Madrid, Toledo, and returning to the True North Strong and Free
As you guys probably already know, I'm not a huge fan of flying in airplanes. I like the novelty of sitting down and knowing that in less than a day I'll have travelled a distance that would have once taken people months to traverse, but I hate feeling cooped up in a narrow space, with the sounds and smells and movements of both the plane and the passengers, the sleeplessness, the ear-popping, the slight but ever-present nausea... First world problems, I know, which is why I put up with it. :P
So now I'm using this long period of inactivity to write a new blog post. (It is being posted from the comfort of my own home in Canada, though, so know that mum and I have arrived home safely!)
We spent three nights in Madrid, though the first day was mostly spent traveling from Torrevieja. I can only really think of Madrid in terms of comparison with Barcelona. I think I like Barcelona more: the people friendlier, the streets cleaner, everything more compact...
But I have to say, Madrid definitely had more greenery: LOTS of parks. I should also note that I find man-made parks within cities... interesting, especially those found in Europe. It's not really "nature" (not as I, as a Canadian, know it): the rows of trees too neat and perfect, no underbrush or old growth... Still, the shade and greenery are welcome retreats from the heat and hustle-bustle of the gray stone and concrete of the rest of the city.
Anyway, we also spent many hours in the Museo Del Prado. It's a very extensive art museum, and is chock full of beautiful artworks, but the organization isn't intuitive: there are loads of dead ends, rooms that lead into several hallways which lead into several other ones and come out to others... and it's not always apparent if you've been there before or if you're going to a new section and have you seen everything yet... They give out maps of the floor plan, but they're of only limited utility.
Organizational issues aside, it's an amazing museum with an extensive collection of European art, mostly paintings but also a selection of statues. I'm very fond of portraits of monarchs and aristocracy (the fashion! The characters!), and some of Goya's most famous works are there too. (That one of the execution squad of Napoleon's troops and the Spanish freedom fighters was unexpectedly large and moving in person.) There were portraits of saints, buffoons, dwarves, even a bearded woman breastfeeding. I saw works by van Dyke and Titian and others which I had previously only seen in art history textbooks... so it always gives me a thrilling feeling to see them in person.
Some of the works gave my sister and I definite WTF moments, though, most of them in religious artwork. Lots of saints, especially women like the Virgin Mary, were painted ascending to heaven on beams of light and elevators of laughing naked babies. There was one work with a dove on fire (possibly shooting lasers or sunbeams from god??) and not one but TWO or THREE instances of female saints and mythological figures with lactating supersoakers for breasts: one was even feeding (enlightening??) an elderly male saint from across the painted room. I bought an artbook there and I'll try to identify it for you guys and link you.
So yeah, I enjoyed the museum. :3
On our final day in Spain we took the train to Toledo and spent seven hours or so there. Pro travel tip: the busses to Toledo are stupid expensive and slow compared to the train there, but book your train tickets the night before because the morning trips sell out fast.
Toledo is AWESOME. It's an amazing medieval city with lots of lovely narrow twisty (no, autocorrect, I do not mean "feisty") roads with tasteful souvenir shops... Apparently the city is known for high quality metalwork (now I suddenly recall references to "Toledo blades" and "Toledo steel") and so there are lots of knives, reproduction swords and jewelry to ooh and aah over. Also, an amazing cathedral (sadly, no photos allowed inside), as well as synagogues and mosques to look at.
The only thing I wasn't as fussed about was the constant fear of death by unexpected vehicle: most of the streets I thought to be too narrow or steep to be anything but pedestrian-only... weren't. D: Scary when a car suddenly whips around a blind corner and there's no sidewalk to leap back onto, forcing the unwary to lunge for corners to cower in. I also noticed at least three or four car garages - for vehicle repairs - in the old city itself... which somehow doesn't surprise me. There has to be a market for it. ;)
Anyway, sadly I'm on my way home with mum while siblings and dad continue on for nine more days in Germany. Mum and I had to work, you see, so we can't extend our trip too like the others: dad's semi-retired, Ian works at a grocery store and has no trouble getting time off, and Danielle's quitting three weeks or so after she gets back from the trip anyway. I will sleep away a chunk of tomorrow, enjoy making my own meals for mummy dearest and I in a proper kitchen... I'll do a bit o research for the Rutherford House bool project for a day or two after that... And then it's back to Fort Ed training! :)
However, taking into account the time change, the fact that I woke up at 5:30am Madrid time and the fact that it's 8:15pm here in Canada (or well past dead-o'clock in the morning according to my body), my immediate plants are as follows: finish tea, check on laundry, shower, then collapsing onto my own bed.
