Postcards From Spain II

This is the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, one of the largest and most famous public squares in the city.

Postcards From Spain

A visit to the lovely house and garden of the Spanish painter Sorolla in Madrid.

Madrid's Plaza del Sol

This is the Plaza del Sol, one of the busiest hubs in Madrid. When you exit the subway here you can walk to the primary shopping streets in Madrid, where there is a concentration of small shops and department stores. The plaza is usually teeming with humanity at just about any time of the day.

Today (Sunday) we have a busy day planned with trips to a toy train flea market in the morning, a small house museum in the afternoon, and a performance of Spanish light opera (Zarzuela) in the evening. Tomorrow we're off to Toledo.

Jim

A Visit to the Prado

Our visit to the Prado included some revelations, even though we've been to that great museum several times. First of all there were the new additions by Moneo, including a tall tower which preserved an early Renaissance cloister. On the ground floor, another room, with brightly painted red walls and a skylight ceiling, showed off a collection of ancient Roman sculpture to best effect.

Despite the many treasures by Titian, Ribera, Zubaran, Durer, Rubens and many others, perhaps the two artists who predominate in my mind when visiting the Prado are Bosch and Velazquez. Due to the tourist crowds, it was difficult to point out all of the strange goings-on in the "Garden of Earthly Delights" by Bosch, but it was easier to view small paintings by that enigmatic master, like the "St.Anthony" and "The Adoration of the Magi." As a graduate student at Columbia U. in New York I wrote a master's thesis on Bosch, and I've read many other books on him since then, but his works never ceases to amaze me with its mysteries and painter's freshness. One has to admire his distant landscapes and greenery, always full of the promise of Spring.

The Velazquez paintings are equally profound. In such masterpieces as "Los Borachos," "The Spinners," "The Surrender at Breda," and "Apollo at the Forge of Vulcan," the master Baroque artist combines myth or history with the every day lives of his Spanish contemporaries, to the enrichment of both mortals and deities. And in his greatest masterpiece, "Las Meninas" there are few equals in terms of examing an entire, vanished way of life: that of the nobility. Yet again, in this masterpiece, Velazquez also examines daily light, space and reality in unequalled ways.

So visits to the Prado are nourishing to the psyche and the soul, and not to be missed if you are visiting Madrid.

Dan

PHOTO: The main post office in Madrid, which is near the Prado

Dining In Madrid

The current development of Spanish cuisine is quite special. Though the country has long
been known for such favorites as tapas, sangria, paella a la valenciana, flan and many more specialities, in recent years Spanish cocina has rivaled French and Italian in variety, subtlety
and flavors.

On some visits to Madrid in the past we did not have good tips and encountered tourist versions of the paella or worse: tired classics. Thanks to Jim's Internet research, this time, we have already dined at two special restaurants, both in the bustling and thriving gay neighborhood, the Chueca. (Named, BTW, after a famed 19th century zarzuela composer.) At El Armario a light salad with fresh, miniature mozarella balls was followed by a balacao (cod) skewered with vegis, or the albondigas: balls made of white fish and shrimp, drenched in a stock and cream based sauce that tasted delicate and was not heavy.

For dinner at La Divina de la cocina (literally, the Goddess of Cooking) I enjoyed a tender duck served in a sauce with steamed plums, onions and a pear, while Jim had a melt in the mouth dorado fish. The lavish desserts included a velvety, extremely light cheese cake covered with an innovative cardomon sauce, and a banana-chocolate cake. As you can tell, we weren't bothering to count the calories: a twenty-fifth anniversary trip to Spain is a once in a lifetime adventure.

Most amazing of all are the delicious riojas, the red wines (or tintos in Spanish) which can rival any red wines I've ever tasted. They are full of flavors, good perfectly with the food and never feel weighty on the stomach.

We are already looking forward to our next round of exploring the current Spanish cuisine.

Dan

PHOTO: A fantastic plant-covered wall and building restoration near the Atocha Railroad station

Madrid's Gay Neighborhood & Teatro de Zarazuela

This is the Plaza de Chueca, the heart of the "gayborhood" in central Madrid. About a 15 minute walk from here is the Teatro de la Zarzuela, where we will see a performance on Sunday evening.

Live Blogging From Spain

As a part of our 25th Anniversary celebration, we're in sunny Madrid. I'll have some pictures soon. This is our third trip here together and our second in as many years. We're beginning to think of Madrid as a second home city, a favorite place to visit like Vienna and Chicago. We had a lovely authentic Spanish luncheon complete with a fine Rioja wine, and then we walked to the Teatro de la Zarzuela to pick up our tickets for Sunday evening's performance. It's great to be back in Spain!

Jim & Dan