We started the exhibit at 1030 am, and we did not finish until two pm. The exhibit is absolutely incredible. Many of the paintings I have spent time studying at school, discussing with students, were right before my eyes. Dali was surely an interesting character, and his mustache was undoubtedly one of the most "normal" things in his life. I loved learning about his beloved Gala and how much inspiration he drew from this woman. I was particularly floored when I saw some of his early works, they were NORMAL and beautiful!! He drew a lot of inspiration from his sister, and had some seriously amazing pieces where she was the center of attention. It was an invaluable 330 hours we spent looking at his pieces, learning about his life, and sometimes just flat out going "hmmm...?"
We looked at a ton of fabulous artists' works, including Joan Miro, Gris, and finally my beloved Picasso. As we were entering the exhibition that ties to the Spanish Civil War, the influence of the nazi and Franco, we ran into a group of little children who were doing a field trip with their school. They could not have been older than six. It was so heartwarming to see them so interested and invested in the history of their country. I have never seen this happen before with such young kids!! I sneakily followed their guide, for she was incredibly mesmerizing. I found myself walking into the GUERNICA room along with the kids. I think my face probably looked exactly like the kids' faces. I did a quiet gasp and just wanted to sit on the floor with them as she walked them through the picture. It was so amazing to hear her, a spaniard, talk about this painting. She was unbelievably good and the kids -as well as many adults- were taken by her interpretation and explanation of the painting. Needless to say, I stole some ideas for whenever I decide to teach this painting to my students.
We did not leave the museum til almost four. It was our plan to go to a second museum, but we were hungry and spent after all that walking. We took a short walk to the Museo del Prado area, and found some cute little side streets. We sat down and a bar to eat their menu del dia (menu of the day), the cheapest alternative for an otherwise very expensive meal. We had grilled vegetables, goat cheese, mashed potatoes, bread, coke zero, bonito (similar to tuna) in a red pepper sauce, potatoes, and flan for eleven euros. Yep. You read that right!!! The food was delicious and the walking break was much needed.
We ventured into the Parque de El Retiro. It is a ginormous park, comparable (but I think bigger) to the Central Park area. It is full of little bridges, pathways, flat areas, hills, and even more amazing works of architecture. We visited the Crystal Palace, the Velazquez Palace and the Monument to Alfonso xii. My dad started complaining about his tiredness, so we took a cab after walking to the Puerta de Alcala. We arrived to our hotel at around 7 pm -against my will!! I am now here, updating this blog and counting down the hours until we head back out tomorrow!!!
Xoxo, bee
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