Madrid Again

I have taken a break from my host family and will spend a week in Madrid and then I have four more days to travel somewhere else, before returning to my host family for the final week and a half stay.

My first day was an incredibly awesome!  I arrived early to the hostel just as a group was leaving for a free walking tour, so I joined them.  What a great choice:  we hit a couple of the places on my list of things to see and I gained a much better understanding of the history of Madrid and Spain. We stopped at the Egyptian temple that was given to Spain by Egypt in the late 1960's.  The location was in a park, overlooking the largest park in Madrid.  I could see the mountains of Madrid in the distance where I had visited Segovia and LaGranja sporting new snow!  We moved along then to the Royal Palace and caught the changing of the guard.  Not as much fanfare as at Buckingham Palace, but more than what I saw in Prague.  The tour guide was a young guy dorm Venzuala and he really knew his history which was nice as it pulled together some of what I have bee reading and trying to learn.  He also took us lot see a section of the original wall of Madrd built by the Moors before the Christians --- although there had been a Christian population in Spain before the Moors, there had not been a city at this location.

.....So, after the walking tour I had a lunch. I just love the lunches. They have a menu of the day for a set price and you have a minimum of two courses, a drink (can be wine or beer or other), bread, and either coffee or a dessert. All of this for around 10-12 euros. for each of the two courses, there is usually a choice of 3 or 4 dishes. These menus are usually only available for lunch, which means between 2 and 4 pm. Of course you can find these for a lot more, and in that case they usually include both the coffee and dessert. I had a huge bowl of lentil soup, followed by beef in a sauce with veggies and French fries...there usually isn't a choice on the starch and French fries are the most common.

When I returned to the hostal, I ran into a guy I had seen when I first arrived and we started talking. I told him I was going to a flamenco show that night and the tour guide from earlier told me that his company could get us in for half price. I had already made a reservation at the same place, but certainly liked the idea of saving 18 euro! As it turned out, Marious was from Montreal, and is taking Flamenco dance classes in Sevilla, and is taking other classes in Madrid this week. He went with me to the flamenco show-- what an absolute treat! This was my third show, and definitely the best. And then to have a "guide" to tell me more was incredible. He told me a bit about the music itself - both the singing and the guitars, and about some of the different styles of dance. I would like to try to fit in another show this week if possible.

Day two ended up being mostly a recovery day for me! I had been up late the prior three nights and really needed some sleep. On Christmas Eve, the company didn't leave until after 3am, and I didn't get to sleep until after 4! On Christmas Day, to bed around 1am and then, since the flamenco show didn't start until 10:30pm, to bed again very late --- for my standards anyway, but not for Spaniards! But, I had another event scheduled for this second evening. The Russian Imperial Ballet is doing three different ballets over the holiday season, so I chose to go see the Nutcracker. This performance was actually "early" at 7pm and I had to check the ticket a few times to make sure I had it right. Then, I was almost late, as I didn't know there was a metro strike --- which doesn't mean no service, but reduced service -- and then as usual I couldn't find my way directly to the theatre. But never mind, as I got to sit with two little girls next to me and their oohs and awes at the costumes and dances added that much more to it!

For the morning of day three I had scheduled a Nativity Scene tour with the local tourist info center. Nativity scenes, or "Belenes" are on integral and very important part of Christmas in Spain. My host family has an intricate one set up (more on that later) in their home and Jose has told me quite a bit about them. When I showed up for the tour, I was the only one there for the English version, so I got my own tour. To begin with I was afraid it was going to be a long hour and a half, but then we really got into it! From one church to another we went, so I saw a variety of churches for different time periods as well as the Belen. I would not have appreciated what I was seeing without the guides information. Some of the Belenes are actually from the 1700's! Some included assumption of Mary (in the background), all had the three wisemen and village scenes. The one in the cathedral was behind glass with audio and lighting that highlighted the area being explained. Another was life size. Others were behind grates in convent churches. The guide explained about the clothing on the figures, and in one of the scenes, the figures were actually dresses in cloth.. We saw some ceramic and some wood and more out of other materials. Some I was not allowed to take photos of. As we went from place to place, the crowds were increasing and we saw some of the same people at the different scenes. There were many families with children and even a group of three priests that I saw a number of times. In Plaza Mayor, the booths sell figures and stables and per implements for people to make their own. We also went down one street where most of the stores sold religious items, including robes for the priests and things for the alter. These stores all had Belenes in their windows for sale. I'm sure some of the figures costs hundreds of dollars each.

