Art

Full on day, brilliant stuff!
Up early and headed straight out to the Prado, stopping for some lovely breakfast en route and lovely to walk through practically empty streets (after yesterday’s Saint’s Day crowds). The whole reason for this trip started with us reading about a Velasquez painting and so we zoomed straight to the Velasquez rooms and loved them...(photos weren’t allowed in any of the galleries today - of the paintings anyway - but we were inventive!)
Then we split up and explored the rest of the place for an hour or so. I loved the ElGreco and the Flemish rooms and then also zipped round the Heironymous Bosch (how on earth can his paintings be 16th century? They’re so pop art/surrealist!).
Afterwards, a wander round the Retiro park, then over to Círculo De Belles Artes to have lunch on the roof terrace. It was getting cloudy and cooler by then but we were cosy under some blankets and heaters and had another fabulous lunch (more on the iberico, boquerones, cheeses theme!) chatting about all we’ve seen.
We took some cityscape photos around the roof (typical blipper outing!) before heading over to the Reina Sofia museum to see Guernica and other modern art (surviving a messy encounter with a roundabout - lucky they don’t fine jay walkers here!). I was less awed by Guernica than I expected, but once again was drawn to others by Picasso and also Gris (a cubist I’d not heard of before)...can’t quite explain what I like about them but I do.
Some came home on the metro but the others walked back - once again through busy streets - pootling through some nice local areas off the beaten track, raiding the supermarket for treats to take home, and seeing more beautiful buildings.
Another much needed rest (aided by fizz and nibbles) before out again to a lovely restaurant La Catedral...very good value all in menu and I had delicious huge prawns then iberico steaks and the ubiquitous flan.
25,000 steps today - and worth them all!