Cait vs. Spain: Finding My Center (Of Spain)

Phew! I just returned today from a great little culture-packed weekend in Madrid! But before I get going on all of the details pertaining to that trip, allow to first post a couple photos from last week's trip to the Roman ruins of Itálica, here in Sevilla! My overall impression of the ruins was that the historical significance was interesting, the amphitheater ruins were WAY NEAT, and the rest was theoretically interesting, ie; "These structures would look a certain way and were VERY interesting...if they were still here." So it took some imagination, but overall a pleasant trip outside of the immediate city!

The amphitheatre

The cages in which the Romans kept the animals before fighting them

Apparently not an original, but not lookin' so fresh either...

Former Roman houses/countryside

But back to Madrid!

The trip from Sevilla to Madrid, consisted of 6 1/2 hour bus ride from 8 in the morning to 2:30 in the afternoon. Long, but tolerable and scenic, however, by the end my bladder was ready to hit the "water closets¨of the big city.

I would describe the first day as "Madrizzly" (so clever right??) considering it was a dreary 50 degrees and raining, but perfect for few hours of art-museum exploring! Free entrances to both the Prado and the Reina Sofia led to an afternoon filled of "ooh"ing and "ahh"ing and straight up head scratching. Both museums were so overwhelming, but I would say the highlight of both would have to be the viewing of Picasso's "Guernica" up close and personal. Totally cool. We also saw the likes of Salvado Dalí, Francisco Goya, Diego Velazquez, and other famous artists who have always seemed so boring in books, but these dudes can paint! By the time we hit the modern art section, however, it was time to move on; my tolerance of creative liberty began to wear thin...

They ran out of Picasso's and had to resort to the local elementary school


What, it doesn't look like a "Landscape" to you?? My roommate didn't get it either.


Pondering the meaning of "Untitled."

Day two brought sun and excellent sightseeing of the immensely overwhelming Royal Palace (former home of the king), the bustling Puerta del Sol, the Botanical Gardens, and a low-budget city bus tour. The palace was ridiculously ornate, but photos weren't allowed inside unfortunately. To completely oversimplify it: tons o' crystal chandeliers, abundance of gold, elaborate wall paper, and rooms with extensive murals on the ceilings that were made for "conversing." I guess the Spanish royal family kept things simple...

Madrid had a bunch of fun, busy plazas, great for people watching. There is a placard in the Puerta del Sol that marks the EXACT center of the country. Of course I had to be a tourist and stand on it. We rounded out our afternoons with the Botanical Gardens, although the chillier end of Spanish winter did not allow for an overly impressive floral presence. It did get me excited for warmer Spring! Although it is substantially warmer from what I'm used to this time of year, the apartment in which I live is so chilly! It'll be great when I stop seeing steam come up from the frigid porcelain every time I, as they say in spanish "hacer un pee pee."

So Madrid was excellent, and I'll top off this dense post with a couple more of my favorite photos. The new experiences keep on coming, and luckily this trip only had limited amounts of awkwardness with my first stay in a youth hostel in which a friend and I stayed in a room with 6 other travelers. Needless to say I'm glad that I get to enjoy my own room tonight, without having to worry about shaking the creaky bunk bed and disturbing the stranger sleeping beneath me! Despite my discomfort in this situation, the weekend was ended on a high note as I took the slick, high speed AVE back to Sevilla (only 2 1/2 hours this time). It's good to be back "home" : )

Nos vemos pronto!