You can view my photos here:
https://picasaweb.google.com/117120466845854055422/MadridDecember2012

Must now go and get ready for a symphony performance of Christmas music! It starts at 10:30, but I just drank two cups of coffee, so hopefully I won't fall asleep!

The kindness of strangers

 

The other day I went to the shopping mall and stopped in a fast food chain for a bite to eat.  (okay, I know this is bad wherever I am, but…..)  So, I had gotten my food and went to an empty table.  There was a lady at the next table obviously waiting for someone else to join her.  As I set my tray down, took off my coat, and prepared to sit down, she said something to me, and of course I didn’t understand her.  I indicated I didn’t speak Spanish, only English and proceeded to sit down.  She started motioning me to a chair at her table, just as a young man joined her with their food.  She continued to motion for me to join them, and he invited me as well.  I thought “how awkward”, but didn’t see a polite way out of the situation, so went ahead and joined them. 

As I sat down, I asked if she spoke English, and she didn’t, but said her son did.  So, I ended up eating my lunch with this mother and her 18-year-old son and engaged in a fun conversation of broken Spanish and English, as her son had studied English in high school. I quite enjoyed this chance encounter and answering the young man’s questions about how life is different here and in the US.  We talked about everything from our children to our work, Christmas shopping and what he wants to do when he finishes school. 

When I thanked her for the invitation to join them, she said over and over that no one should eat alone.  Being single and traveling by myself, I often eat alone and don’t give it a second thought.  But joining them not only made my day and theirs (they were grinning ear-to-ear as they left), it had the side benefit of my not eating much of my french fries!!!  But seriously, I have been thinking of this every day and it brings a smile to my face and warms my heart. 

Segovia and La Granja Spain

What a weekend.  Segovia and La Granja - "Little Versailles" and to think I almost skipped La Granja, an old royal palace! 

Segovia has this incredible 2000 year old roman aqueduct and the city is built around it.  The old city walls meet up with it at one end and the other is where the water came into it.  In addition to the aqueduct, there is an old fortress/castle (alcazar) and a huge cathedral. I also think it rivals Rome for the number of churches per capita!  I really enjoyed poking around this city on Saturday. 

Shortly after arriving I had to pop into a store and get a hat and gloves though, as the sky was filled with black, billowy clouds, a snow drop here and there and a cutting wind.  I think everyone in the store was buying the same things!

I enjoyed a small lunch off the beaten path in between my visits to the cathedral and the castle.  They say that Disney based his castle off of this one in Segovia, but I always thought it was based on Neuschwanstein in Germany.  The views over the countryside from the castle were fantastic as well as some of the furnishings inside.  

One room that really got to me was the room with the armor and swords.  Just think, these people were going off to kill other people, and yet their armor and sword grips were beautifully filigreed – why bother? 

When I arrived in Segovia that morning, I had stopped at the Tourist Info Center and asked if there was any live music or plays or other entertainment that night.  And sure enough, there was a jazz concert.  So I got a ticket and found my way on the bus.  It was a small, very hot venue (after freezing all day, I really didn’t mind) and good music.  It was a quintet, Randy Greer and the Cole Dinggers.  I looked him up on the internet just a minute ago, and he now lives in Barcelona and has quite the bio. 

I decided to take my time on Sunday morning and had the thought of skipping going to La Granja.  But, thankfully it was a fleeting thought.  After missing the bus by about 2 minutes, I spent the next hour waiting for the next bus by walking up to the Jewish Cemetery to get a great view of the city, especially the cathedral.  It was a beautiful sunny morning, and nowhere near as cold as the day before. 

