We had an unexpectedly “comfortable” flight in coach from Dulles to Heathrow overnight. Lucky me had a row of three seats all to myself; Joe had one empty seat next to him. Of course, the seasoned traveler that he is, he headed off to sleep with his comfy neck pillow as soon as we took off and skipped dinner so as to get the maximum of 5 hours. I, on the other hand, too jazzed to try to go to sleep at 7:PM, waited for dinner and then, at about 8:30, curled up across the three seats and slept for maybe 3 hours. We had a Keystone Cops layover at Heathrow, as we got confused about which terminal we needed for our connecting flight. After two different bus rides around the airport, we ended up where we began just in time to board our Iberia Air flight to Madrid, an uneventful 2 and a half hours.
Once in Madrid, we began to spot our fellow VBT walkers at baggage claim. Actually, Joe spotted a man wearing an old VBT T-shirt two rows ahead of us on the plane and so we found someone on our trip even earlier. As on one of our previous trips, the first couple we met turned out to be one of the most compatible, at least so far. After we found our bus driver, we (now 5 couples) had to wait an hour for the last couple to arrive on a different plane. Then we loaded our luggage and ourselves onto a comfy bus which took us on a 30-minute bus to a wonderful hotel in the center of Madrid, basically across the boulevard from El Prado Museum, and across the square from another important art museum, the Theissen.
After getting settled, we met our VBT liason, Alina, for a quick orientation to Madrid, and then were off on our own. We headed up a side street and found a recommended old Cevezeria/Tapas place to eat a quick meal of salmon and mushrooms on toast (tostadas in Madrid), along with the local beer. Alina had said that the museums were free from 6-9 PM, so we headed over to El Prado after eating. Not surprisingly, the line stretched too far down the block to see the end, so we decided to try the Theissen. No luck there either, as it was NOT free and closed at 7. We decided instead to walk to the “Plaza Mayor,” basically the Times Square of Madrid, except without all the electronic screens and neon. The weather was not ideal (drizzly and grey) and the plaza was a crowded place with street performers, human statues and dress-up characters inviting pictures for a fee. Fighting fatigue, we walked back to the hotel and tried to stay awake until at least 9:30.
On our only full day in Madrid, we had a break in the weather and got into El Prado after maybe a 40-minute wait in line. What an overwhelming place (like the Louvre in Paris)! We managed to hit the high spots in our two-plus hours there: Goya, Rembrant, El Greco, and others too numerous to mention. We came back to the hotel to regroup before walking to lunch at the Palacio Ciebeles, a lovely restaurant at the top of a government building, previously (duh) a palace. It was too rainy to eat on the terrace—boo. However we had a great lunch indoors with such friendly staff. Of course, that’s a sure thing while traveling with Joseph who charms everyone, in this case, our server, Isabella and the chef, Javier Munoz, who, by the time we left, gave us his card and a recommendation for a restaurant in San Sebastian where his friend works: “Just show him this card and he will take care of you!” We managed to catch a sunny moment for a snapshot of the city with Isabelle from the tower after lunch.
We then hoofed it down the Aveneida del Prado to the Museum Reina Sofia and walked right in at 6:05. I, being the senior citizen, got in for free, and Joe (one year shy), paid half price. This is the place for Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali (see a picture of “The Face of the Great Masturbator” in the photo section) and sculptures by Miro, among many, many others. Of course, again we only had time and energy for the highlights, the highest of which was Picasso’s masterpiece, “Guernica,” depicting the horrors of the German bombing of the Basque town during the Spanish Civil War in which the victims were mostly women and children. It’s an amazing work of art and a powerful condemnation of the effect of war on innocents.
Again the rain let up to let us have an exhausted but festive walk back to the hotel down the boulevard. Young people in Madrid seem to like to party on a strange-looking vehicle with bar stools on both sides and bicycle pedals beneath their feet. We paralleled the progress of a bachelorette party having a raucous time while the driver kept it on the road and turned to dance for the ladies at stop lights. We had noticed a party on a similar vehicle full of men who had actually, unlike the women, figured out that it would move even if they didn’t pedal. Check out the photo in our photo section (a video if the upload speed allows). It’s hilarious.