So now I'm using this long period of inactivity to write a new blog post. (It is being posted from the comfort of my own home in Canada, though, so know that mum and I have arrived home safely!)
We spent three nights in Madrid, though the first day was mostly spent traveling from Torrevieja. I can only really think of Madrid in terms of comparison with Barcelona. I think I like Barcelona more: the people friendlier, the streets cleaner, everything more compact...
But I have to say, Madrid definitely had more greenery: LOTS of parks. I should also note that I find man-made parks within cities... interesting, especially those found in Europe. It's not really "nature" (not as I, as a Canadian, know it): the rows of trees too neat and perfect, no underbrush or old growth... Still, the shade and greenery are welcome retreats from the heat and hustle-bustle of the gray stone and concrete of the rest of the city.
Anyway, we also spent many hours in the Museo Del Prado. It's a very extensive art museum, and is chock full of beautiful artworks, but the organization isn't intuitive: there are loads of dead ends, rooms that lead into several hallways which lead into several other ones and come out to others... and it's not always apparent if you've been there before or if you're going to a new section and have you seen everything yet... They give out maps of the floor plan, but they're of only limited utility.
Organizational issues aside, it's an amazing museum with an extensive collection of European art, mostly paintings but also a selection of statues. I'm very fond of portraits of monarchs and aristocracy (the fashion! The characters!), and some of Goya's most famous works are there too. (That one of the execution squad of Napoleon's troops and the Spanish freedom fighters was unexpectedly large and moving in person.) There were portraits of saints, buffoons, dwarves, even a bearded woman breastfeeding. I saw works by van Dyke and Titian and others which I had previously only seen in art history textbooks... so it always gives me a thrilling feeling to see them in person.
Some of the works gave my sister and I definite WTF moments, though, most of them in religious artwork. Lots of saints, especially women like the Virgin Mary, were painted ascending to heaven on beams of light and elevators of laughing naked babies. There was one work with a dove on fire (possibly shooting lasers or sunbeams from god??) and not one but TWO or THREE instances of female saints and mythological figures with lactating supersoakers for breasts: one was even feeding (enlightening??) an elderly male saint from across the painted room. I bought an artbook there and I'll try to identify it for you guys and link you.
So yeah, I enjoyed the museum. :3
On our final day in Spain we took the train to Toledo and spent seven hours or so there. Pro travel tip: the busses to Toledo are stupid expensive and slow compared to the train there, but book your train tickets the night before because the morning trips sell out fast.
Toledo is AWESOME. It's an amazing medieval city with lots of lovely narrow twisty (no, autocorrect, I do not mean "feisty") roads with tasteful souvenir shops... Apparently the city is known for high quality metalwork (now I suddenly recall references to "Toledo blades" and "Toledo steel") and so there are lots of knives, reproduction swords and jewelry to ooh and aah over. Also, an amazing cathedral (sadly, no photos allowed inside), as well as synagogues and mosques to look at.
The only thing I wasn't as fussed about was the constant fear of death by unexpected vehicle: most of the streets I thought to be too narrow or steep to be anything but pedestrian-only... weren't. D: Scary when a car suddenly whips around a blind corner and there's no sidewalk to leap back onto, forcing the unwary to lunge for corners to cower in. I also noticed at least three or four car garages - for vehicle repairs - in the old city itself... which somehow doesn't surprise me. There has to be a market for it. ;)
Anyway, sadly I'm on my way home with mum while siblings and dad continue on for nine more days in Germany. Mum and I had to work, you see, so we can't extend our trip too like the others: dad's semi-retired, Ian works at a grocery store and has no trouble getting time off, and Danielle's quitting three weeks or so after she gets back from the trip anyway. I will sleep away a chunk of tomorrow, enjoy making my own meals for mummy dearest and I in a proper kitchen... I'll do a bit o research for the Rutherford House bool project for a day or two after that... And then it's back to Fort Ed training! :)
However, taking into account the time change, the fact that I woke up at 5:30am Madrid time and the fact that it's 8:15pm here in Canada (or well past dead-o'clock in the morning according to my body), my immediate plants are as follows: finish tea, check on laundry, shower, then collapsing onto my own bed.