The bus ride was just a short, 20 minute straight shot (except for the many roundabouts) through high country plateau ranch land.  It reminded me a lot of Colorado – although it has been too many years for me to say, since I have been there.  I think I read that Segovia is about 3000 feet above sea level and La Granja is at the foot of the mountains that separate Segovia from Madrid. 

What a gorgeous day!  Sunny, new snow on the mountaintops and rooftops, slowly melting and dripping down the buildings.  Warm in the sun, cold in the shadows.  

  

Sagrario had told me there was an old glass factory-cum-museum there, and I found out it closed earlier than the palace, so I went there first.  Before getting into the exhibits related to the glass factory, there was a temporary exhibit on “Belenes”, or Nativity scenes.  Nativity scenes are big here – there is even a tour in Madrid to view those set up around the city.  Jose has told me they used to put one in each of the kids’ rooms, as well as in their main and formal living rooms!  A tree is secondary to the Nativity scenes.  Anyway, there were Nativity scenes made out of everything imaginable: straw, puzzles, cloth kits, wood, glass, eggs (!), matchboxes, etc.  It was a nice surprise to come across something so traditional and unexpected.  Here is the one in eggshells: 

 

The museum was set up in the old factory and a new furnace area was enclosed in the center courtyard with men demonstrating the work.  I know I have seen glass making before, but I don’t remember seeing the use of molds.  They made a couple of bottles – nothing fancy, but it showed the process.  The museum had two sections: one of the equipment and explanations (in Spanish, so it didn’t take me long) of how the glass was made and the other section on examples of the glass made in the factory and elsewhere.  The glass factory was here to provide the crystal and chandeliers for the palace.  There was a small section on stained glass making and displays of some beautiful work.

When I finished at the factory, I headed for the Palace.  Best laid plans…..  I never stick to them!  I entered through a gate into the well laid out village surrounding the palace.  I loved the little streets with the sun, melting snow and long shadows.  Outside of the bars were their sandwich-boards with their daily menus.  I stopped to look in a church and ended up staying for mass!!!!  (I know mom, don’t die of shock!) Then, I figured I had better get something to eat, as many of the places are only open at lunch and if I didn’t eat then, I’d end up having to drink wine and eat tapas (oh, how terrible!).  Instead, I found a place to drink wine and have lunch!  This time I tried the other soup I was seeing everywhere – one with big flat white beans and smoky ham flavor.  (I actually wished there was a way to capture that essence as I ate it so I could share it here.) My second course was then pork fillets with french fries, and a small bit of lettuce and tomato.  The final course was a small piece of cake with coffee.  I had two glasses of wine and of course bread.  All for a whopping 12.00 euros – about $16.00.  In fact, since I was eating “early” at 1:00pm, I was the only person in the upstairs dining room, so the waiter/bartender (and maybe cook?) just left the wine bottle on the table for me!  I controlled myself and had only two glasses.  

 

Then finally off to the palace I went.  As I entered, I thought I’d better use the restroom first and then I saw the exit to the gardens.  (This is kind of like, “If you give a mouse a cookie…”) I couldn’t help myself.  I wanted to be outside while there was still some heat from the sun, and the brochure showed a huge garden.  These were built by King So-n-So, the grandson of King Whoever of Versailles.  King So-n-So longed for the France of his childhood, so had this palace and gardens built.  Absolutely gorgeous.  Even in winter.  The sun was hitting the snow on the trees, which was dripping, then dropping off in clumps onto the shrubbery, which still had its dried leaves on it.  When the snow from above would hit, there would be a lot of crumpling noise as the whole lot fell the rest of the way to the ground.  Then, for background music, there was the chirping of the birds was the trickle of the little bit of water in the fountains that wasn’t frozen.  I walked quite a ways through the gardens towards the mountains to work off some of that lunch.  When I finally returned, I almost wasn’t let back into the building, as the gardens are usually viewed on the way out of the palace.   

