Soooo, this is quite late, but I finally have some free time as I leisurely make my way through the Greek Isles. I am currently in Tinos, after 3 days in Myokonos, and I will be traveling to Syros tomorrow. Also, my account might be a little hodge-podge, but I will do my best! And off we go...
My travels to Madrid were somewhat eventful, as it took me 12 hours of travel to finally reach my location. The actual distance between Bordeaux and Madrid is approximately equal to the distance between Bordeaux and Paris. To (cheaply) travel from Bordeaux to Paris, I first took a train to Paris, and then flew from Paris to Madrid. My travels were a success, I arrived in Madrid tired, but with all my luggage. After navigating the (spotless) Madrid Metro system, I made it to Sol, the center of Madrid, and happily met Linden (best friend from back home) by the horse-statue-in-between-the-two-fountains.
We spent the weekend with Linden's parents, traveling through the museums (the Prado and the Reina Sofia, OMG) and leisurely stopping for cafe (solo o con leche), cervesas, y vino. It was amazing. We also walked through Retiro, Madrid's equivalent to Central Park, where there was a huge mobile soccer museum filled with paraphenalia, boasting Madrid's impressive history with the sport. Though we walked past that madness, we lingered in the Rose Garden. According to my more botanically inclined travel companions, we were there about a week or two early, as a majority of the bushes were just starting to bloom. It was still beautiful.
We also happened to be in town for the weekend of Saint Isidro, the patron saint of the city of Madrid. Everyone was dressed in typical Madrileño garb, and it was amazing. Though, the women's outfits are a little ridiculous, as they have flowers perched inorganically right on the top of their heads. In between a museum and a café stop, we were able to catch the end of a parade of traditional Madrileños. It was really fun.
On top of it being the weekend of the patron saint of Madrid, it is also the year of the centennial celebration of Gran Via, a major road in Madrid (equivalent to Broadway in New York, I believe). They covered the entire road in blue carpet and then there was a symphonic orchestra and famous Spanish singers. They all were able to incorporate fan-dancing and flamenco-inspired movements into their operatic Madrid songs, that everyone around us seemed to know the words to. The crowd was very interesting as well. It seemed that everyone could sing along to every song that was being performed, they danced and swayed to the music, smoked cigarettes, and drank beer from the can. This can be said for the 20 year olds, as well as the 50 year old Madrileñas. It was amazing.
Guernica at the Reina Sofia!
Some more art in the Reina Sofia, to the right "Landscape" and to the left, "Bird in Flight"
The Rose Garden at Retiro
Again, the Rose Garden
And again, roses
And more in Retiro
Tasty foods in the market by Plaza Mayor
Chocolate con churros
Linden's favorite church in Madrid, and one of mine as well
The Madrileñas in the Traditional Madrileños Parade, note the UCLA colors
A little Madrileñita
Dancing Madrileñas
All for now! Barcelona and Greece posts to come!
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