Guernica and Indian Food

In our last full day in Spain, we decided to hit some of our favorite spots again. We started at the Plaza de la Puerta del Sol and headed to the Plaza Mayor. There were considerably more people out now that it has stopped raining. We decided to do some shopping and tucked into the corner of a little souvenir shop, was the t-shirt that Katy had been looking for since we arrived in Spain.

Our main reason for going back to the Palacio Real was to hit up the gift shop that we missed the other day. However, there was much more to the Palace grounds than we had seen the other day. It is amazing how much you miss when it is pouring. The Plaza de Oriente gives a great view of the Palace. There are about 20 marble statues of ancient monarch lining the walkways of the plaza. We then went down to the Jardines de Sabatini - gardens that are overlooked by the palace. It was a spectacular view.

After a bite to eat, we headed to the Reina Sofia museum to see Picasso's Guernica - his most famous. It was spectacular. There were also many paintings by Picasso, Dali, Miro and many more.

The Reina Sofia was our last stop in Madrid, so we headed back to Pat's flat. After Pat got back from work, we headed out to an Indian restaurant for dinner with a bunch of Pat's friends. The food was great and the company was too.

Thanks for following our adventures in Spain! We will see you soon.

-Erinn and Katy

Holy Toledo!

Today (Wednesday), Erinn and I took a day-trip to Toledo. We took the high-speed train to the old capital city of Spain. It's about 60 miles south of Madrid, but we made it in 30 minutes.

The train station is beautiful -- as is the rest of the town. One of the primary reasons we wanted to visit this town was to experience the history and beauty of this ancient city.

Shortly after arriving, we hopped on the "hop-on, hop-off" bus for an inexpensive and beautiful tour of the outskirts of the city. Plus, we wanted to save our feet for the real walking we had ahead of us.

The city of Toledo is built on a hill, with the river surrounding the city wall. In ancient times, this was an advantage. But today, it's quite the hike!

Our first stop was the cathedral in the city's center -- heralded as Spains finest cathedral. We enjoyed every step of it. Rick Steves provided a grand and educational walking tour.

Following the cathedral, we explored the city...intentionally getting lost. We came across a pleasant surprise: some ancient Roman bath ruins. Quite the find!

We continued on to have lunch at a local cafe and visit El Greco's greatest painting at a small chapel. We even found some Marzapan at a local shop -- a tasty treat Toledo is famous for. We also toured the national Jewish heritage museum at a rare synagogue in town. There is so much history in this city, it was a challenge to absorb it all!

We departed Toledo via the Renfe (Spain's high-speed train system) in time for dinner at Pat's flat. He cooked us chicken paella as well as a fresh mediterranean salad. So good! Thanks Pat!

Tomorrow will be a laid-back day -- we're planning to visit a few local places we missed due to rain and stop by the Reina Sofia art museum to complete our pilgrimage to experience Picasso's Guernica. So exciting!

-Katy

Spanish Art, Tapas, and more Rain!

It's a good thing we planned indoor activities for today. It's a bad thing we had to walk outside to all of those indoor activities.

Pat had to work for most of the day so today was slated for the big art museums in Madrid: Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the massive Prado Museum. We were warned ahead of time that most museums were closed on Mondays, so when we arrived at the Reina Sofia and discovered it was closed on Tuesdays, we were kinda disappointed. Erinn and I found the first dry place for a coffee and yes...it was a Starbucks. But we got our bearings, and set out in search of some souvenirs instead. We each found an umbrella, or "paragua" which turned out to be quite useful.

After meeting Pat for lunch at Vips (Beeps), we headed to the Thyssen (TEE-sun) museum of art. This is a private collection of art that ranges from the primitive religious paintings from medieval times to contemporary pop art of recent years. Some of the highlights were Dali, Picasso, Van Gogh, Mondrian, Rothko, and Degas. It was an amazing collection with a huge range of artists!

After zipping through the Thyssen, Erinn and I headed to the daunting Prado while Pat headed back to work. We knew that there would be so much to see at this museum of mostly royal-commissioned work that we would have to choose the must-sees and enjoy what we see in between. The highlights were Valazquez's Las Meninas, Bosch's Garden of Delights, and Goya's Third of May, 1808. Other A-listers included Murillo, El Greco, Titian, Rubens, Fra Angelico, and Durer. What a throw-back to Art History 101!!!

