A Long Holiday

Unlike in the United States where the Christmas season essentially ends on Christmas day or perhaps spans to the New Year, in the Spanish culture, Christmas is a two week affair, ending on Three Kings Day (Epiphany): the 6th of January. Thus, when I returned to Spain from England, I still had almost another week of vacation remaining! I passed the time with a friend from Cornell who came to visit - my first and only visitor here in Spain! I was very excited to play tour guide and packed the six days with activities in Barcelona - which, of course, I had already visited - and Madrid - which I had not yet seen. In Barcelona, we toured Park Güell, another fantastical work by Gaudí. What was once a 15 hectare estate on the northern edge of the city was donated back to Barcelona and transformed by Gaudí for the public’s enjoyment. Here, as with other Gaudí designs, a natural theme prevails, with benches formed like waves, pathways resembling rock caves, and terrestrial creatures made from a rainbow mosaic of tiles. Park Güell is a natural theme park for the young and old to enjoy. After Park Güell, we toured la Sagrada Familia because even though I had seen it, as a proper tour guide, I couldn’t go without showing it to my friend. Later, we went running along the eastern beaches of the city, where the 1992 Olympic Village had been located.

It rained the next day, so we were lucky to have planned to spend it inside the Picasso Museum. The museum was interesting, and I learned a lot about Picasso - like that he had four wives in his lifetime - but I was not particularly fond of the art. Well, I retract that. I was, in fact, very fond of his early works: his landscapes resembling those of Post-Impressionism, a genre which I enjoy very much. The more abstract his work became, however, the harder it was for me to interpret and perhaps appreciate. After the museum, we had a traditional Spanish lunch, walked through Barrio Gotíc, and by then, it was time to watch the Three Kings celebration. We walked to the port and watched the kings sail in on an old-fashioned sailboat. Adorned in brightly-colored attire, the children gazed in awe of these characters who elicit the same joy as does Santa Claus and shouted their addresses so the kings would know where to deliver their presents that night. Following their arrival by ship, there was a three hour parade, as the kings were transported throughout the city on floats adorned with lights, decorations, and people in costume throwing candy to the crowd. We met up with Núria during the parade, and it was fun to experience the tradition with her.

Our last day in Barcelona, we spent our time touring the 1992 Olympic venues and running around on Montjüic mountain before catching an overnight train to Madrid.

Many people - Spanish, American, and other - have told me that they prefer Barcelona to Madrid, but despite their opinions, I figured I could not leave Spain without seeing it’s capital city. We arrived in Madrid first thing in the morning, dropped our stuff at a hostel, and set out to tour the city. We saw the neoclassical/neo-Gothic Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Almudena, which having only just opened in 1993 is much unlike the other cathedrals I had previously seen in Spain. I thought it was beautiful, nonetheless, with a rainbow of stained glass and tile in the ceiling, giving it a lighter, airy feel which is lacking in its Gothic counterparts. Next to the cathedral is the Palacio Real, also of neoclassical style. Built in the 1700’s and having 2800 rooms, the palace was once the home of the monarchy but is now only used for state business and gatherings. The former living chambers, however, are open for public tour, and we were awed by the rich, and often gaudy adornment. Though I would never feel comfortable living in such extravagence, it was a fascinating place to behold with its throwns and tapestries and ornamentation. From the palace, we self-guided ourselves through the 17th century Plaza Mayor and the Puerto del Sol - the point from which every destination in Spain is measured. We spent the afternoon in the museum of Queen Sofia - a modern art museum considered a “must-see.” The museum boasts works by famous Spaniards like Tápies, Miró, and Dalí, but likely the main reason tourists flock to the museum is to see Picasso’s Guernica - the artist’s interpretation of the raid of the northern city during the Spanish Civil War. Despite my feelings about Picasso’s work after touring his museum in Barcelona, I could not help but be impressed by this massive black, grey, and white painting. Abstract though it may be, strife and terror exudes from the piece. One can only imagine what must have been hell on earth in fairly recent history. After a run through the Parque del Retiro that afternoon, we treated ourselves to a delicious tapas dinner, perhaps the best sangria I’ve ever had, and churros con chocolate for dessert.

The next day, after a morning run, we passed the day in the Prado museum. The Prado is considered one of the preeminent art museums in the world, hosting the collections of the Spanish monarchs, which number over 2000 pieces. My guidebook says that it is impossible to view the entire collection in one day, but we managed to do so, covering famed Spaniards like El Greco, Velásquez, and Goya; Dutch greats like Rubens and Rembrandt; ancient Greek sculpture; and the Rennaissance master Rapheal. After the museum, we walked through the Parque del Retiro to take pictures (since we didn´t do that during our run the day before), down Gran Via - the theater district of Madrid, to the Plaza de España - where we saw the statues of Spanish author Cervantes with his characters Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and finally to Estadio Vicente Calderón, where we experienced another aspect of Spanish culture: fútbol. We were able to buy tickets to the Atletico (Madrid) versus Valéncia soccer game the day before, and it turned out to be a highlight of the trip! As we appraoched the stadium, pedestrian traffic - clad in red and white Atletico paraphenalia - increased to the point that roads around the stadium were closed and enthusiastic crowds packed the neighborhood. Inside the stadium, we couldn´t have asked for much better seats, as we were situated righton the 50 meter line. The teams held each other off, ending the game in a tie, but the chanting and heckling crowds throughout made for an exciting match. It was fun to experience the sport culture of Spain, as soccer is what it´s all about.

And so ended my Christmas holidays....

To see pictures, go to my Shutterfly website, and click on the Three Kings Holiday and Madrid folders.