wanted to get there at least 45 minutes before my train leaves to allow myself plenty of time to sort out the ticket problem.

So, back to the early morning at Hotel Alcantara in Seville. I checked out around 7am. My train leaves from Santa Justa at 8:15am. Because there's no easy public transportation to get there (see my hotel review above), I asked the front desk to call for a taxi. This turns out to be the <b>best decision</b> I've made on this trip. The ride is short and only costs &euro;5 (inclu tip). It would have been miserable had I tried other ways such has taking the bus.

With my email print-out for the ticket, I waited in line for the Renfe customer service. She led me to one of the many self-service kiosks in the station. All she had to do was punch in my &quot;localizer #&quot; and out came my train ticket. The whole process took less than 1 minute. With plenty of time to kill before the train leaves, I went to the cafe for some breakfast.

This was my first train trip in Spain. I didn't expect the amount of security they have; though I assume this is set up after the 3/11 bombing. No one is allowed onto the train platform without a ticket, and all luggage has to be x-rayed.

Anyway, the train arrived in <b>Cordoba</b> 45 minutes later at 9am. The other concern I had was whether there are lockers available at the station, as I have been getting conflicting answers. Despite the tourist office telling me (via email) that there are lockers available at the train station, these lockers were lined off and not for use. Fortunately, I knew the bus station across the street has lockers, so I headed there.

I couldn't find the lockers initially, so I had to ask the guy at the info booth. It turns out the locker room is tucked way down on the R side of the station. After I found it, I spent a couple of minutes reading the instructions on how to use one. It takes a token to operate. Then it's another minute or two before I found the token machine (it's <i>outside</i> the locker room).

Finally, by the time I got my luggage stowed, 15 minutes have elapsed.

According to RS' guidebook, one can take Bus #3 into the old center. However, he warned that the bus makes a big loop round the city before arriving at the Mezquita. His recommendation was to get off at an earlier stop and then walk 15 minutes instead of riding the bus the whole way.

I got on the bus at 9:20 and it left shortly after. Thinking that I can <b>outsmart</b> RS, I went against his advice and decided to take the bus the whole way. I mean, I still have 40 minutes and there's no way it'll take that long to arrive at the Mezquita.

Well, guess what. RS was right and I was wrong. I think I saw the <i>entire</i> modern section of Cordoba on this bus ride. When it finally arrived at the Mezquita, it was 10:05am.

In retrospect, even if I had walked all the way from the station to the Mezquita, I could still make it there before 10.

Disappointed, I grudgingly paid the &euro;8 admission, and another &euro;3,50 for the audioguide. I noted that the Audioguide booth is open at 8:30am, so visitors who do arrive before 10 can get in for free yet able to rent the audioguide. To add further insult to my injury, I found out that tour groups are not allowed inside before 10am. So of course, there are lots of tour groups just arriving!

Seeing the inside of the Mezquita is quite an experience. Even though I've seen pictures and read descriptions of it, again this is something that one has to see it with one's own eyes. I thought it was beautiful. Some may say, what's so special about these red/white arches and pillars. They are just so unique and give me a sense of peace. I liked the audioguide a lot, as it explains the various additions to the Mezquita by different Caliphs. I highly recommend the audioguide unless you have a very good detailed guidebook.

The <b>Mihrab</b> is nice too, however it is fenced off from quite a distance and really hard to see it well, esp it's so dark inside. Because of the vast size of the Mezquita, I wasn't too bothered by the various tour groups. I thought the Cathedral inside is intrusive and ugly.

After the Mezquita, I went to check out the <b>synagogue</b> in the Juderia. This dates from the 1300s and is one of the few remaining synagogues from pre-Inquisition era. Along the way, I saw a statue of <b>Maimonides</b> who was born in Cordoba.

The synagogue is quite small, just one room really. There are some remains of stucco on the walls with Hebrew inscriptions.

