I woke up at 8:00am this morning but went back to bed and we didn't get up until 1:00 in the afternoon! Marie wanted to visit the art museum so off we headed to the subway which is getting more and more crowded every visit.
On our way to the Museum we passed Plaza de la Cibeles where last night's mass was held. The Plaza is a sheer mass of stone around a dramatic statue of the fertility goddess, La Cibeles, in a marble fountain. It was erected according to instructions from Charles II and was completed in 1792.
We also passed by The Puerta de Alcala, the gateway to city which stands in the middle of an immense traffic junction. It is made up of five arches of granite and stone similar to those by Michelangelo for the Capitol of Rome.
Across the Puerta is the Parque del Retiro, a large park in the city centre whose name translates as "retreat". It was a hunting ground for Philip II and part of the royal gardens until it was opened to the public in the 1770s. The monuments, statues and fountains in the park were magnificent.
We stopped for some lunch at a sidewalk cafe where Marie was complimented on her Spanish by our waiter. Later, she had a whole conversation with someone in Spanish. It is so satisfying when you are able to converse in another language. It is not satisfying when you ask for coffee with a sweater (oops, I meant sugar).
At last we found our way to the magnificent Museo del Prado. (I understand that there are confessionals set up in Retiro Park and we will be looking for one tomorrow to confess that we cut in front of the hundreds of pilgrims in line to go into the Museum.) The museum sits across from the beautiful church of San Jeronimo el Real, Madrid's society church built back in 1505. Prado is the city's pride. With its Goyas, El Grecos, Velazquez and other masterpieces, it is one of the great art museums of the world. It opened in 1819, has a collection of 7000 pictures of which around 1500 are on display at any given time. I could tell that Marie was once an art history major with her insightful comments and observations of the art. The art was breathtaking, many of the paintings were HUGE and many had a religious themes. Just as interesting as the art itself were the descriptions of who painted it for whom and why and the statement that it made at that time in society. The descriptions of the people in the many portraits were also fascinating. Marie gasped when she saw the Velazquez's masterpiece, Las Meninas, which is widely considered technically the finest painting in the world. It was a painting which she had spent a lot of time studying and discussing and here it was -- the "real deal".
The museum was a great way to escape the heat - it was 100 degrees out today. It really did not feel like it, though. It was actually pleasant in the shade. After stopping at a small grocery store and hanging out at a sidewalk table at Starbucks we headed back to the apartment. The subway was scary-crowded on the way back but we made it. Again, everyone remains cheerful -- the crowds burst into chants and songs wherever we go. I tried, to no avail, to get Marie to do the Ice Pack cheer with me.
During our travels today we met very interesting pilgrims from the Phillipines, Guetamala, Canada and had our first encounter some rude people who were from France. A girl and her two sisters from South America told me that there are riots/protests going on. We have not seen any of that. I am wondering if the news back home has any coverage of WYD. I know they are broadcasting it on ETWN -- I think that's the name of the catholic station.
I think that my luggage has been found. The airlines left a message on Silvia's phone and it sounded like they have it. It was in Spanish so I'm not positive. By the time I called back, they were closed. I'll call again tomorrow.
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