The most intriguing things on display in the palace were the wall tapestries and the chandeliers, although there was a bed that I would love to have had!  Well, the bedding anyway.  It was a beautiful purple-ish pink and yellow fabric with silver threads through it in a beautiful floral pattern.  The wall tapestries were from 1400 on and made in the royal textile factory in Madrid.  The chandeliers of course were all made in the nearby glass factory.  There were also many clocks – some rooms having 3 or 4 on display. 

I quickly walked through the final floor of the palace to catch the bus back to Segovia where I needed to retrieve my backpack from the hotel and then catch a bus back to an unknown stop in Madrid – which turned out to be an easy Metro ride from where I caught another bus back to Guadalajara. 

Klutz factor:  Okay, I make the weekend sound so good, but I’m always screwing something up when I travel. 

*I barely made my connection in Madrid between the metro and the train to Segovia – because I stopped for coffee and a croissant along the way.  I had to run – yes run – from the ticket counter to the track entrance.

*I missed my bus in Segovia to La Granja because I walked right passed the bus stop and by the time I figured it out I was half a mile down the street. This is after getting very clear instructions from the hotel, having a map, and asking for directions from people on the street!

*Yes, I had some traditional good foods, but I also ate my late dinner at a Burger King on Saturday night because it was right by the bus stop back from the concert and it was friggin’ freezing out and I couldn’t see anything else open in that area.

Madrid Museum visits

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The last few weekends I have gone into Madrid and visited museums.  It takes about an hour on the bus to get into the city and then it’s a metro ride to where ever I want to go.  As Madrid is huge, most of the time it has taken me about 25 minutes or so to get around to where I want to go. 

There are three main museums in Madrid that are listed in the guidebooks: the Prado, the Thyssen-Bornemisza and the Reina-Sofia.  Of these three the Prado is the largest and of course then has the most extensive collection with many masterpieces.  As I found my way from one masterpiece to another, I quickly remembered what I had discovered about myself by the time I had finished going through the Uffizi in Florence:  Renaissance art is really not my thing – oh, what a surprise!  St John the Baptist’s bloody head on a platter or a gruesome scene from mythology just don’t grab me as art I want to study for hours.  Neither does another Virgin with baby Jesus or the Annunciation.  Ok, I get it.  This was the way to get the message to the masses that could not read, and it was also breaking ground in the world of art and representations, but enough already!!! 

 

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There was plenty of other art and other periods, including some religious art that I really did enjoy.  There was a Rubens painting of the Immaculate Conception that looked very familiar to me and it made me wonder if perhaps a copy of this was in the old St. Ann’s school building where I went to first through third grades.  

 

And then these was this portrait by Vela'zquez of the infanta Margarita, daughter of Felipe IV (1605-1665), surrounded by her servants or “family” in a hall of Madrid’s Alcázar Palace, that I could have studied for hours: 

 

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The Prado is huge and although I spent about 5 hours there, I didn’t hit all of the exhibits. There was a special exhibit on the Spanish landscape artist, Martin Rico that I really enjoyed as well. Here is a link to the Prado if you are interested in seeing some of the wide variety of art displayed: this is for the recommended three hour visit:  http://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/what-to-see/3-hours-in-the-museum/

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The second museum I visited was the Thyssen, which was a private collection of a Baron’s that was then donated to the nation.  Along side this collection a second collection has been added of work collected by the Baroness.  This museum had some Van Gogh, Renoir, Pissaro, Degas, Ce’zanne and Monet, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Of course there were a few Picassos and Miro’s as well as they are favorite Spanish artists.  At this museum I actually felt I saw everything I wanted to and took my time and enjoyed it.  After I went to a “American Store” that I found on line that sold British and American grocery products.  This is where I found the things I needed for making the Thanksgiving dinner.  I’m either going to have to go back there to get some more canned pumpkin or try to find some fresh pumpkin at the local stores so I can make more pumpkin pie! (I have also promised to make an apple pie for Irene before I leave!)