A nightcap at the bar consisted of us ordering what we thought would be a regular drink. But no. The waiter brought the bottles to the table and poured and poured with no jigger in sight. You can see the result in the photos. Fortunately we afterward were able to make it up to the room to pack for our flight in the morning to Bilbao for the official start of our VBT walking tour.
Once in Madrid, we began to spot our fellow VBT walkers at baggage claim. Actually, Joe spotted a man wearing an old VBT T-shirt two rows ahead of us on the plane and so we found someone on our trip even earlier. As on one of our previous trips, the first couple we met turned out to be one of the most compatible, at least so far. After we found our bus driver, we (now 5 couples) had to wait an hour for the last couple to arrive on a different plane. Then we loaded our luggage and ourselves onto a comfy bus which took us on a 30-minute bus to a wonderful hotel in the center of Madrid, basically across the boulevard from El Prado Museum, and across the square from another important art museum, the Theissen.
After getting settled, we met our VBT liason, Alina, for a quick orientation to Madrid, and then were off on our own. We headed up a side street and found a recommended old Cevezeria/Tapas place to eat a quick meal of salmon and mushrooms on toast (tostadas in Madrid), along with the local beer. Alina had said that the museums were free from 6-9 PM, so we headed over to El Prado after eating. Not surprisingly, the line stretched too far down the block to see the end, so we decided to try the Theissen. No luck there either, as it was NOT free and closed at 7. We decided instead to walk to the “Plaza Mayor,” basically the Times Square of Madrid, except without all the electronic screens and neon. The weather was not ideal (drizzly and grey) and the plaza was a crowded place with street performers, human statues and dress-up characters inviting pictures for a fee. Fighting fatigue, we walked back to the hotel and tried to stay awake until at least 9:30.
On our only full day in Madrid, we had a break in the weather and got into El Prado after maybe a 40-minute wait in line. What an overwhelming place (like the Louvre in Paris)! We managed to hit the high spots in our two-plus hours there: Goya, Rembrant, El Greco, and others too numerous to mention. We came back to the hotel to regroup before walking to lunch at the Palacio Ciebeles, a lovely restaurant at the top of a government building, previously (duh) a palace. It was too rainy to eat on the terrace—boo. However we had a great lunch indoors with such friendly staff. Of course, that’s a sure thing while traveling with Joseph who charms everyone, in this case, our server, Isabella and the chef, Javier Munoz, who, by the time we left, gave us his card and a recommendation for a restaurant in San Sebastian where his friend works: “Just show him this card and he will take care of you!” We managed to catch a sunny moment for a snapshot of the city with Isabelle from the tower after lunch.
We then hoofed it down the Aveneida del Prado to the Museum Reina Sofia and walked right in at 6:05. I, being the senior citizen, got in for free, and Joe (one year shy), paid half price. This is the place for Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali (see a picture of “The Face of the Great Masturbator” in the photo section) and sculptures by Miro, among many, many others. Of course, again we only had time and energy for the highlights, the highest of which was Picasso’s masterpiece, “Guernica,” depicting the horrors of the German bombing of the Basque town during the Spanish Civil War in which the victims were mostly women and children. It’s an amazing work of art and a powerful condemnation of the effect of war on innocents.
Again the rain let up to let us have an exhausted but festive walk back to the hotel down the boulevard. Young people in Madrid seem to like to party on a strange-looking vehicle with bar stools on both sides and bicycle pedals beneath their feet. We paralleled the progress of a bachelorette party having a raucous time while the driver kept it on the road and turned to dance for the ladies at stop lights. We had noticed a party on a similar vehicle full of men who had actually, unlike the women, figured out that it would move even if they didn’t pedal. Check out the photo in our photo section (a video if the upload speed allows). It’s hilarious.
A nightcap at the bar consisted of us ordering what we thought would be a regular drink. But no. The waiter brought the bottles to the table and poured and poured with no jigger in sight. You can see the result in the photos. Fortunately we afterward were able to make it up to the room to pack for our flight in the morning to Bilbao for the official start of our VBT walking tour.
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