Aranjuez

Today I took an excursion outside of Madrid to the town of Aranjuez.  Aranjuez is located about 26 miles to the south of Madrid on the banks of the Tagus River (Río Tajo).  It is famous as the location of one of Spain's royal palaces.  It was very easy to get there.  Just a 10 minute walk from Werner's flat is the Puerta del Sol.  Underneath that plaza is a station for the "cercanías" (local trains), and from there I caught a train that went directly to Aranjuez.

The Palace of Aranjuez was begun in the 1500s by King Felipe II, but it was not completed until the 1700s by the Bourbon King Carlos III.  In the 1800s it was the favorite spring residence of the Spanish monarchs.

 

In the 19th century, Queen Isabel II had the interior of the palace redecorated, so it is mainly her choices in furniture and decoration that visitors see today.  The most impressive rooms are the Arabian Room which imitates the lavish designs of the Alhambra Palace, and the Porcelain Study, in which the walls and ceiling are entirely covered with ornate pieces of porcelain.  (Unfortunately photography is not allowed inside.)

Along the banks of the Tagus River is a large area of parkland known as the Prince's Park.

 

The so-called "Chinese Garden" in the park

 In the middle of the park is a small pleasure palace that was built for King Carlos IV and his wife María Luisa.  (The inept king and his shrewish queen were immortalized in Goya's painting "The Family of Charles IV".)  The royal couple took an active role in the design and decoration of this intimate place that was to be their retreat from the pressures of the royal court.  It was completed in 1803.  Just five years later, Napoleon invaded Spain, and Carlos was forced to abdicate.  

 

The little palace is called "La Casa del Labrador" (The Farmer's House).  But of course! Doesn't every farmer have a house adorned with Roman statuary?!

 And doesn't every farmer have a house whose rooms have marble floors and wall coverings of embroidered silk?!  "La Casa del Labrador" may be smaller than the main palace, but the decor is even more over-the-top.

One last view of the Palace of Aranjuez before heading back to the train station...

 

A Day at the Museum(s)

My plan for today was to visit two museums in Madrid.  The first, the house of the 16th century dramatist Lope de Vega, was a place that I have never visited before.  I had a bit of trouble finding it among the labyrinthine web of streets in old Madrid.  When I finally found it, I discovered that one must make a reservation ahead of time for a tour.  So, I have a reservation to go back on Saturday at 11:00 A.M.

The second part of my planned itinerary was to go back to the Prado Museum.

Even though I had just been there just a few days ago with my cousin Hans Peter, I wanted to see a special exhibit entitled "El Greco and Modern Painting" which had been highly recommended.  Tickets to enter the exhibit are timed, and I had to wait outside the museum for a half hour.

El Greco was the 16th century painter who was born in Greece but who spent most of his life in Toledo, Spain.  His religious paintings are done in unique, mystical style.  After his death, his work was largely forgotten.  It wasn't until the 19th century that El Greco's paintings were "rediscovered" and began to influence the styles of new generations of artists.  This exhibit gathers together El Greco paintings from the Prado's collection and from other museums worldwide.  Included are such important works as "The Laocoon" and "St. Martin and the Beggar" from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

(image from the web)

(image from the web)

The El Greco paintings are juxtaposed with works by more modern artists such as Manet, Cezanne, Picasso, Diego Rivera and Jackson Pollock in order to demonstrate the influence that El Greco has had on 19th and 20th century art.  It was definitely an interesting exhibit.

After viewing the exhibit, I wandered around the museum a bit more.  In recent years the Prado built a controversial new wing on the site of the ruins of the 16th century monastery of San Jerónimo.  The expansion envelopes the cloister wall, the only part of the monastery that remained intact.
(This is the only area of the Prado Museum where photography is permitted.)

 
On my last two visits to the Prado, I was playing "tour guide", and I concentrated solely on the Spanish masters.  I decided to take some time in the galleries devoted to German and Flemish art.  The painting which draws the most attention is the 1504 triptych by Hieronymus Bosch known as "The Garden of Earthly Delights".  Its bizarre images rival those of 20th century surrealists such as Salvador Dalí.

(image from the web)

(image from web)

I left the museum and walked down the tree-lined Paseo del Prado, and passed the Neptune Fountain.  I still remember a story one of my Spanish professors in college told us.  In the dark days after the Spanish Civil War when hunger was rampant throughout the country, someone put a sign on the fountain saying, "O dame de comer, o quítame este tenedor."  (Either feed me, or take this fork away.)