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The last museum I went in to visit was the Reina-Sophia which I did on a Monday.  What a mistake!  I rode into the city with Sagrario on her way to work and then caught the metro the rest of the way.  I had to be back by 2:30 for a lesson with Jaime.  This was to give me three hours in the museum.  Don’t know what I was thinking!  I now will be going back there after I leave the family, as I barely touched on the pieces I wanted to see.   (It ended up taking me 3 hours to get back home and I missed having a lesson with Jaime that day!)

When I arrived, I was advised to go to the fourth floor, as three school groups were in front of me for the second floor which holds the famous Picasso piece, “Guernica”.  I found the art on the fourth floor fascinating and spent a lot of time there.  It included two different photography layouts from Life and Harper’s Bazaar magazines from the 1950's of life in Southern Spain. 

  

 There was also sculpture and many other interesting pieces.

Equipo 57 (1957-62) Various artists in collaboration

 

And this piece reminded me of my kid’s Grandpa Antrim, as he loved Alexander Calder and his mobiles: 

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Alexander Calder, Constellation, 1944

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By the time I got to the second floor, I only had time to find “Guernica” and study it.  I am not a huge fan of Picasso, although I do enjoy some of his work.  This piece though I would not use the word "enjoy", however it is quite moving especially when you have it deconstructed for you into all of the parts and see through pictures the construction of the piece and to have it's history explained.

"Probably Picasso's most famous work, Guernica is certainly the his most powerful political statement, painted as an immediate reaction to the Nazi's devastating casual bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during Spanish Civil War.
Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention." 

 

(Both text and quote are from http://www.pablopicasso.org/guernica.jsp ) 

Dinner and other food...

While traveling for two weeks with Shawna prior to my home-stay, we ate a lot of tapas.  Tapas are basically any small portion of food served with a drink.  It’s not a starter/appetizer, although they appear to be in size and design. Sometimes if you are lucky one will come gratis with your drink.   But, even if you get the first one free, it’s impossible to stop at just one, because they are so good and varied, and this then becomes your meal:  you just keep selecting different ones until you have made a meal of it.  The cost is very reasonable for both the tapas and drinks.  You can get a glass of wine and a tapa for 4 Euros. Individual Tapas run from 1.80 to 2.50. 

Seafood based tapas are very popular.

Just had to try to quail egg.

I made many a meal with croquettes

 But, that’s not what I wanted to tell you about.  I wanted to tell you about dinner – the last meal of the day.  While Shawna and I were traveling, I think we only sat down to a dinner – as we know it – twice. Otherwise, we made a meal of the tapas each night for our dinner.  The reason for this was that the tapas were available at a time we are accustomed to eating dinner, while a sit down meal is not available until 8pm AT THE EARLIEST!  My hosts here in Guadalajara eat dinner each night at 10:00pm.  Yes, 10:00pm!  If you consider the whole day of meals though, you will understand this – at least to some degree!

Breakfast is a very small meal, usually consisting of coffee and a croissant or other small pastry.  Churros con chocolate is also common in the cafés.  The kids in my host family put Nestlé’s powdered chocolate into their milk with their cereal or broken bits of crackers/biscuits/cookies. (Not sure what to call them, as they are like a British “biscuit”, but what I might call a wafer type cookie.)  They also heat the milk in the bowl before dipping the biscuits.  For a weekend breakfast treat, they will have a doughnut for breakfast.  I posted a photo last week of a Burger King in the mall closed at noon – it opens at 12:30….there just must not be a market for fast food breakfast sandwiches here!

The biggest meal of the day is lunch.  Sagrario’s office takes two hours for lunch and they go out.  Jaime gets home at 1:15 from school and we do our hour English lesson and then he has lunch and heads back out to school at 3:00 for more classes and/or sports activities.  The girls get home from high school around 2:30 and have their lunch then.  Sagrario’s sister, Ninas, come every day and makes the lunches and prepares the dinner for later. 

The meals have two or three “plates”.  The first is usually a soup or a veggie dish:  maybe cream of asparagus, cream of spinach, or chicken broth with small noodles, etc.  Sometimes they have a dish with garbanzo beans, tuna and olives.  Other times I have seen flat beans in a sauce, or pasta with tuna.

