Day 3 Continued

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As I mentioned, we had a goal of seeing at least one of the big museums in Madrid, and unfortunately Audrey and Nicholas were going to have to bear with us, because I really don't know if they truly appreciate art at this point. Besides, 16th century art can be scary since it pretty much boils down to one theme-the church, and all the fire and brimstone propaganda.

The Prado is located near the Retiro in the center of the city, and there was a Rembrandt exhibit going on at the time. Ruth, being the art historian in the family would have loved to have checked it all out, but we were tired after a long day, and even I liked the idea of dinner and a bed. There was an impressive crowd outside, and we learned that the entrance fee is waived after six and tried to think of how we could pass an hour and get in free, but realized that at some point, saving a few bucks just ain't worth it.

The security to get in was a bit over the top, and we weren't allowed to bring cameras inside. The works were impressive, and I there were several pieces by Velazquez and Goya that even I recognized. The museum was nicely laid out and the feel was cozy and intimate, perhaps a bit too much so as the paintings, for the most part, employed dark perspectives and in my current state of mind only served to bring me down.

By the time we left the museum, it was nearly 8:00 and dark outside, and now we had to find our way back home via the Metro. The streets were incredibly crowded with cars, though the traffic flowed and unlike New York, not a lot of honking. We breezed through the subway thanks to our training in New York and went to sleep immediately.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

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