Posted in Musings

After a long flight over the Atlantic we arrived in Madrid during the late afternoon. We were able to sleep some (as much and as well as you can in crowded seats) during the overnight flight and, although tired, did not have much problem with jet lag. We had a very joyful reunion with our friends, David and Susie Dixon,  whom we had not seen since seminary days. After settling in for a while we went out to see the town they actually live in, Alcala de Henares. Alcala is a small town that has been "swallowed up" by the larger metropolitan area of Madrid. It is also the birthplace of Cervantes. We went downtown to Cervantes Plaza which was full of students as it sits right in front of the University which was founded about the time Columbus discovered America. Leading out from the Plaza is a street called "Calle Mayor" which is a long columned street that was converted into a pedestrian walkway. Lots of cafes line the sidewalks. While walking down we passed two groups of "tunas." These are groups of men dressed in medieval outfits who stand out in the street and sing (kind of like mariachis) to people on the street or up on the balconies. They were playing and singing medieval songs and were quite fun to watch. At about 10 pm we stopped at a sidewalk cafe and had "tapas" for supper. Tapas are like appetizers. We had fried calamar (squid), fried potatoes, potato/egg torta, and something else that I can't remember. The weather was lovely and it was so much fun to sit outside and catch up with our friends amongst the beauty of 16th century Spain.

The following day was spent in museums. We started out at the Reina Sofia Museum of Modern Art to see one painting in particular- "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso. Personally, modern art isn't my favorite thing. When I first saw "Guernica" in a book I didn't much like it (I prefer Picasso's earlier work before he got all cubistic). However, once I read the story behind the painting it helped me to appreciate it a lot more. It truly does express the outrage of war. You can read more about it here and here.

I also enjoyed seeing some pieces by Piet Mondrian. I always did like this dress when I was a young girl which was inspired by Mondrian so it was fun to see what had inspired Yves Saint Laurent.

Following the Reina Sofia we walked over to the Prado- THE museum to see in Madrid. All the great painters are represented there. It was very inspiring to me to see the originals of so many paintings I've seen and learned about during my school years and my homeschooling years. I began to feel bad while walking through this huge museum and after a couple of hours had to stop. Thinking it was just jet lag I pushed myself to walk around some more, eat lunch, then head over to the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum. Didn't know I had fever. I only saw part of this museum as I just couldn't walk much more. I remember standing in front of paintings by Gaugin, Monet, Renoir, Winslow, and many others I liked but weren't too familiar with telling myself to look closely, that I would be happy to have seen them in person. I am, but it would have been much more enjoyable had I not been sick.

The next morning was Sunday and we worshipped with our friends David and Susie. David pastors the International church there and it was a wonderful worship time. There were over 22 countries represented, as well as all classes, rich and poor. I thought that it must be a little like what heaven will be.

Susie had given me some antibiotics she had and I talked with a doctor who attends church there. He confirmed pretty much what I thought I had (urinary tract infection). We decided to leave immediately after church for Granada instead of doing more sightseeing.

On our way home a week and a half later we had a 12 hour layover in Madrid. Instead of spending it at the airport we stored our luggage and caught the metro into town. There we did what we had skipped the previous Sunday. We went to the Royal Palace, another cathedral, ate a late lunch, and then just enjoyed walking around the city.

There were several notable things about our time in Spain. One, the bathrooms were really clean, Two, everything seems smaller here- lots of people, little space. Cars were smaller, homes/apartments are smaller with a good use of space, smaller portions at restaurants, etc. People were very willing to help out when asked, but they are reserved as a people. I can see why missionary work here is hard.

We saw many Ecuadorians here as we got around. So many have come here to work. They were easy to spot. Most of them have a hard time with the cultural changes and there is a quite a bit of racism against them. We have seen so many families torn apart and destroyed when one of the parents leaves to work elsewhere. It is all so very sad.

All in all, I loved Madrid and could easily spend a lot more time here! I am having trouble getting my photos on here, so if you want to see pictures you can go to my facebook page here. Enjoy!