Next I visited the <b>Alcazar</b>. There really isn't much to see inside the fortress except for some fine Roman mosaics. However, the Alcazar was the place where Ferdinand and Isabella set off to conquer Granada, where they saw Columbus off, and where the Inquisition tribunal held for over 3 centuries.

The Alcazar Garden is a pleasant place to relax. It's got lots of cypress trees as well as orange and lemon trees. Workers there were also busy getting rid of the last of the oranges from the trees.

After the Alcazar, I walked along the river bank to check out Puente Romano (Roman bridge), before heading back into the old center to look for lunch.

Initially, I had planned to dine at <b>El Caballo Rojo</b> which is highly recommended here. I looked at the menu and decided it's a bit too expensive for my taste (they only have 1 menu for both lunch and dinner). So I wandered around town to look for alternatives.

Finally I came across a taberna that was bustling. They have several 3-course <i>menu</i> options for various prices. I picked one that was &euro;9,50. I had a soup (Sopa de picadillo - same as what I had 2 nights ago), followed by Pork cooked with tomato sauce (again with the soggy British-style chips on the side). For dessert I had ice-cream. The other diners were mainly locals, and a few tables were occupied by workers (they were wearing uniform). The food was good, but of course this is not a fine-dining establishment.

<b>Taberna Rafae</b>
Located at the corner of C/Deanes and C/Buen Pastor
http://www.tabernarafae.es/

By now, I have already done all the &quot;to-dos&quot; on my list, but my train to Madrid doesn't leave until 6:30pm. I still have a few hours to kill in Cordoba.

I decided to take a leisurely walk around <b>Juderia</b> again. Cordoba's buildings are very different from Seville. They all have white-washed walls with pots of geraniums hanging off the walls. Unfortunately, since this is only February, most pots are empty or have dead plants. I did find a few buildings that have some blooming flowers.

One of the most famous streets in Juderia is the little flower street, <b>Calleja de las Flores</b>. It is in reality a tiny dead-end alleyway. I had no trouble finding it though, because there were non-stop Japanese tourists swarming the entrance of this alleyway. Again, just like the dragon in Parc Guell, every one of them needed a shot of himself/herself alone in the street.

At the dead-end of this alleyway is a souvenir shop. The shop has many signs written in at least 20 different languages posted outside, advertising that inside the store is a 2000 year-old well. I was curious so I went in for a peek. Whether the shop owner was telling the truth or not I do not know. He was nice though. I didn't buy anything.

I did a little bit of shopping from <b>Arte Zoco</b>. It's inside a courtyard with various craftsmen making different goods. It is located just across the way from the synagogue.

I also stopped at <b>Salon de te</b> for an afternoon break. It has over 30 kinds of tea to choose from. Inside is a covered courtyard with a fountain and comfy chairs, a very relaxing atmosphere. I was quite thirsty and hot (temperature was in the high 60s), so I asked the server for a recommendation of something refreshing. Instead of recommending tea, she suggested <b>horchata de chufa</b>, which is a drink made from Tiger nuts. I have never had one but decided to go along with it. It was really good! It has a milky, almondy flavor and very refreshing.

<b>Salon de te</b>
c/Buen Pastor, 13
http://www.lacasaandalusi.com/

It was time to leave. I went back to the Mezquita to catch Bus #3. [Since it runs a loop, the trip back to the train station is much shorter. It took only 10 minutes.] I retrieved my luggage from the bus station locker and caught the 6:29pm AVE to Madrid.

I slept pretty much the whole way. The trains are clean and comfortable - I am very impressed with the Spanish train system.

We arrived at Atocha station a few minutes early. Thanks to my cousin again, she gave me her b&oacute;nobus for Madrid which still had 3 rides left. Because of that, I was able to take the subway right away, instead of having to schlepp my luggage to the machine, get money out of my money belt, figure out how to buy tickets etc. She also gave me excellent directions to my Madrid hotel, <b>Hotel Plaza Mayor</b>, from Metro stop Sol. She recommended this hotel where she had stayed before.

