The plan of writing every day has not gone to plan. I envisioned that I would be making ample time for reading, writing, meditating, yoga, and all the things that have helped me become a more Zen person, but have you ever tried meditating in the middle of a city with a somewhat frantic energy 24/7? It’s not easy - unless you’re some sort of Dali Lama - but Madrid tends to be riding the Dalí horse, which is an absolutely terrible joke. Apologies. Maybe it’s a good thing I’m not writing too much. Or am I?
On Wednesday I walked down to the Palacio Nacional and took a tour of the opulent palace. It’s wild to think that citizens of a nation allowed their leaders to live such lavish lifestyles while they struggled to survive, but that’s a naive thought on so many levels, and really, has much changed? Granted, perhaps the gold gilded ceilings and marble busts of oneself have gone out of style, but no doubt immense power and access to nearly endless wealth gives one the justification to spend ridiculous amounts of money on stupid shit.
I’ve pretty much been living on a diet of meat, cheese and other rich foods since I got here, and my body is feeling it, so on my way home from the Palacio I stopped at the mercado and bought a bunch of fruits and vegetables. Coming straight out of the palace and feeling like a foreign dignitary, I bought whatever I wanted and splurged on some delicious looking antipasti. In the end, it all cost me €9. Dios, I love this city.
That night, Edward invited me to dinner with him and a few friends. I listened to their conversations intently and understood maybe 20-30% of what they said. At a break in the conversation, Edward would take a moment to slowly repeat and explain what they were talking about and give me a chance to voice my thoughts and opinions. It is a very humbling experience to have the vocabulary and language skills of a 4 year old at 34, but I hope it gives me patience and grace with people who are learning languages, and/or 4 year olds.
Yesterday, I decided to visit the Museo Reina Sofia because you can’t really Madrid without seeing Picasso’s Guernica in person, in good conscience. Plus it’s a close walk from Edward’s place and aiiirrrconditioned and it’s hot as fuck outside. After being in the museum for like five minutes I realized I should have bought the two day pass because the museum is a treasure trove of powerful and priceless art, and I have about a 2 hour capacity to dig in with these paintings and sculptures before I max out and my eyes begin to blur. But how does one simply walk past a Picasso? You don’t… you just skip the entire floor and save it for the next time.
Although I’ve seen Guernica in person before, I was surprised at how moving it was. The woman screaming in agony while holding her dead baby in the bottom left of the painting really tore me up. It is one of the most powerful anti-war statements I’ve ever seen. Another work that struck me was Un Mundo by Angeles Santos. It’s a true luxury to be able to stand in front of a painting and look at all of its intricacies for 10 minutes.
In fact, I’m getting to the point in my stay in Madrid where I’m like, I could live here. Yes, I could live here and eat cheap food and study art and write a dissertation on any given piece over the course of 5 years and really live it. And then I remember that I’m only 5 days into a three month trip and I better not fall in love and commit to anyone or anything for at least a solid two months. Please hold me to that, ok? Any love I feel within a week is infatuation, a flame that burns bright and burns out fast. So maybe I’ll be ready to move on in two days, and maybe not but I already bought my train ticket to Cadiz, so I had better get on the damn train.
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