My Life in Madrid

So Long Danielle

Well, today was a little bit depressing. Danielle woke me up around 10 a.m. We had breakfast together. Then I helped Danielle bring her luggage to the taxi stop up the street. I was so sad to say goodbye to my best friend. I will see her in a few weeks, but it won’t be in Europe. I have so many exciting things planned to do in Madrid this weekend, and I won’t have my sidekick to do them with me. I have made lots of friends here in Madrid that can accompany me, but it’s not the same. Danielle and I are inseparable almost everywhere we go. However, I didn’t let it get me down too much. It was a gorgeous day out and there was no way I was going to let it go to waste. I have decided that the best feeling is having a beautiful day to enjoy with no obligations. Not having to worry about work, or school, or anything! It’s just so relieving. It’s absolute freedom to choose whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it. Nothing is planned, no time constraints are imposed. It just makes me the happiest girl in the world!   

Atocha + Museo National del Prado

For my first exciting stop in Madrid, I went to Metro Atocha to visit the Prado. A lot of my friends were still taking exams, so I went by myself. It was a great decision. I have decided that you need someone to accompany you to a museum. In fact, it’s better to go by yourself. You can take your time looking at the exhibits you like, and hurry through the exhibits you don’t find as intriguing. Before going in the Prado, I walked all around Atocha – up to Ritero Park, by theBotantical Gardens and all around the museum. I saw the Ritz Carlton, the famous Fuente de la Cibeles and many more sights. 

Finally I made it to the Prado entrance. I was so impressed with the Prado! The art there is phenomenal. They have everything from landscapes, to portraits, to Spanish medallions, old battle ships made of crystal, Roman sculptures, among many, many other attractions. Many of the pieces depicted the Catholic Church with paintings of Jesus, Mary, The Immaculate Conception, and Adam and Eve. One of my favorite sections was the medieval room. There were ancient drawings on the wall, and in one corner there was a replica of the inside of a church. The gold they used was mind blowing. I have come to the conclusion that I’m a much bigger fan of non-abstract art. I do love Picasso, and I appreciate his work, but I find paintings of things I understand much more interesting unless I have a professional explaining them to me.  

Goya

One of Spain’s most famous artists, Goya, has almost an entire floor in the Prado dedicated to him. In my opinion, I find Goya’s work to be very dark. He uses a lot of black and brown in his art and a stark white for skin color. Even if people of his time had stark white skin, I found the paintings almost scary. I tend towards brighter, oil-canvas paintings of scenery and groups of people. One of my favorite paintings (not by Goya) was of a dock in Naples overflowing with people and battle ships in the sea.  

Tintoretto

Currently, the Prado is featuring a special exhibition dedicated to Jacopop Tintoetto (1518-1594), the famous Venetian Renaissance painter who produced works like “The Last Supper” and “The Washing of the Feet.” This was my favorite part of the day. I suppose I like seeing paintings that I have been exposed to more than once, and I have been exposed to his work multiple times – especially in High School. “The Last Supper” and “The Washing of the Feet” were much larger in person than I had imagined. They almost covered the entire wall. They were situated on massive canvases adjacent to each other. The detail he used and his contrast between light and dark was remarkable. What a wonderful day!  

Real Jardín Botánico

As I was finishing my tour of the Prado, I got a call from my friend Paul. At El Cabañon, we had talked about going to the Botanical Gardens the day before, and he wanted to know if I was still interested. Although I didn’t know it before I got to the Prado, the gardens are right next to the museum. It worked out perfectly! So Paul met me at the entrance to the gardens. The idea for the gardens was developed by Carlos III. He has a statue in his honor centered in the gardens. Although many parts were beautiful, I was really disappointed with the upkeep. The gardens have so much potential, but most of the flowers were dead, and the ones that were alive appeared to be dieing. Some of the plants were literally trampled. If the flowers don’t bloom in Spring, when do they bloom? I guess I will never know, but Paul and I had a fabulous time exploring the gardens and looking at the flowers, trees and cactuses that were alive.  

Tears at O’Connells

After a long day exploring beautiful Madrid, Paul and I took the Metro home. I ate dinner at Choni’s, showered and headed over to Nicolette’s before meeting up with everyone from school at the Irish Pub O’Connells. It was the last night for Paul, Riz, Alberto, Gabby, Cara, and lots of other people. I hate saying goodbye – especially in this situation because I feel like we have all just gotten acquainted. We were all starting to get to know one another, and now it’s time to leave. So many people were crying, but aside from the tears, we all enjoyed one last great night together. We will all keep in touch (especially through the amazing invention of Facebook), but it won’t be the same. However, we will always have the memories we made together as study abroad students in Madrid.