Madrid? Oui!....I mean, Si!

"I have a meeting in Madrid ......should we make it a weekend?" asks my dear husband.

SI! Wanting to see another country and even practice my Spanish, I got on my computer and looked for a cheap flight. There are many here....the competition must be fierce! I found one leaving on Friday morning and coming back on Tuesday. This could work! I was tired of the rainy weather in Paris and Madrid always has sunshine and is warmer, right?

Well, no. On Friday, we left sunny and warm weather in Paris, which we had been enjoying for over a week.......to a cold, rainy Madrid! How does that work? Didn't we go south? I left Paris wearing a short skirt and sandals.....and felt totally out of place in Madrid amid the jeans, knee-high boots, jackets, and scarves (again!).

Madrilenos have weird hours, even more so than Parisians. Their dinner hour doesn't begin until after 9 pm, after dining on tapas and drinking beer or wine for a few hours. We did try some tapas and then headed for a small restaurant that evening and tried to keep our eyes open after 10 pm.

Saturday was a drizzly day, so we headed out with our umbrellas and walked to the Prado Museum. This is where the great Spanish painters have their masterpieces.....Velasquez, Goya, El Greco, as well as some Flemish and Italian painters. I had heard about this museum when I was taking Spanish in high school and was anxious to see it. But how do you even take in over 7,000 paintings? We spent a good three hours there and were very impressed. (We both were amazed that at last 95% of the paintings were religious-themed.) This is the "Louvre" of Madrid.

That evening, we were invited for dinner by a couple who also work for IBM. We had a great time and Lisa told me she would take me on a walking tour of Madrid on Monday while Lyle was in meetings all day......

On Sunday, with the sun starting to come out and weather warming up a bit, we decided to take the fast-speed train to Toledo, known for it's beautiful cathedral and quaint, winding streets, as well as El Greco's home in the 1500s. It is still known as Spain's religous center, with Christian, Arab, and Jewish influences. The famous Toledo Cathedral was constructed for nearly 250 years, finished in 1493. Photographs weren't allowed so I can't post any from inside, but you can always google "Toledo cathedral" to see this amazing church. (My personal "help desk" from Rachel or Christa will have to tell me how to do a link!) We couldn't get over the gold, the carved stone and wood, the paintings, and the tiles (moorish influence). Spending Mother's Day here felt a little lonely, but we did both call our moms while sitting on the plaza in the center of town!

On Monday, Lyle had to work....and I was ready to tour! I met Lisa and her daughter and we walked, and walked. This 5 hour tour surpassed Frommer's suggestions! I think we covered at least 2/3 of Madrid! She took me to the plazas, famous chocolate and pastry shops, the "old Madrid" with 13th and 14th century streets, the king's palace, the parks, and amazing landmarks. I am including a few of the pictures I took, but I will attempt a slide show in the next post of more of the sights.

One of MANY fountains...

Standing on Plaza Mayor

The presidential palace (Palacio Real)

That evening, we had planned to go and see a Flamenco show, but we were both just too worn out. So we relaxed with a glass of wine near the palace and then walked to a wonderful restaurant in a narrow, winding side street (said it had been around since 1642!) where Lyle enjoyed a great steak and I had baby lamb, both specialties of the house. Steak isn't easy to find in Paris, so this was a treat!

Madrid was beautiful and it was fascinating to see another culture. It was very cosmopolitan, full of upscale stores and well-preserved "old madrid" streets. The parks and green spaces were impressive. As for using my Spanish, I had somewhat of a hard time changing my brain from French to Spanish, of which I am at least somewhat able to get around with. My problem was I kept saying "oui" instead of "si"! And...I had learned "Latin American Spanish", not the Castillian Spanish where they say "grathiath" instead of gracias! That was hard to get used to!