It was past 9pm by the time I finished checking in at the hotel. Since I didn't feel like venturing far at night for dinner in a city I am not familiar with, I asked the front desk young lady (Julia) for suggestions. She told me she eats at the <b>Corner Cafe</b> every night which is just across the small plaza in front of the hotel. She recommends the Spanish omelete. It's cheap, it's huge, and it's better than what her family can make at home.

I followed her advice and went there. The price for the Spanish omelet is only &euro;2,20, how big of a piece could that be??? So, in addition to that, I ordered a plate of Jamon Serrano which was &euro;7. Julia wasn't kidding. The piece of omelet is HUGE. I mean, it's one quarter of an 8&quot; inch omelete. And the plate of jamon was pretty big too. I amazed myself when I finished off both plates. Total for dinner was &euro;12.

How far is the Mezquita from the train station? Now I'm wondering what I did when I went. I think that I must have taken a taxi.

I think one of the most unique things about the Mezquita is actually the double arch architecture, which I think they adopted from the Pont du Gard and the Romans.

111op- I think it probably is a mile or so. My cousin walked on her trip and she recalled somewhere btw 20-30 mins.

I considered taking a taxi from the station, but I was so confident that I'd have enough time for the bus (40 minutes).

<b>Day 8
Day Trip to Toledo</b>

Thanks to the high-speed AVE, going to Toledo from Madrid takes just 30 minutes.

I had pre-purchased my train tickets in the US. The outbound was &euro;9 (regular fare) but return was just &euro;5,40 (40% off). My schedule was to depart at 9:20am and return at 7:30pm. The train before 7:30pm departs at 5:30pm. In retrospect, the 5:30pm one was probably better.

I didn't have breakfast at my hotel, instead I headed to Atocha first and had breakfast at the station. Lots and lots of tourists (this was a Friday) were heading there. The train station in Toledo has nice mudejar architecture (built about 100 years ago).

There are plenty of buses that leaves from the train station for Plaza Zocodover. Just check the display on the front of the bus. I got on a #62 along with a small group of Japanese tourists. The bus then climbed up the hill and entered the old center via the impressive <b>Puerta Nueva de Bisagra</b>. After a few more stops, the bus stopped at a small square. I wasn't sure if that was Plaza Zocodover. All the Japanese tourists got off, so I figured this must be the right spot, and it was.

I walked down some steps and arrived at <b>Museo de Santa Cruz</b>. It has quite an impressive facade. Several of its El Greco pieces are on loan to the Seville exhibition, but his <i>Assumption of the Virgin</i> is still there.

Upstairs the museum houses an Iberian porcelain exhibit - worthwhile to check out.

From there, I headed to <b>Cristo de la Luz Mezquita</b>. It is the only remaining mosque in Toledo (over 1000 year-old). It appears to be quite a small building looking from the outside. There is a lot of renovations going on inside and on the grounds outside. Because of that I decided not to pay admission to go in.

Next I headed towards the Juderia section. I stumbled across the <b>Real Fundaci&oacute;n Toledo</b> which I have heard about from Maribel. It houses sculptures by Victorio Macho, but it also is holding one El Greco painting right now while El Greco Museum is closed for renovations. The painting they have is <i>View and Plan of Toledo</i> which is one of his famous works. Apart from the sculptures and El Greco, it has a 10-minute movie on Toledo, plus an <b>unbeatable</b> view from the terrace of the museum! I think the view alone is worth the admission. It looks SW down the Rio Tajo and its deep ravine.

The <b>Sinagoga del Transito</b> is nearby. Despite being a synagogue, it is built of mudejar style but with Hebrew inscriptions. The Museo Sefard&iacute; attached gives a history of Jewish culture in Spain. Even though the display cases are in Spanish only, each room provides an English information leaflet.

I walked past both Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes and Sinagoga de Santa Mar&iacute;a la Blanca, but did not enter either one.

