Zarzuela Last Evening - Road Trip Today

We enjoyed a fine Zarzuela performance, of Torroba's "Luisa Fernanda," at the Teatro Campoamor Tuesday evening. Today we drive south from Ovideo to Leon for our flight back to Madrid. The trip is winding down now but we'll be returning with many nice memories of our experiences here in Spain this time around.

Jim

A Legend, And A Visit To Toledo

One of the main purposes of this visit to Spain was to attend performances of zarzuela, the opera/operetta like musical works that incorporate so much of the national heartbeat. On Sunday we saw a performance of Soutullo and Vert's passionate tale of gyspsy revenge, "La Leyenda del Beso." (The Legend of the Kiss.) It was given a striking new production at the high temple of the art form, Madrid's Teatro de la Zarzuela.

On Monday we took the excellent Renfre train to Toledo, a beautiful Medieval and Renaissance town, perched on hills above the Tajo (Tagus) River. The best highlight was revisiting El Greco's masterpiece, "The Burial of Count Orgaz" in the Church of Santo Tome. His largest painting, the mural shows a mystical connection between earth and heaven, as the saints and God watch the count's soul being spirited upwards by an angel, all in a whirling Mannerist composition.

Dan

PHOTOS: The stage at the Teatro de la Zazuela - view of Toledo from the Parador

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