The Haywain triptych by Hieronymus Bosch – a stolen photo!

It’s become a habit to celebrate our joint birthdays somewhere exotic – we are only 6 days apart and yes, I am the older woman. Last year we were in Nicaragua and this year we chose Madrid as it equidistant from Basel and London – plus we’ve only ever been there on business.

Neptune fountain outside our hotel

The grandest Min of Ag I’ve ever seen

I check the weather forecast and am delighted to see that 16-18 C and sun is forecast. So I can travel light with a shoulder bag and a slim down jacket just in case. Plus my new Geox boots with orthotic insoles and stick to help my poor legs!

Another day another beer series…

Tapas – anchovies and jamot iberio

Ross with his former colleague Ana

We have romantic meeting at the airport and jump onto the Renfe train (Euros 2 each!) which takes us to the magnificent Atocha central train station. From there it is a short 15 minutes to our hotel, the NH Collection Paseo del Prado. It’s a holiday weekend and the streets are thronged, everyone enjoying the sunshine. We pass the Botanic Gardens which I mark as somewhere to see (we do!).

Atocha station, impressive architecture

These two jolly people were on the corner of our street

Our hotel, we were win the first floor to the right of the big window

The hotel is right opposite the Prado Museum and 3 minutes walk from the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. The hotel is super-helpful and gets us our Art Pass which covers those two galleries plus the Reina Sofia where Picasso’s Guernica is housed.

A Miro sculture is the only thing I can photograph at the Reina Sofia

We have friends from Singapore in Madrid who we are to meet on my birthday the following night, but Ana has given us great restaurant recommendations. On the first night we have a drink in the Santa Ana square, and then try out on of the ancient sherry bars  where we share a half bottle of ice-cold fino. My mum always used to have this and I had forgotten what a delicious drink it is.

Ross enjoying teh fino at the La veneciana bar

Outside a typical cervesas bar

Then off  to Rondo14, a fusion of Peruvian, Japanese and Asturian food. It is quite special, everything delicately flavored, mostly sushi-based but with original fillings and toppings. And the whole meal comes to only 75 Euros including some fab wine.

Sushi at Ronda14

More sushi

Ceviche – although I think I make a better one!

Saturday – my birthday – is serious museum day. We are at the Prado with our Art Pass at opening time and only wait a short time before heading inside. It is relatively uncrowded to start with and we have been advised  (thankyou Clare!) to concentrate on the Bosch (sneaked in a photo before being told off – but it is an innocent mistake as the warnings are not clear) -Velasquez and Goya. Which we do – the Black Paintings are truly mesmerising; but we also take in the early Italians and enjoy the Titians, El Grecos, Rubens, Rembrandt, van der Weyden and other iconic paintings. As I can’t reproduce any Prado paintings I will scatter images from the Thyssen throughout!

Holbein’s famous Henry VIII

Love the light on this early Dutch (1634) still life

And here, look at the insects in this still life also Dutch from 1665

And this curfication is just one of the many Itlain religious masterpieces (1335)

Count Thyssen by Lucian Freud

A famous Durer, Jesus among the doctors

It is a bit early for lunch so we wander round the Botanic gardens admiring the autumn foliage – spectacular maples – and impressive brassicas in the vegetable gardens, before sitting in the sun outside Murillo and quaffing some birthday cava, and tapas.

The acres in the Botanic gardens

Pickle’s distant cousin sunning himself

These gardens are very old and laid out geometrically

More geometric shapes!

After lunch we stroll down to the Reina Sofia and walk through the Guernica floor- lots of Spanish cubists, including Gris and Picasso,  and Dali, whom I don’t like. Guernica is breathtaking in its scale and stark symbolism.

Birthday cava and tapas

tapas

more tapas

and more tapas

Piquillo peppers, my favourite

In the evening we meet up with Ana and Philippe at trendy Bibo, where tuna is the specialty. Again the food is delicately prepared with the highlight being smoked cubes on tuna in a yuzu and light soy sauce, all served under a dome. I am interested that Philippe thinks Spain is on the up after a long time in depths – certainly we see few beggars or homeless (but perhaps they are removed from sight) and people are friendly and seem happy. Maybe it’s the effect of a warmer climate. The city itself seems booming, lots of new buildings.

Delicious Dessert even for a sourpuss like me

The smoked tuna

The dome, with smoke

Iberico pork

Crab soup

Ana, Ross, me Philippe in Bibo

For our final morning we take in the Thyssen museum where the Count’s huge collection was supplemented by his widow after his death. It makes for a fascinating pairing, and the influences between the two are clear to see. We are struck by the unusual 19 century American collection, as well as some well-known early Dutch and Italian masters, along with more modern work by Max Pechstein, August Macke (both new to me) and the  fascinating Freud paintings of Count Thyssen with their intriguing references. And, of course, I am always thrilled to find new Chagalls! What a treat…

Pechstein again. Dont know why I hadn’t clocked him before

And this, the Cssa girls, his romantic period

Loved August Macke’s colours

Here’s American artist Winslow Homer in 1864. Look at that light

Max Pechstein, again fabulous colour

Chagall – the grey house, so reminded me of the Russian paintings in Basel

It all ends too soon, and by 3 pm we are at the airport waiting to go our separate ways. The only downer is an over-officious jobsworth who tries to make me check my walking stick as she didn’t see me walking to security with it: I had folded it away for convenience, but I had been using it ALL weekend. The guarda is summoned and after a 15-minute wait with sympathetic underlings (‘she is the boss, what can I say?’), they arrive and dismiss jobsworth as an idiot.  Notwithstanding this single incident, it’s been a wonderful weekend of gourmet food, cava, tapas, renewing friendships and, most of all, scintillating art.

Some of the American paintings like this one by Jasper Cropsey (1870) look like photographs. Stunning

Author: vickyunwin

I am a writer and traveller. Our darling daughter Louise died on 2 March 2011, aged 21 (www.louisecattell.com) and I started writing as therapy. We never know how long we have on this earth, so I live for every day...in November 2013 I was diagnosed and operated on for a malignant soft tissue sarcoma in the calf, followed by 6.5 weeks of radiotherapy, so am embarking on a different kind of journey which you can follow here. I also have another site www.healthylivingwithcancer.co with my blueprint for health and well-being.