A little bit back up the hill lies <b>Iglesia de Santo Tome</b> which houses the famous painting <i>Burial of the Count of Orgaz</i> by El Greco. There was a large Spanish tour group when I arrived, which made it impossible to see the painting at all. I had to wait over 10 minutes until they left in order to get a good glimpse.

By now, it's time for lunch. I circled around town for quite some time before picking a restaurant in Plaza Mayor. The restaurant is downstairs in the basement and rather large. It wasn't busy at all and very few people were smoking, which was a plus for me. I ordered the &euro;12 menu del dia which offers a number of selections. For first course I picked a potato salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and tuna fish. Second course I had the <i>cocido</i> (stew). I thought it would come in a pot with the broth, but it was actually served dry on a plate. On the plate was an assortment of meat: a piece of chicken, pork, boiled potatoes, carrots, 2 small pieces of sausages, and chickpeas. Last course was either coffee or dessert; I picked coffee. The food was fair, again this is not fine-dining. Folks who ate there were mostly locals.

<b>Restaurante Plaza Mayor</b>
Located right at Plaza Mayor, Toledo

After lunch, it was time to visit the <b>Cathedral</b>. I had the hardest time finding the entrance to get in!!! Somehow it's sort of tucked inside a small alleyway. Again, I didn't find the inside too memorable except for the Sacristy and the Treasury. In the Sacristy is a collection of some fine paintings, including El Greco's <i>El Espolio</i> and a Caravaggio. The Treasury houses a ridiculously huge <b>monstrance</b> made of gold and silver.

Even though I know the <b>Alcazar</b> is currently closed for renovations, I decided to hike up there to check out the view. Toledo itself is rather big and signs are few. With some luck, I picked the right path and got there. I recommend everyone to go there for the view! It faces East (a different direction from Real Fundacion) and one can again see the Rio Tajo below.

Since I still have several more hours before my scheduled train, I climbed up and down all over the city. I returned to Juderia to buy some <b>marzipan</b> from Santo Tom&eacute;. I later on found out they have another shop right on Plaza Zocodover.

Then I walked northward to find the escalator. Yes, there is an escalator in Toledo so that folks don't have to hike up the hill. I took the escalator down, which dropped me off near the Puerta Nueva de Bisagra. In that area, one can also see the remaining old city wall.

After lots of pictures, I aimlessly wandered through small alleyways to climb back up to Plaza de Zocodover. There is a cafe right on the plaza so I grabbed a terrace seat to rest. I ordered a marzipan cake and a coffee while I people-watched.

I left the cafe around 6pm, down the hill this time on the East side in order to reach <b>Puente de Alcantara</b>, a rather old bridge that spans the Rio Tajo. It is a nice view from down there looking up towards the Alcazar.

Finally, I walked from there back to the train station (20 mins tops, maybe).

I arrived at the train station around 7pm for my 7:30pm train. They posted a sign stating that the 7:30pm train is completely sold out. So, a word of caution for tourists - don't wait until last minute to buy your return ticket to Madrid. The next train doesn't leave until 9:30pm!

Because of the late 3-course lunch plus a piece of cake at 6pm, I wasn't hungry enough to eat dinner. After such a long day out, I went to bed early that night.

<b>Overall Impression of Toledo</b>
I enjoyed my visit a lot. It's a rather big town and have lots to offer, even when El Greco museum and the Alcazar are closed. It has been a military stronghold for centuries, and I finally understand why when I got there. The stategic location (up on a hill surrounded on 3 sides by River Tajo) makes it a great base. Having to climb uphill and downhill all day made me appreciate it more. I also found the architecture very different from the Andulasia. In Toledo, every building facade is built of stone and brick, and of the same earthern color as the hill itself.

yk, I'm enjoying your report

The &quot;cocido&quot; are two dishes..the first one is a soup made with the broth you missed and it will probably be between the first courses to choose. And then the main course is the one you were served.
You say Toledo is &quot;a rather big town&quot; and in fact, you only saw the &quot;old Toledo&quot; (the historic centre). The new Toledo where most people lives in..is not in the hill but down, by the river. But still is one of the smallest capitals of Spain
By the way, I agree with you. I like Sevilla but I'm not in love with it, there are a lot of places in Spain that I like much more.

kenderina - You're absolutely right. There was &quot;cocida&quot; to choose for the first course as well. I thought it is just a smaller version of the second course, but I now see that it's the broth.