By the time we purchased our souvinirs and made our way back to Pat's place via the metro, our feet were aching, but it was time for TAPAS! (Above is one of the many sculptural fountains in the streets and parks of Madrid)

Tonight, we tried some of the best Spanish Tapas in town: Tortilla Espanola (egg, potato, and onion), Calameres Fritos (squid fried in olive oil with lemon), Patatas Bravas (roasted potatoes with spicy red sauce), Gambas (shrimp) on toast with a tasty cream sauce, Jamon (cured Spanish ham) on toast with olive oil, and Croquetas (fried jamon and cheese). For the most part, all of the above were tasty...although I'm not sure Erinn would agree...

We had lots of fun just goofing around before retiring early for the evening...

On the docket for tomorrow: a day-trip to Toledo, the ancient capital of Spain and home of El Greco. Stay tuned for more from the soggy episodes of Wisconinsites in Spain!!

-Katy

The Rain (and snow, and sleet, and cold) in Spain...

Today was slated for exploring Madrid on foot sans Pat. We spent yesterday evening routing our day. Rick Steves', of course, has a fantastic walking tour of downtown "old" Madrid. Pat had a few more things to recommend, so he added to our map.

Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating -- we got to experience the joys of snow, sleet, rain, and cold, not unlike Wisconsin!!

We started the tour back at the Parque de buen Retiro and meandered towards town sighting the Post Office and the Banco De Espana (which takes up an entire city block). We stopped for breakfast at, you guessed it, Starbucks. But it was dry and had a place for us to enjoy our baked goods and hot coffee.

Rick Steves' picked up the self-guided walking tour at Puerta del Sol (we visited briefly yesterday). We learned more about the history of the square as well as the statues and monuments within it. We stood at the plaque marking the exact center of Spain.

Based on Rick's recommendation, we stopped for Napolitana pastries at the historic Salon La Mallorquina.

Then on to Plaza Mayor which we now know that many of Spain's great historic events have taken place. The stage for bullfights, fires, royal pagentry, and gruesome events of the Inquisition, it now hosts many restaurants and tourist shops. But today, it was pretty wet and empty. But we were okay with that.

Our walking tour wound us around many of the tiny and windy side-roads of Madrid with lesser-known facts. We learned about several monuments to tragic events and peeked at a convent where cloistered nuns sell sweets from behind closed windows. (We didn't get to see any of the nuns!)

The walking tour ended at the Palacio Real where our old student IDs did us well and scored us awesome discounts. The palace was home to the royals for centuries, and the current royal family only uses it for special events (they live in a "modest" mansion nearby). This was our FAVORITE place so far. Again, Mr. Steves' had a rockin' self-guided tour for inside (all of the signage was in espanol). We even had other english speakers listening to us read from his book. The rooms were plush, with chandeliers, silk-covered damask walls, marble lions, and gold-plated bronze everywhere.

The queen is a fan of classical music so we were pumped to visit the Stradivarius room, where the only surviving matching string quartet resides. We were a little bummed to see the empty cases with signs that read "out for a concert". Then, it dawned on us that the strings we heard warming up earlier were probably these priceless instruments!! So cool!!

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the palace and the gift shop was closed by the time we were finished. We're planning on swinging by later this week to do a little touristy shopping at the gift shop and explore the palace gardens.

Leaving the warm palace was difficult. It was so cold and wet that we rushed to find the closest metro. We managed to get back to the apartment, and copped out and ordered pizza from the Spanish Dominoes "Duomo's" downstairs. But now, our bellies are full and we're warm and dry, planning the rest of our trip.

Coming up: Madrid museums and a short trip to the historic ancient capital Toledo.

Thanks for reading, folks! It's fun to read your comments. That's all for now!

-Katy

A Taste of Madrid

Today, we were all over Madrid. We met lots of Pat's friends and did some of the top things on our list of things to do during our stay here (and are getting VERY used to the metro).

The first thing on the docket for today was a visit to El Rastro -- Europe's largest outdoor marketplace. People packed the streets to get their piece of the super inexpensive goods. We each found plenty of things to our liking.

After El Rastro, we found croissants and cafe con leche at a nearby shop. Next up: the Plaza De La Puerta Del Sol. It was chilly today (about 40 degrees), but it was still hopping with activity. This is the equivalent to Times Square. Street performers abound. And just around the corner...

The Plaza Mayor. Those who have seen the movie "Vantage Point" would recognize it immediately. But there is a lot of history here (more of which we will learn from Rick Steves tomorrow on our self-guided tour).

Then at about 2:00 (that's when lunch happens here), we met a big batch of Pat's friends for an authentic Chinese meal to celebrate the Chinese New Year. What a fun meal! There were 10 of us representing several countries, speaking four different languages (but of course, everyone knew English!).

