Arriving in Madrid

I’m not sure how to pronounce the area we are staying in - Lavapies.  It's a melting pot of cultures all coexisting in one area.  Historically and probably still today, this is the poorer area of Madrid but when you look at the combination of artists, immigrants, tourists, LBTQIA+ and homeless it doesn’t feel like a dodgy area, its brimming with activity, although I could probably do without the loud police sirens at midnight.

When you look out the window at 10.30pm, people are walking their dogs, still out having dinner, doing their shopping.  I love this aspect of Spain, where everything kinda goes to sleep in the afternoon and then ramps back up in the evening.

Our routine seems to be to arrive in a new city, drop bags and do at least one thing that afternoon.  We made our way to the botanical gardens as we wanted to check out the bonsai trees only to find a line and needing tickets to get in.  We were very close to the Retiro park but decided it was best to head back and think about dinner.

The next morning everyone was on the go slow.  Little did we know it was the start of Zach getting sick.  By about lunchtime Zach said his throat was feeling fine so we headed out to the Velazquez tech museum not really sure what to expect.  The entire museum is dedicated to one piece of art and after doing the immersive experience I can see why.  The kids spent time at the end creating their own Las Meninas and we got to have ourselves inserted into the painting.

Turns out the museum is closer to Plaza Mayor than I thought so we headed to the plaza to have a look while the two kids and the big hairy kid ate toffee grapes on a toothpick.  As the thunder claps rolled in after lunch, we decided to gap it back home and take our chances to see if we could get free tickets to the Reina Sofia Museum which started at 7pm.

The art collection is certainly something that Gareth and I are in awe of.  He has a definite leaning towards the later art of Picasso whereas I am firmly in the Surrealism camp.  So getting to see the Guernica up close was a highlight for Gareth (and for free!!) and I had no idea there were quite a few Salvador Dali paintings on display.

It's hard to describe the fear of taking children to an art museum where some of it is just not measurable in terms of money, or is irreplaceable.  Especially when you are very clear that they are not to touch anything, but they point things out within 2 centimeters of the painting and see the security guards eyes bulge and sweat on their faces.  Turns out it wasn't the kids we had to worry about.  Busy looking up at the artwork, Gareth didn’t notice the piece on the ground and walked over it.  Kaia and I left him for dead at that point.  Not wanting anyone to know we were in any way associated with him! 

It was very special for me to stand looking at the artwork with the kids and ask them to describe what they saw.  Then what they felt and finally what story they got from the painting.  It made the experience so much more rewarding for all of us when we could all engage with the work. 

It was the perfect touch to walk around and then recognise a piece of art for everyone.  Las Meninas, the Velazquez artwork we had just seen earlier in the day, proudly on display.  

Good lessons learned today for us.   Hopefully we can reapply at  the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum (my favourite artwork display in the world), if, fingers crossed, Zach starts to feel a bit better.