I guess compared to the old centers of Cordoba and Segovia, Toledo is quite a bit bigger and has more to explore.

toldeo was the capital of spain until 1560.

i never tire of a visit there.

Great job, and many thanks for all your information.

May I inquire as to how you booked your concert tickets and tour for the Palau de Musica in Barcelona?

Thanks!

This trip report answers so many of my questions - love the capsule summaries, frankness about drawbacks, comparisons and contrasts... Ideally would be saved to a weblog including photos. I suspect this tour would be a little more complicated for a vegetarian.

goodgrace - For the concert ticket at the Palau Musica Catalana, I bought it directly from the website
http://www.palaumusica.org/
It has an English version, including the purchasing pages.

For the English guided tour, I did that via email. If you are in Barcelona for a few days, potentially you can just go to the box office on your first day and buy a ticket a tour on a subsequent day. You can also call to buy a ticket. Over email, I sent them my CC info and they charge my CC right away. Email address is:
[email protected]


viking - I do have my own blog and I post my trip reports with some photos. However, it's reserved for friends and family only as I do blog about things other than trave *gasp*

yk, have I missed the Madrid portion of your trip, or is it in another thread? Very anxious to see it.

<b>Day 9

Real(Royal) Madrid</b>

After the last 2 days of long sightseeing, today is kind of a laid-back day.

I had breakfast at my hotel, then I stopped by the Tourist Office in Plaza Mayor. I found out that the office has several computer terminals which one can use to get on the internet for free (15 min session)! [the best time to go is right after the office opens at 9:30am. The terminals get very crowded in the afternoons/evenings.]

After sending off a few emails, I headed to the <b>Teatro Real</b>. I was pleasantly surprised how &quot;walkable&quot; the center of Madrid is. It was closer than I thought.

Before I left for my trip, I checked on line to see if there are opera performances at the Teatro Real. There was one for tonight (Sat) but it was completely sold out. Thanks to Fodorites here, I found out that even if a performance is sold out, the venue still holds 10% of the tickets for sale on the day of performance.

I arrived at the Teatro Real at 9:55am. I had hoped to get there earlier (box office opens at 10) but I couldn't get out of bed early enough. Surprisingly, the line was very short. I chatted with the man in front of me to make sure this is the right queue. I was #12 in line.

At 10am, the doors opened promtly. It took a while before it was my turn, and I was able to buy a ticket for that night's performance of <i>La Gioconda</i> by Amilcare Ponchielli. I was given choices of &euro;16 obstructed view standing ticket, or &euro;91 great seat. I chose a &euro;46 seat with fairly ok view.

The line for tickets grew longer during my wait. I don't know whether this is the norm, or whether La Gioconda is just not very attractive. Anyway, if you find yourself going to Madrid and the performance is sold out, you can try doing what I did and you may get lucky!

After getting my ticket, I went to visit the <b>Palacio Real</b> just on the other side of Plaza de Oriente. I rented the audioguide and toured it on my own. There were many tour groups which was annoying because some rooms are quite small and the whole group took up the entire room.

The Palace is quite nice, but of course one can't compare it to Versailles. Supposedly the Palace has a few famous paintings by Bosch, but the only famous ones I saw were portraits of previous kings/queens by Goya. I enjoyed the visit to the Royal pharmacy. I didn't spend much time in the Armory as I'm not interested in that.

There is a nice view from the west side of the Palace courtyard. Supposedly one can see El Escorial on a nice day. It was a nice day but I don't think I saw that far.

