Lunes

Lee and I are having a great time in Madrid. I have fallen in love with this city and feel very comfortable. My Spanish is sufficient and is only getting better and better.

Madrid is a beautiful city surrounded by snow-capped mountains. At an altitude of approximately 2500 feet, it is the highest of the European capitals. My focus for today was learning about Spanish history. I have to admit, that I never spent time to learn about the history of Spain. It is a fascinating country and has a very different history than Britain or France.

Lee and I started the morning at El Centro de Arte de Reina Sofia. It houses Madrid's modern collection, of which Guernica is the the jewel. I have always been interested in Guernica ever since I was introduced to it in 9th grade Spanish class. Over the years, Lee and I have watched several documentaries on the painting and I find it one of the most politically important paintings of the 20th century. Although bequeathed to Spain by Pablo Picasso, the will could not be enacted until Spain became a democracy. Thus, the painting did not return to Spain until 1981.
The museum does not allow visitors to take pictures of Guernica. Lee tried to take a picture of it from an adjoining room and was stopped by a guard. The same guard saw me trying to take a picture of it the same way as Lee and told me that I was not allowed to take a picture of it. I told her that I was just taking a picture of this statue. She looked at me like, "I don't believe you," but what could she say? Technically, pictures of this statue are allowed. Part of Guernica can be seen to the left of this statue. Lee and I both were amazed at how large of a painting Guernica was.
Guernica was painted in 1937 at the hight of the Spanish Civil War. It was painted by Pablo Picasso and depicts the bombing of Guernica by the Luftwaffe (on the behalf of Franco) which targeted civilians. The painting has strong anti-war sentiment and was commissioned to be displayed at the 1937 World Fair in Paris. The picture below shows a model of the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 World Fair where Guernica was exhibited.
After lunch, Lee and I headed to El Palacio Royal. It was built by the Bourbon kings of Spain and was designed in a style after Versailles. The palace is beautiful. Lee and I really enjoyed viewing the Royal armory and pharmacy.
After our activities for the day, Lee and I came back to the hotel for a siesta. It has been a challenge getting used to the Spanish schedule. The city shuts down from 4 PM - 9 PM at which time everyone takes a siesta. Lunch time here is from 1:30 PM - 4 PM and dinner is from 9 PM - Midnight. Do not try to eat a meal at other times. Lee and I tried our first day, and trust me, lunch is only served starting at 1:30 PM. We had a wonderful paella dinner tonight and are really enjoying the food in Madrid. It is very good!

I am still fascinated by El Museo de Jamon, where you can always buy a ham sandwich at any time of the day for only two Euros! Lee failed to mention that we have found FOUR Mueseos del Jamon within a one mile radius of our hotel. They are a very unusual place, with LOTS of ham hanging everywhere, and pretty much only serve ham.

In all, Lee and I are really enjoying our time here. Well, it is time for our nightly web call to our boys. Caleb has requested that I buy him an art book and a car. Graysen will just be happy to see his Mommy again.

Buenas Noche!