A Good Friday

The real test of efficiency is what happens when something goes wrong. Today our fast train from Sevilla to Madrid broke. All the passengers and their luggage were aboard and waiting. Fifteen minutes after the due departure time they announced that we were unable to leave because of a problem with the train. We all got off. Then another fast train arrived. We all got on. We arrived at Madrid only 34 minutes late. I call that an impressive effort.

Madrid, at the same altitude as Bowral, was cold and wet. Our cute little hotel is very close to the station and at the centre of the triangle made by Madrid’s three great museum/galleries: the Prado, Reina Sofia and Thyssen-Bornemisza. We thought we’d go to the Prado but after standing in an unmoving queue, in the rain, Lyn investigated and found out that the museum was full and the waiting time over an hour and a half. 

Instead we ate. Then we tried the Reina Sofia. We stood in the rain for 50 minutes until we made it inside. My main aim was to see the famous galleries of modern art. Lyn’s main aim was to sit down.  My favourites were Miro’s ‘Man with a pipe’ and, of course, Picasso’s ‘Guernica’. Lyn looked at it and said, “OK, so tell me why it’s good.”

“How long have you got?”

“Go on - educate me.”

“Tell me, when you look at it, what do you see?”

“Chaos.”

“Exactly!”

Art lesson over, I asked Lyn to take a picture of me looking at ‘Guernica’. However, the nice museum lady said this was not permitted. 

By this time Lyn was looking exhausted so we headed home via the shop where I bought a €1.50 postcard so that I could have my photo of Guernica after all. (See below with one other highlight and a lowlight.)