The line to get in the Palace was much longer by the time I left (around 12 noon).

I returned to my hotel room briefly, then walked towards Plaza Santa Ana. I wanted to have lunch at <b>Le Petit Bistrot</b> (mentioned in the Maribel guide) which is at Plaza de Matute nearby. I arrived at the bistro at 12:55pm - they aren't open for lunch until 1:15. So I walked around the area of Santa Ana. One end of the Plaza is dominated by the ME hotel by Sol Melia. On the other end sits one of the Room Mate Hotels that is recommended here by fellow travelers.

I returned to Le Petit Bistrot at 1:15pm. Of course, once again, I was the first and only diner, but I really don't care. They offer a lunch menu del dia, but it's more expensive on Saturdays (&euro;13,20 vs &euro;18,50). One can also order a la carte. The menu del dia consists of options from the regular menu but not all dishes. Also, many of the options require a supplement charge anywhere between &euro;2-4.

Anyway, I picked a <i>terrine de campagne maison</i> with a side salad to start. For my main dish, I had calamari with black rice (cooked in squid ink) - this dish charges a &euro;2 supplement. Dessert was a mille-feuille.

The restaurant was quite full by 2-2:30pm. Everyone was local; I did not see a single tourist. Lunch total was &euro;25. I enjoyed the ambience there, plus a change from the Spanish cuisine I've been eating for the last week. The waitstaff there is young and attentive. All speak good English.

<b>Le Petit Bistrot</b>
Plaza de Matute, 5
http://www.lepetitbistrot.net

I took the Metro to Atocha to visit the <b>Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sof&iacute;a</b>. It offers free entrance on Saturdays after 2:30pm. I got there around 3p and there was no line to get in.

Currently there is a H-U-G-E Picasso exhibition, from the Picasso Museum in Paris, of over 400 paintings. It was so big that it was spread out on 4 separate floors.

I started off on the 4th floor permanent collection, then proceeded down to the 2nd floor where <b>Guernica</b> is. I was surprised to find it so big! [I even watched Simon Schama's PBS series on Picasso, and failed to realize the size of this painting.]

Anyway, I don't think Guernica has much impact on me has it does to some others. Overall, I am not a big fan of Picasso anyway. The Picasso exhibit is extensive and exhausting. I left after 2.5 hours.

I didn't find Reina Sofia that exciting - at least not for my interest. It has plenty of paintings by modern Spanish artists which I am not into.

I returned to my hotel for a much-needed nap, then walked back to Teatro Real for the opera perfomance at 8pm.

The usher at the main foyer told me to go up 3 floors for my seat. When I got to the 3rd floor, it didn't seem right to me. There are still many floors above and I thought my seat was all the way near the top (I'm used to nosebleed seats anyway). I thought maybe each floor I had climbed was just a &quot;half-floor&quot;, so I went up and up and up. I finally got to the top floor (6 flights of stairs) and entered one of the doors. The usher there looked at my ticket and smiled at me, &quot;You're on the <b>sixth</b> floor! You need to go back down 3 floors for your seat.&quot;

So down I went and finally found my seat. It is a bit off to the side, but it's in the front row. I spent the whole time leaning forward against the railing in order to see the full view of the stage.

The inside of the opera house isn't spectacular (say, compared to La Fenice), so I'm not sure a guided visit is worthwhile. The acoustics was excellent and so was the cast that night. The free programme surprisingly has English synopsis which helped a lot for me to know what's going on. Even though the opera house has been renovated recently (late 1990s), it doesn't have individual LCD screen for the surtitles. It still uses the traditional projected screen above the stage.

During one of the intermissions, I ordered a piece of smoked salmon served on toast and a soda as a snack from the bar. I decided this would be my dinner as the opera lasted 4 hours and ended at midnight!

<b>Day 10
Madrid - A Day at the Museums</b>

Today is my last full day in Madrid, and it is devoted to the other 2 big museums.

