Is it day 2? Or has it been 2 days since I last wrote? Time is a funny thing so I’ll leave it at that. I believe I left you last on the couch at Edward’s around 5am, but it didn’t feel like 5am due to the 90 degree heat and already loud city. Again, time is a funny thing.
After lolling about for a good 5 hours, I decided that my cultural adventure for the day would be the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. I stopped at a little bakery on my way to the museum and ate a damn near weightless pan chocolat quite possibly baked by angels in the park before going to the museum. Again, who died and made me queen?!
The Thyssen-Bornemisza museum is chock full of national treasures. I don’t know much about art history, or art for that matter, but I felt a profound sense of awe standing in front of the works of Dalí, Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Manet (I always get them confused), Kandinsky, O’Keef and so many others. I tended to breeze over the 400 17th century Dutch depictions of Jesus on the cross and, The Hillside, or The Lake, but I guess these are the closest things we have to photos of that time. And… I know I missed a lot. I’m not the more perceptive person. But I spent a good three hours there, plus the museum was gloriously air conditioned and about 100 degrees outside, so great incentive to really dig into that art.
When I got home, hot and exhausted (from jet lag, I swear!) Edward and Ale wanted to take me to their friends’ restaurant for lunch. We had a delicious lunch of caprese salad, a garlicky egg and shrimp dish, and ice cream for dessert, along with a crisp cold beer. While Edward and Ale chatted with their very sweet and welcoming friends, I did my best to follow along with their super fast talking, slang filled Spanish, as well as not fall asleep in my eggs.
By the grace of los dios I made it home without collapsing, and within minutes was completely zonked out, but not before setting an alarm so that I wouldn’t sleep until midnight and then be awake all night, although if that were the case I’d find the real parties. But no, I woke up around 6 super groggy and wanting more sleep and made up for it with a big strong coffee.
In the evening the whole family - being Edward, Ale, Ipa (the dog) and myself - went for an evening stroll. Edward wound us through various neighborhoods and Ale explained that Madrid was built like a maze on purpose, so that invaders would get lost in the streets when they tried to ransack a city. It’s still an effective tactic today. Although I’m not trying to ransack the city… let’s just say gracias a dios for Google Maps. After an evening beer in a plaza, which is a mandatory part of an evening stroll, we got ingredients for pizza and headed back to the flat to make dinner.
A note on plazas - these charming little open squares are all over Madrid, each with its own vibe. Each neighborhood has their own as a place for the community to hang out. Most have at least one cafe, if not multiple, a fountain, and maybe a little playground for the kids. One of my favorite things to do is have a beer or coffee in the plaza and watch the world go by, which to me is the epitome of luxury. Luxury, and food and drink are stupid cheap here, especially compared to Hawai’i.
Back at home, Edward and Ale made delicious pizza and a midsummer storm turned the cobblestone street below the house into a river while lightning flashed in the sky. Edward had me sample a bunch of his favorite beers and wines and it was just about the most awesome way I could think to spend a day in Madrid.
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