Spanish Royalty

Kari and I
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Friday morning we boarded the bus at 9:00 a.m. to visit the Monastery of El Escorial located near the Pyrenees Mountains. It was so interesting to view the living quarters of the great Phillip II who we have been learning about all year. Furthermore the burial crypt was incredible both in design and in simple existence. It was so mind-blowing to think that there we were standing in this room where some of Europe’s greatest rulers of history were buried. It’s was just kind of bizarre to think about. I enjoyed thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the beautiful area surrounding the monastery. Friday afternoon, absolutely exhausted I took a quick nap and then spent the rest of the afternoon once again taking advantage of Madrid’s fabulous shopping. That evening our entire group went to the Auditorio Nacional for the Orquesta Nacional de Espana which I will admit was absolutely beautiful despite my usual indifference of previous musical and theatrical events we have attended thus far. Afterwards, not having really eaten dinner we went to a restaurant called The Wok for some delicious Thai/Japanese food and more Sangria! That night we returned to the club Palace. It was even more fabulous than the night before as it was Carnival (kind of like Halloween for Europe). I did not come back to the hotel that night until 5:00 a.m. the next morning! In the words of Ernest Hemmingway, “One does not sleep in Spain until he has killed the night.”

El Escorial
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Saturday morning needless to say it was a little rough getting out of bed and packing to leave. However, we managed and by 9 a.m. to visit Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, which was my favorite museum by far. It housed many of Picasso’s works, most importantly the Guernica which represents the horror of the Nazi Germanbombing of Gernika, Spain on April 26, 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. This particular painting had a certain reverent beauty for not only the events that took place but for the individuals themselves. It is one of my favorite paintings by far. After the museum we ate churros at a local café = amazingly good J After an eventful and fabulous week in Madrid we departed that afternoon around 3:00 p.m.

“One does not sleep in Spain until he has killed the night.” -Ernest Hemmingway