A disclaimer before I begin describing my day:
I enjoy art museums and have previously spent an entire day visiting museums such as the Met, the National Gallery in DC, or the Louvre etc. I would not recommend any casual tourist to try visiting 2 major art museums in Madrid in one day.

After breakfast at my hotel, I hurried to the <b>Prado</b> for my 9:45am timed entry. I had purchased my ticket in advance because I wanted to visit the special exhibition on Velazquez. The exhibition closes today and I didn't want to take my chance.

For those who have purchased advance tickets (charged to your CC immediately), you can enter through the Velazquez entrance. There is no line to speak of.

I rented an audioguide (&euro;5) and visited the exhibit. It is titled Velazquez's Fables, so the paintings are mostly on topics of mythology or religion. I'm sorry to say, I was not impressed. This is actually my 2nd attempt to *like* Velazquez. I went to an exhibit of his at the London's National Gallery in Nov 2006 and didn't like him much then.

The next couple of hours were spent in the permanent collection galleries. I thought the layout of the paintings was odd - it's not quite chronological nor geographical. It is confusing.

I spent a great deal of time in the Flemish galleries. I like the Flemish Primitives, but also Bosch. Seeing the <i>Garden of Earthly Delights</i> was amazing. I did not realize the Prado also has a painting by Bruegel (one of my favorites).

After those galleries, I made my way to the Velazquez galleries for his many portraits of Philip IV and other royal members, plus his famous <i>Las Meninas</i>. Again, this failed to move me. I mean, compared to the first time I saw Rembrandt's <i>Night Watch</i>, or any of Caravaggio's works, I just don't think Velazquez measures up. I'm not trying to offend any Velazquez fans here, it's just my personal feeling.

I also saw some El Grecos, but truthfully, after the last couple of days seeing many of his paintings, I have had enough.

I found the Goya galleries. Saw his <i>Family of Charles IV</i>, then the <i>Maya</i>s both clothed and unclothed, and finally his Black Paintings.

Fellow fodorite 111op had given me a Prado Black Painting gallery guide a while back, and I brought the little guide with me on my trip. I kept thinking I would have time to read it before visiting the Prado. But before I knew, I was there in the Black Paintings gallery and still hadn't read the book! I wish I had because the audioguide wasn't too useful (it only desribed 2 paintings) whereas the book, which I read on my flight back to the US, was much better.

The 2nd of May and 3rd of May were not on view - they're being restored right now in time for an exhibition beginning in April.

I ate my lunch at the Prado cafe. It is self-service. One can choose a la carte, or do their menu del dia for &euro;14,65. It includes 3 courses plus bread and a drink. I chose the menu del dia and had a pasta salad, curry beef with fries, and a rice pudding.

I spent a total of 6 hours there. Overall, I was a bit disappointed. My favorite was the Flemish section. If you are a fan of Spanish art (Murillo, Zurbaran) then I think you'll like it a lot.

The Prado is free from 5-8 pm on Sundays. When I left, which was around 4, there was a long line at the regular entrance.

The weather was quite terrible that day. It was cold and damp, and rained while I walked from the Prado to <b>Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza</b>.

There is currently a Modigliani exhibition. I wasn't interested and I didn't book in advance. There was no line to get in when I arrived (~4pm) but the Modigliani show was sold out for the day.

The Thyssen is smaller than the other 2, but its collection is more varied. Rather than concentrating on one area, the Thyssen's collection gives you a &quot;flavor&quot; of everything (6 centuries of paintings from early Renaissance to modern art). It doesn't have any blockbuster paintings like Guernica or Las Meninas, but it has some smaller gems.

I found Holbein's <i>Henry VII</i> portrait, surprised by its small size and the lack of tourists crowding around it. I enjoyed its Impressionist collection. It's not huge, but a nice change from what I have been seeing the last 2 days.

I have to admit that I was thoroughly exhausted. If I could, I would have taken a 15-min power nap in the museum (which I have done in the past in London's National Gallery). Unfortunately, all the benches in the galleries are without seatback, which makes it impossible for napping. So instead, I went to the cafe for a coffee break.