Next, we headed to the massive park in Madrid: Parque Del Buen Retiro. Boasting monuments upon monuments as well as some ancient Roman ruins, this park was a fun escape from the bustling city. Pat is training for a half-marathon and he thought he would run while Erinn and I explored the park. This time, the cold worked in our favor. Usually busy, we were able to explore without battling the crowds.

Typically, dinner happens late, and we were still full from our 2:00 lunch, so churros were our next stop. We met another batch of Pat's friends (from Wisconsin and the USA) for churros and hot chocolate at a tasty and popular place near the Plaza Del Sol downtown. Yum!!

Tonight, we finally got to meet Pat's roommate, Rachel. She's from northern England and is very fun. We're going to try to catch up on some sleep and really explore the city tomorrow while Pat is at work. That's all for now! Stay tuned for more from Madrid!

-Katy

Sevilla Weekend...

We're having a blast so far...as you can certainly tell by our footage:

After packing up for the Sevilla day, we ventured to the train station to pick up our tickets. We're glad we waited to buy our train tickets (the flight was so late, we would have missed it by a mile). But, by waiting, our selection was limited. Pat had to take the 6:00 train, while Erinn and I could only get seats on the 7:00 train...in 1st class. Wow, 1st class is the way to go on the Renfe (high speed train). It wasn't too much more expensive and we got free beverage service and a "snack" (some mystery fish thing that neither Erinn or I appreciated). But either way, it was fun.

Once we arrived to Sevilla, Pat was waiting at the station...and it was pouring!! We ventured into the city, in search of our hotel with confidence...undeserved. We got completely lost! But it wasn't for a lack of trying. We knew the maps, and the general direction. But the streets in Sevilla are narrow and twisty. Everything is very old with cobble-stone 1-lane roads that aren't labeled. But we managed...but didn't stay completely dry.

The jet-lag didn't hit us too hard. After the long, wet walk, on top of the long train ride, we wanted to explore the local nightlife. Our little friend at the hotel recommended a Tapas bar that was hopping with locals. We enjoyed our first pitcher of sangria, tinto de verano (red wine mixed with lemon fanta), croquettas (fried ham and cheese), and patatas bravas com jamon (spicy potatoes with ham). We also met a couple that asked us where we were from when they heard us talking. As it turns out, her son-in-law is from Wisconsin. We talked to them for a bit, about the US and Spain. She taught Pat a new phrase (as seen here). We actually stayed until closing time (surprisingly 1:00 am).

Saturday morning, we were out and about by 9:00 am (probably the only people in the city awake!). First, we headed out for breakfast and found some tasty Chorizo and Cafe con Leche at a little cafe. Then, we headed towards the cathedral for our Rick Steves' walking tour. The tour covered most of the Santa Cruz neighborhood.

After we completed it, we headed for the Cathedral. Rick Steves again did us well and we followed his self-guided tour within the cathedral -- it's the largest gothic cathedral in the world! We even scaled the 330-foot bell tower to get some amazing shots of the city.

After the cathedral, we found some lunch at a fun little cafe -- Mediterranean and tropical pizza with some more tinto de verano. Plus, green olives and bread make a tasty appetizer. We were running out of time to sightsee, so we decided to just walk the city -- history is everywhere! So are orange trees (they're not for eating). We even made it back to our breakfast cafe for some helado (ice cream). By, 5:30, we had to head back to the train station for the ride back to Madrid. Now, we've made it back to Pat's flat and are getting refreshed before heading out to some sort of party. We'll see how it goes! Stay tuned....

-Katy

En Espana!!

We made it! We're finally here! We just arrived at Pat's flat and are enjoying some croissants and reenergizing before trekking out on our first adventure.

We left from Green Bay at about 10:00 am Thursday. Then, arrived in Detriot with not much of a layover. We quickly hopped on a jet to JFK in New York -- such a cool city to fly over! I certainly enjoyed the window seat.

After a long layover (4 hours) in New York, we jumped on the big plane to Madrid. We ended up sitting on the tarmac for some time before they told us there were maintenance problems. We went back to the gate (thinking we would have to change aircrafts). After two hours of a very toasty wait, they informed us that there weren't any problems after all -- that a indicator light was out. Gotta love it!

Overall, travels went well. We arrived in Madrid at noon (about 2-1/2 hours late). Pat met us at the airport and we took the metro to his flat and here we are!!!

Next up, Sevilla. We're getting ready now (it's about 2:00pm), and we'll catch some lunch and then the 6:00 train. The trip will be 2-1/2 hours. We've booked a great hotel for the night: Hotel Amadeus. That's all for now! Pictures and Sevilla to come!!

-Katy