Art and Culture: Day 3, Madrid
I absolutely could not sleep again last night and ended up with a kink in my neck due to all the tossing and turning. I’m realizing it’s the Everest-sized pillow that’s the problem. Waking up later than intended again and with my stomach growling for breakfast, I nervously peeked into the box that had my leftover sandwich from yesterday morning — the one I intended to eat on the tour if I got desperate. It was a bit soggy but overall good as I picked around the sparable parts.
On today’s agenda was a trip to the Museo Nacional del Prado, a Spanish art museum filled with impressive 12th to 19th-century Spanish and other European masterpieces. The girls and I had planned on booking a guided tour through the numerous displays, based on the recommendation by my tour guide from yesterday, but they were quickly booked out, so we bought a self-guided ticket instead.
While I waited for my ticket time to start, I strolled the nearby Retiro park — a much smaller, but stunning version of Madrid’s very own Central Park with fountains on each corner, a beautiful flower garden, gleaming lakes for paddle-ing and viewing, and lush green walking paths lined with Cyprus and olive trees. The park was a quiet recluse from the lively city that surrounded it, but came alive as street musicians with saxophones and accordions played, and the clacking of silverware was heard from the restaurants nearby. The narrow trickling streams provided melodies where the musicians did not. Locals lazied in the grass, reading and napping, while others painted or celebrated a birthday with balloons. I joined them in the present by situating myself on a bench to journal a bit. I would have loved to linger there all day, but my time at the museum was nearing, so I eventually, and slowly, made my way back to the city streets toward the Prado.
I planned to meet the girls inside, but since our start times were spread apart, we ended up exploring the galleries separately. I invested in an audio guide but couldn’t quite figure out how to navigate it, so instead I browsed with no direction aside from the pieces that called to me. I finally made it to the next floor, excited to come out ot the land of religious propaganda and into the world of landscapes, when I ran into Maddie and Chyanne. The time was quickly passing, and we had dinner plans along with a Flamenco show to get to. Regretting having lingered on Jesus too long, I quickened my pace and hurried my way through the rest of the floor, pausing and studying the strokes of Goya and Velazquez, court painters of the Spanish Royals, when I could spare it. Twenty minutes later, I was outside the Prado steps where Cheyanne and Maddie were waiting. Pulling up our maps, we started walking towards the show in search of dinner along the way.
It wasn’t long after we started researching menus that Chyanne’s phone started to glitch, leaving a bright green screen of death and a look of disbelief and growing concern on everyone’s faces. Having had several of these experiences myself in the face of lost tablets, stolen wallets, and broken phones, I offered words of encouragement before panic set in. Luckily, there was an Apple Store just around the corner, a blessing that confirmed everything was going to be okay.
Chyanne waited in line at the store, Google Translate in hand, as Maddie and I sat patiently to the side, watching senior citizens listen to a presentation on how to use their iPhones. Cheyanne returned to let us know it would be at least an hour wait. With the flamenco show starting in an hour, I suggested we find something to eat and play it by ear. After circling the rows of restaurants not far from the store and studying their menus, slightly distracted by the green screen of death, we settled on the first one that had a Caesar salad for Maddie, who I learned has a very discernible palate. Not having eaten much aside from the soggy sandwich earlier, I decided on a hearty veggie lasagna. Chyanne, too stressed to eat, settled on a glass of wine of which I joined her. Aside from the stress of Chyanne’s phone, it was a lovely dinner. The restaurant was tucked away in a side street that had warm colored buildings, detailed black balconies, and European cafes of all cuisines. We chatted about food and tried to keep our minds off the pending phone screen. I was doing really well speaking and ordering in what I thought was Spanish, but our first waiter didn’t seem to have a clue as to what I was saying, making me question my sanity and the language I was speaking. So, I was relieved and also a bit shocked when our second waiter complimented my Spanish as “muy bien”, refueling my confidence. To top off our dinner, he gave us a very delicious welcome-to-Spain shot of what we could only distinguish as Bailey’s, much to our relief, and we toasted to Chyanne’s phone.
Not having heard anything from the Apple Store, we made our way to the show, but just as we were about to enter the building, Maddie got the text saying they were ready for Chyanne. Not wanting her to go by herself, Maddie went with and I was left to enjoy the show solo. Although I quickly made company with a sweet older Australian couple, exchanging the normal questions of our origin and travel plans, before separating again.
The show preluded with a glass of wine in the waiting room bar, included in the ticket. I was just getting comfortable and taking in the elegant atmosphere (maybe three sips of wine in) before the room was informed that the show was about to begin and to find our seats. Honoring the origin of flamenco, the show took place in an intimate brick cave. Remembering what my tour guide said about getting so close to the stage, you can touch their dresses, I was happy to get a front row seat. That quickly changed when a couple was struggling to find a seat next to each other. As happy as I was to snag a front row seat, I was just as happy to give it up so the lovebirds could sit together. I was making my way to the only seat I could see in the back corner when the Australian couple waved me over to an empty seat next to them, a tight squeeze but much better view than the corner. I think that’s what they call divine alignment. The show was spectacular. The emotion, the facial expressions, the drums, the guitar, the singing, the dancing — I nearly cried. The spirit of the culture truly came alive, and if I wasn’t already in love with Spain, I was now.
On the way out, I said goodbye to my Aussie friends and Google-mapped the way to my hostel. A bit of a hike — 30 minutes to be exact — but I was riding the high of the show and feeling adventurous. The walk back to my hostel was as beautiful and lively at night as it was during the day (again, lively but not rushed). Feeling very safe, I took my time walking back, soaking in all the buzz, the street lights, and cheerful friend groups out and about.
Back at the hostel, I started my nightly self-care ritual that includes an indulgent (but respectful) shower and a four-step skin care routine, along with an alternative heatless curl method after the wild nightmare the braids left me with this morning. I ended the night working more on my blog site and drifted into a deep, dreamy sleep.
Travel tips I learned this day:
Pace yourself at museums: Make sure you carve out enough time to browse museums at your leisure (at least 2-3 hours), but don’t feel like you have to take in every piece either. Study the layout, making sure to hit the displays you are most interested in, and don’t be afraid to skip over others.
Planning and spontaneity are a balancing act. If there is something you really want to do, make sure to look at logistics in advance and don’t wait until the last minute to book tickets or make reservations. Things tend to sell out the day of, if not the day or week before, for most things.
Don’t be afraid to ask people for photos and leave the selfie stick at home, especially if you’re traveling solo! You may just end up attracting a professional photographer (which has already happened to me twice so far).
Don’t panic. Broken phones, stolen wallets, and lost iPads are all extremely stressful situations, especially if you are in another country, but things have a way of working themselves out. Take it one step at a time, handle what you can control, let it go, and move forward.
Also, Google Translate is a game-changer! You can download the Google Translate app, and within the app you can download languages that you can translate offline. You can also star words and phrases to reference at any time.
It doesn’t hurt to carry a small wad of toilet paper with you in case of emergencies and your only public restroom is out.