I spent about 2.5 hours at the Thyssen. If I had more time in Madrid, I would have spread the museums out to one per day. But since this is essentially my last full day in Madrid, I had no other choice.

I took the metro back to Sol. On the Western end of Puerta del Sol is a famous pastry shop called <b>La Mallorquina</b>. (If you are taking the Metro, take the c/Mayor exit and it's right in front of you when you come up the stairs.) It is very popular with Madridlenos.

I pushed my way in, watched what others ordered, and finally purchased a piece which essentianlly is a sweat bun with cream sandwiched in the middle and powdered sugar on top (I forgot the name). As I didn't know how to ask for it &quot;to go&quot;, the bun was handed to me with just a small piece of tissue paper.

Imagine me trying to eat this out on a busy street while it was raining. I had one hand holding my umbrella, the other hand shoveling this tasty snack into my mouth. Fortunately, my hotel is just a 3-min walk from the pastry shop. When I got back to my room and looked in the mirror, I saw that I had powdered sugar smeared all over my face and on my jacket!!!

<b>Sunday Dinner</b>
This turned out to be quite an ordeal. Because of my experience last Sunday in Granada (many restaurants closed and I was turned away by others, so in the end I had to skip dinner), I wanted to be sure I have a dinner reservation somewhere. In reality, many restaurants in Madrid are open Sunday nights and I'm sure I could find a place to eat as long as I'm not picky.

Anyway, I wanted to try Casa Lucio (recommended by Maribel) so I asked the front desk to call when I first arrived in Madrid a few days earlier.

I should have made the reservation myself before I left for my trip, because when the hotel called, the only availability was 11pm seating. 9pm was full.

I must have slept for 2 hours after I returned from Thyssen, before getting ready for this 11pm dinner. I arrived 15 minutes early, thinking that maybe I could get seated sooner. WRONG!

Even though most other restauants I passed by were not full, at <b>Casa Lucio</b> there was a crowd at the bar waiting to get seated. The ma&icirc;tre d' wasn't the most pleasant person, and I began to wonder how long I have to wait before I get to eat! He turned away others who did not have a reservation.

Casa Lucio is supposed to be non-smoking, but everyone disregarded the sign.

I admit that it came across my mind several times to just forget about dinner and leave. I ended up staying and was seated at 11:25pm. My waiter is young and friendly (I was worried I would get one of those grumpy old waiters that I read in guidebooks). I ordered a salad followed by <i>Cordero Asado</i> (Roast Lamb). The roast lamb was delicious. A small section was a little dry on the outside, but the inside was so juicy and flavorful. At least I enjoyed my meal and didn't regret going at such a late hour. I did not have dessert and dinner was &euro;42.

All the diners around me appear to be locals. I didn't see any tourists.

I can imagine how tough that Madrid day was. When we went to Madrid, we went to the Center Reina Sofia on two sequential days, because we felt we hadn't gotten a good enough look the first day (when we were jetlagged). And I find the Prado quite overwhelming too.

<b>Casa Lucio</b>
Cava Baja, 35
http://www.casalucio.es/

Wasn't that Holbein portrait from Thyssen of Henry VIII and sent to the exhibition on Holbein at Tate Britain a while ago? It was reunited with two other portraits for the British royal family.

http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/holbein/

I think Prado's Renaissance collection is also very strong -- there're some very famous Raphaels in that museum -- but I guess that's not your favorite either.

Did you like the new Moneo extension?

As for the Black paintings, I think that Miro (?) was the one who wanted to see the Dog right before he died. As you probably know, there's some dispute about whether Goya or his son painted some of these works.

I can't say that I'm a big Velasquez fan either, but I think that he's normally regarded as a painter's painter. I think that's a way for saying that we may not be sophisticated enough. Also part of the fascination is with his technique and the other conceptual aspects of his works.