Exploding with Happiness!: Madrid Museums, Part 1

My morning started off with an exploration of our local neighborhood, in search of breakfast. Steve, Evan and I never did go back out again last night, so we woke up ready for a good breakfast. My search was like a progressive meal – I found milk, juice and yogurt at one shop, beautiful produce at an open-air market, and eggs, bread and cereal at another shop, plus I got to wander around some quaint and quiet streets in the process. We feasted!

After breakfast, we set out to explore other aspects of our neighborhood. Our apartment is situated directly across a big street from the Prado museum. Steve, Sara and I went over and bought combo tickets for the three main Madrid museums (hence, the “Part 1” of the title of this post). Evan was planning to go for a run in the Parque del Buen Retiro, which is a huge and beautiful park just past the Prado. Steve decided to explore the park a bit before going into the museum, so Sara and I went in by ourselves with plans to meet up with the boys later.

We knew when we started that we needed to be strategic, since the Prado is the largest art museum in the world and we had only a few hours in which to see it. Our focus was the most important Spanish painters. There are rooms and rooms of just El Greco, Velasquez and Goya. We had expected to be overwhelmed but were pleasantly surprised. The museum is well-arranged so that works by one master are grouped together, making it easier to stick with our plan. Of course, we couldn’t help but take in the standout collections of paintings by Titian, Rubens and others as well as some paintings by artists we hadn’t previously appreciated. I found out after I took a photo that it’s forbidden to take pictures in the Prado, so I can share only one Velasquez painting with you. When Evan and Steve caught up with us, they had enthusiastic reviews of the Parque del Buen Retiro. I wish Sara and I could have gone there as well, but hey, what a choice to have to make.

By mid-afternoon it was time to move on and we were also pretty hungry. We unanimously opted for – you guessed it – sandwiches! Back to yet another branch of our favorite sandwich restaurant. This time I took pictures so you can understand the appeal.

Following an abbreviated siesta back at our apartment, we set out for the second museum of the day. This one was quite different from the Prado. It was the home of the Spanish painter Joachim Sarolla, whose style could be described as Impressionist. The museum is filled with his paintings, as well as much of the furniture and other belongings it held during his lifetime when he lived there with his wife and three children. His family is featured in many of the paintings on display. We all enjoyed the museum very much.

After another reviving siesta back at our apartment, we set out once again in search of tapas. This time we had resounding success! We found a wonderful little restaurant called Taberna del Chato that was perfect. Great sangria and delicious tapas, plus the people were friendly and helpful. All in all, a perfect ending to our day.