Just beyond the Neptune Fountain is the 18th century Palace of Villahermosa which today houses another important art museum... The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

 

The museum contains the paintings that belonged to the Thyssen-Bornemisza family of Switzerland.  It was one of the largest private art collections in the world.  

 

In 1992-1993 Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his wife Carmen (a former "Miss Spain") sold the family collection to the Spanish State and saw the establishment of the museum in Madrid.  

As great as the Prado Museum is, it is not a comprehensive museum.  The Thyssen-Bornemisza, whose works span the 14th through the 20th centuries, fills in many of the gaps.

I had visited the museum a few years ago, but I had not seen all of it.  I decided that today I would finish viewing the collection. 

Those who read my blog already know that my tastes in art tend to be quite traditional.  With that in mind, here are a few paintings that caught my eye.  (Photography is allowed in the museum.)

 Degas

 Monet

 Pisarro

 Edward Hopper

In the modern art galleries, there were several water colors by an American artist named Charles Burchfield. This one is titled "Orion in Winter".  I had never heard of Burchfield before, and I was extremely surprised when I saw that he was born in Ashtabula, Ohio.  Ashtabula is about an hour away from where I live!

How ironic to travel all the way to Spain and discover an artist from my home region!

 

 

A Day Off

Unfortunately I have come down with a cold, and apparently the bug was making the rounds among the guests at the birthday celebration.  A number of other people have come down with a case of sneezing and coughing.  I felt it coming on Monday, and by Tuesday I was sure.  It's not a bad cold, just a nuisance.  But I felt it would be wise to take a break today from the hectic pace I have been keeping. 

I slept in today, and spent most of the day in my room at Werner's place.  I said good-bye to Werner today, since he left this morning on a business trip to Hannover, Germany, and he will be gone until after my departure.  With Spain's economy in such bad shape, more and more of Werner's jobs as an interpreter are coming from outside of Spain.  I accompanied him to the Gran Vía, a couple blocks away, where he caught a taxi to the airport.  I then went to one of the restaurants along the Gran Vía for a late breakfast.  I went to VIPS, a restaurant chain which is also in Mexico.  The food there is nothing special, but I was in the mood for a big American style breakfast of bacon and eggs and pancakes... something you will not find at most Spanish restaurants.  (My cold has not affected my appetite!)

By late afternoon I was getting stir-crazy.  Manuel, who works as a physical therapist, had some free time between appointments, and suggested that we go out for an early supper.  It was raining lightly when we left the flat.  It was around 5 PM, and most restaurants were not yet open for supper.  We opted for a little "cafetería" (which is not what we call a cafeteria, but rather a snack shop.)  We had an OK meal.  Manuel left to go back to work.  The rain had stopped, and the sun came out.  It was a pleasant evening so I took a walk all the way to the area by the Prado Museum.  There are some souvenir shops there that have better-than-average quality merchandise.  I went in one of them, and I think I took care of all the gift shopping I need to do in one-fell-swoop!

Now I'm back at the flat, and I think that I will turn in early.  Even if my cold isn't completely gone by tomorrow, I intend to do some sightseeing.  I'm not going to waste any more of my precious time in Spain sitting in my room!   

Alcalá de Hernares

The guests from the birthday celebration have all gone home (except for me), Werner and Manuel are back to work, and now I have the opportunity to do some sightseeing on my own.

On Tuesday I went to Alcalá de Hernares, a city of around 200,000 people located twenty two miles to the northeast of Madrid.  Alcalá is very well connected by train service to Madrid (it's a thirty minute train ride), and a large portion of its population are commuters who work in the capital.  Much of the city is made up of nondescript, modern apartment buildings, but Alcalá's historic center earned the city the designation of "World Heritage Site" by UNESCO.

The recorded history of Alcalá de Hernares goes back to Roman times when the town was known as Complutum.  The city has two great claims to fame.  It was the birthplace of Spain's most celebrated writer, Miguel de Cervantes, the author of the novel "Don Quixote".  On the main street in the old heart of the city is the house where he was born in 1547.  Today it is a small museum and is open to the public free of charge.  

Although none of the furnishings in the house actually belonged to the Cervantes family, the museum is filled with antiques from the era.  It gives you an idea of what life was like for a middle class family of those days.  Cervantes's father was an apothecary and surgeon, and the home seems relatively comfortable.

Outside of the museum are statues of Cervantes's great literary creations...  Don Quixote, the addled country gentleman who imagines himself a knight in shining armor, and Sancho Panza, the down-to-earth peasant who served as Quixote's squire.