The second plate is typically a piece of meat (chicken is common) and a side dish; maybe a salad or a starch if the first plate didn’t have much starch.  The green salads we’ve been having are loaded with other things besides veggies.  There are almost always hard-boiled eggs and olives in it and sometimes tuna and I think surimi.  A baguette is eaten with the meal as well. Butter is never served or put on the bread. The kids drink water with their meal and the parents drink wine.  Sometimes Jose adds sparkling water (agua con gas) to his wine.

On school days, the kids have sports activities or homework and are back in the kitchen (which is across the hall from my room) around 6:30 or 7:00 for a snack.  I see them having yogurt, toast with honey, left overs, etc.  This is also about the time Sagrario and Jose get home from work – they definitely have long days at work.  They also have a snack about this time. So, they really don't go from 3 in the afternoon until 10 at night without eating.

Dinner – the last meal of the day – is of the same layout as the lunch, only in smaller quantities.  On Sunday nights we usually have pre-made pizza for dinner with a salad – no first plate.  For meats we’ve had fish, chicken, hamburger patties, thinly sliced Iberian ham and calamari.  Most of the time, the meat is fried (in olive oil), but is in much thinner pieces than what we do at home.  No big ol’ hunkin’ pieces of chicken breasts here!  And, every night, the meal is finished by one of the girls getting the bowl of fruit and everyone having a piece.  This is a drag for Jaime as he doesn’t really like fruit and it can be an ordeal at times to get him to eat a piece! 

We usually finish dinner around 10:30-:45 which would seem to be bedtime.  But, this is the time everyone heads to watch TV as this is the time of the sitcoms.  Bedtime for the kids is around midnight and Jose is usually the last to head upstairs, around 12:30 or so.  Since this meal is so late, and I really don’t want to go to bed right after dinner, I have had to adjust my sleeping hours.  I’ve been going to sleep around 12:30 or 1:00 and I have also made a point of going for a walk before dinner. 

Last night was the first time we ate restaurant food – we had Chinese food delivered as the girls were out with friends and ate out.  It tasted pretty much the same as at home, although the spring rolls weren’t really “rolls”, but more like “flats”!

We just finished our Sunday lunch (3:00pm).  My starter was a small bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce with sausage.  We then had a traditional Spanish dish called Migas, very much like our Thanksgiving dressing with bacon in it.  It wasn’t quite as sticking and heavy as our dressing though. This was served with small cut-up pieces of orange.  Jose said grapes are more traditional to be served with it, but that oranges are used also – and they didn’t have grapes!  And then for the final plate, we had baked chicken and home made French fries.  The fruit bowl came out and was passed around.  If this sounds like a lot of food, the difference is that the portion sizes are definitely much smaller – the oversized American servings have not hit this household which is great! 

I don’t think this kitchen could function without  the olive oil and olives.  The size of the jug of wine made me think of a few of my friends, and I just had to include the ubiquitous ketchup.  What is not in the picture and is also a required item in the fridge is hard boiled eggs.  Not for breakfast, but used in many different dishes at lunch and dinner.

A common dish we saw for tapas and that Ninas made this last week is Russian Salad.  They all laughed about it being called Russian, as it is a Spanish dish.  After one try as a tapa when we were traveling, I avoided it as it was loaded with mayonnaise.  Ninas made her own mayonnaise for it and again seemed to use an awful lot.  But when it was served, I was surprised to see and taste that it was ok.  It’s much like a potato salad, but with peas, diced carrots, green olives and tuna added to it.  Don’t think I will order it as a tapa again, but will definitely eat it with the family again.

Another very popular tapa and homemade dish is the Spanish tortilla.  Totally wipe from your mind the Mexican tortillas we eat – these are a totally different dish.  In fact, it is basically a potato omelette.  The potatoes are precooked in slices and then layered in the pan with beaten eggs and cooked on the stovetop.  We have had this as a second plate followed by the meat and salad for the third plate.  I have eaten it many times now in the bars and cafes. 

Of course ham is a staple, but there is so much to tell about it, it will have to have it’s own entry!