Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Madrid

Bonjour,

Like I said in the last post, our train to Madrid left in the middle of the day, so we arrived at a decent time. (If you're reading this post first, don't forget to go back and read the one about Barcelona next!) However, we spent a few hours just being lazy in the hostel before venturing out into the city. (We were just so worn out!)

When we finally emerged from the hostel, it was with the intent to find authentic Spanish food to really compete the Spain experience. After walking and walking without finding anything (translation: Joe and Alois couldn't decide what they wanted so Lizette and I followed them for blocks), we finally settled on a place called Nebraska. (So much for authentic Spanish.) It ended up being wonderful. Sometimes (often) I crave jalapeƱos and they had a spicy ham sandwich with jalapeƱos, so I was happy. (Very spicy for European standards, not so much for mine, but still delicious.)

Sunday morning, Joe and Lizette wanted to go see the Madrid LDS Temple, so the four of us planned to meet at a museum later in the afternoon. This gave me the whole morning alone, and I spent a good chunk of it at Starbucks (with my Venti Iced Caramel Machiatto and cinnamon roll) reading a book-- a peaceful morning well-spent.

We met at Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. This museum was huge-- biggest one I'd been to yet. They had Picasso and Salvador Dali as well as many other Spanish artists. Our main reason for going to this museum though, was Guernica. Yes, I actually saw Picasso's Guernica with my own eyes, and it was glorious. Wow, even thinking about it now, I can't believe I actually stood in the room with such an iconic piece of art. We weren't allowed to take pictures of it, but here's what it looks like.

That museum was fun, but the next one was even more amazing. Museo de Prado, just a few blocks from Reina Sofia, was even bigger and even more impressive. It had several of Raphael's paintings as well as many other very famous artists' works. (Lizette is very interested in art and art history, so she could tell you more about all of it than I can.) I do know that this museum was very intriguing to walk through. There was room after room of statues and paintings. Being there was such an emotional experience. There's just something about walking into a large room full of floor to ceiling paintings that absolutely takes my breath away. The emotions on the faces of the characters in the paintings paired with deep red walls and black marble floors invokes strong emotions in the viewers. One cannot help but be overcome with feelings of awe in the presence of these masterpieces. They contain so much history; it amazes that I can take part in that centuries after they were created. We easily spent 3 to 4 hours here, because there was just so much to see.

We then met Alois at a park nearby and sat and people watched for a while before finding dinner. (It always surprises me how much time we actually spend in parks and how much I end up enjoying it.)

The next day, we left the hostel early to take the subway to Las Ventas, the home of bullfighting in Spain. I really don't want this paragraph to turn into an animal rights rant, but how much do you really know about bullfighting? I didn't know much before this tour, but now the whole idea absolutely makes me sick to my stomach. We even wanted to attend a bullfight, but I'm so glad we didn't-- I don't think I'd make it through it. Did you know that every bull enters the arena to die? It's a terribly violent sport. On the tour, there were a few videos about previous bullfights, and it was so gruesome to watch. It's bloody and sad, and the crowd goes crazy for the bull's death. I was nearly in tears as I was watching the videos and listening to the audio guide. They called it "a poetic and vital part" of Spain's history, but my goodness, it's such a cruel sport.


Afterwards, we went to see Catedral de la Almudena and La Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace). Almudena was incredible. (Sorry for another cathedral description.) Construction of Almudena began in 1879, but the project was abandoned until 1950 and only completed in 1993. Because of this, many of the features are very modern looking blended with the Gothic architecture. The ceilings were painted in very bright colors and patterns and the stained glass windows were very contemporary in design. I loved this place.




We then went next door to take the tour of the Royal Palace. It was so incredibly luxurious and ornate. Honestly, it felt like it was meant for royalty. (Probably because it was.) Every room was different from the next. The marble floors had different patterns and the walls had different designs. In many of the rooms, the ceiling was painted to depict some part of Spanish history. It was so overwhelmingly gorgeous. The tour ended in the most magnificent room in the Palace-- the throne room. It was a deep, deep red with black marble accents. There was gold everywhere, and the chandeliers were breathtaking. We left the palace in absolute awe of everything we had just seen. (Unfortunately, there were no pictures allowed.)


By Tuesday, I was ready to go home to Poitiers. (Fun little fact for ya: Tuesday marked 8 weeks since we had arrived in France and we spent much of that time at the Paris airport and on the train just like we did back in August.) Traveling is one of my favorite things, but even this needs to come to an end. I will say that Madrid was not nearly as impressive as Barcelona. I'm very happy we went, because I still got to see so many incredible things, but as far as the enchantment factor goes, Madrid just didn't have it for me. I was sad to leave Spain, but so, so ready to get back to France. I missed my bed and I missed having the freedom to do things alone and for myself without worrying about what three other people wanted to do. I loved traveling with Joe, Lizette, and Alois-- they are incredibly fun to be around and I'm thankful for each of them in my life.

We arrived in Poitiers just in time to make it to our Tuesday night French class. It was so hard to sit there for an hour and a half when all I wanted to do was go home and unpack. Thankfully, this week I have little to do but work on projects.

Is October really almost over? Time is moving so quickly, but at the same time, not quickly enough. I've been missing my real family and my Cedar family a little extra this week. Even now, I'm looking forward to May when I get to hug them all again.

Je t'embrasse,

Sarah


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