Playing "Tour Guide" in Madrid (part one)

A number of out-of town guests are coming to Madrid for my cousin Werner's birthday party... although I am quite sure that I win the award for having traveled the longest distance.  Numerous friends and family members from Switzerland are here or will be soon arriving.  I mentioned Werner's sister Ruth (who, obviously, is also my cousin) and their childhood friend Doris who arrived here the day before me.  I met Ruth when I was in Switzerland two years ago, but I had not met Doris previously.  Werner had asked me if I could show Ruth and Doris around Madrid during our free time, and those of you who read my blog regularly know that I love to play "tour guide".

Even yesterday, when I arrived in Madrid-jet lagged and without sleep, I enjoyed most of my afternoon with Ruth and Doris.

We passed through the Puerta del Sol, the plaza which is the traditional heart of Madrid.

 Ruth (right) and Doris pose on the Puerta del Sol in front of the statue of the "bear and the madroño tree", the emblem of the city of Madrid.

We then walked to the Reina Sofía Museum of Modern Art. 

My cousin Werner, who is very much into contemporary art, had recommended that we visit the special exhibit of works by some 20th century artist by the name of Richard Hamilton.  Well, when I said that I enjoyed most of the afternoon, this exhibit was the part that I did not enjoy.  Frankly, I thought that the show was a bunch of self-indulgent crap.  The exhibit was quite large, and by the time that we had trudged through it all, museum fatigue was setting in for Ruth and Doris, and I was reaching the point of exhaustion.  We had not even seen anything of the permanent collection of the museum, and I told them that we could not leave the Reina Sofía Museum without seeing its star attraction... Picasso's masterpiece, "Guénica".  The enormous canvas, which portrays the horror of war, was inspired by the brutal bombing of the town of Guérnica by the Nazi Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War.  Even for someone such as I who does not particularly care for abstract art, there is no denying that "Guernica" is an incredibly powerful piece of art.  Unlike the work of many contemporary artists, "Guérnica" will stand the test of time.

(image from the web)

After a while trying to absorb "Guérnica", Doris made the excellent suggestion that we find a café where we could sit down and enjoy a snack and something to drink.  We found a little hole-in-the-wall establishment.  The food was nothing special, but it was just what we needed, and the owner was very amiable to boot.  Revived by our break, we made our way back to the hotel through the streets of old Madrid.  My love for this vibrant city kicked in, and my jet-lag exhaustion seemed to fade!

I was able to continue on and even enjoy a late night supper (actually, by Madrid standards, it was an early supper since we started at 8:30 P.M.), and then more camaraderie and conversation at Werner's flat.  It was midnight before I finally fell into bed and slept like a baby.