Facing the town square of Alcalá is the former church of Santa María where Cervantes was baptized.  The building today houses displays on the life and literary production of the author.  In one chapel, the baptismal font and the baptismal record of Cervantes are on display.

Alcalá de Hernares's second claim to fame was the great university that was located here.  Founded in 1293, the "Universidad Complutense", was one of the oldest in Europe.  In the early 16th century, under the patronage of Cardinal Cisneros (perhaps the most influential clerics in all of Spanish history), the University became one of the most important centers of learning in Renaissance Europe.

The principal building of the University was the "Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso".  It is considered one of the finest works of Spanish Renaissance architecture.

 

Throughout the heart of the city are many other fine Renaissance buildings which were "colegios" run by different monastic orders and offering different courses of study.  These buildings comprised one of the earliest examples of what we would today call a university campus.  

With the decline in Spain's fortunes, the prestige of the University also declined.  However, it is noteworthy that in 1785, the University was one of the first in the world to grant a doctorate to a woman student.  In 1836 the University was transferred to Madrid and became the "Universidad Complutense de Madrid."   In 1977 a new University of Alcalá was founded, and the old university buildings have been put to use again.

The Gothic cathedral of Alcalá de Hernares was built between 1497 and 1514.  In the crypt of the cathedral is a silver reliquary containing the remains of city's patron saints, St. Justo and St. Pastor.  They are referred to as "los santos niños"... the holy children.  They were two schoolchildren in the Roman city of Complutum who were executed for their Christian beliefs.

 

It is said that in the archbishop's palace of Alcalá Christopher Columbus had his first audience with Queen Isabella.

 

 

Alcalá is located in a region that is major breeding ground for storks.  On the roof of almost every tower and steeple you will see storks' nests.

 

"Calle Mayor" (Main Street), which runs through the historic center of the city, has the longest portico of any street in Spain.

 

There are many historic cities near Madrid that make excellent day excursions from the capital.  The most popular with tourists are Toledo and Segovia.  But the historic and picturesque city of Alcalá de Hernares is definitely worthy of a visit! 

    

A Day with Brigitta

Werner's sister Brigitta was the last family member to leave Madrid.  Her flight to Zurich did not leave until Monday evening.  Since Werner and Manuel were back to work, it was my pleasure to keep her company during the day.  We had no special itinerary.  We just enjoyed walking around this lovely city on a beautiful, sunny day, and chatting at a sidewalk café.

One of the great things about this trip is that I was able to spend time with my other cousins, and get to know them better.  I had met Ruth and Hans Peter and Brigitta when I was in Switzerland two years ago, but this time I felt as if we had time to bond as family.  They are all wonderful people, and I feel so lucky that they are in my life.

The Day After

After the fantastic birthday party on Saturday, there was still more celebrating on Sunday.  Many of the out-of-town guests were leaving that day, so in the morning there was a farewell brunch at the hotel.

Peter disassembled his Alpenhorn for the flight home to Zurich.

After the brunch, I checked out of the hotel, and rolled my suitcases down the street to Werner's flat, where I am staying for the remainder of my time in Madrid.

Werner's cousin, Hans Peter, and his children Sophia and Alexander, were staying another night before flying home to Bergen, Norway.  They were planning on taking the "hop-on, hop-off" city bus tour, and they asked me to join them.  

 

I have never been able to get good photographs on those city bus tours.  The only decent picture I got was this one of the Gate of Alcalá.

 

It was, however, a pleasant ride, and I enjoyed spending time with Hans Peter and the kids.  We hopped off the bus at the Prado Museum, Madrid's most famous collection of art.  Hans Peter asked me if I could give Sophia and Alexander a quick tour of some of the most famous paintings.  I accepted and switched into "teacher mode". (I used to teach a unit on Spanish art to my upper level classes.)  I concentrated on about a dozen masterpieces by the painters Velázquez and Goyá.  They all seemed to enjoy the quick tour.  Sophia and Alexander are both very bright young people; I am sure that they are a joy to their teachers!

 Alexander and Sophia by the Goya statue outside of the Prado.

We got off the bus at the Puerta del Sol, where they posed with the statue of King Carlos III and the iconic "Tío Pepe" Sherry advertisement in the background.

The day was not over.  Those of us who were still in Madrid (about 14 of us) were invited back to Werner's place that evening for supper.  After a nice meal, Brigitta came out with yet another birthday cake for Werner.  

That brings Werner's 60th birthday bash to a close.  I look forward to attending his 70th birthday!