Independence Day in Madrid
Trip Start
Jun 28, 2005
1
3
10
Trip End
Jul 18, 2005
Madrid,
Spain
Monday, July 4, 2005
We arrived in Madrid last night around 7:00 and checked into our hotel room. We had a rather uneventful night. We had a nice dinner and just checked out the area around the hotel. Tried to get a good nights sleep, but the hotel managerīs idea of air conditioning is not quite the same as ours. By 4:00 AM we finally fell asleep.
Consequently, we woke up pretty late today and didnīt eat breakfast until one. Luckily, there was a Pizza Hut right by our hotel that was cheap and filled us up. Pizza Hut always seems to be where we go when we travel when we need a break from the local food.
After Pizza Hut we went to the the Museo Nacional Centrl de Arte Reina Sofia
Madrid
. History buffs will appreciate this museum because itīs where Picassoīs Guernica is. Art lovers would really appreciate the Picasso and Dali rooms. They were my favorite. The rest of the museum would be appreciated by lovers of modern art of which neither of us were. Still, seeing Guernica live and up close has been the highlight of my day so far. A quick history lesson. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), Guernica was a Basque town that the Germanīs used to test their new weapons that they would later use in World War II. They destroyed the city and Pablo Picasso painted Guernica as a protest against the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. The Nationalists were led by Francisco Franco and got much help from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. The Republicans were a coalition of groups that received some aid from the Soviet Union. As a result of Stalinīs aid and the Great Depression, Great Britain and France remained out of the conflict. Many artists and intellectuals such as Hemingway and Orwell joined the International Brigade to fight against the Fascists but the war was lost by 1939. Luckily for Franco, he had the good sense to stay neutral during WWII. The original Guernica was returned to Spain per Picassoīs instructions after Francoīs death and Spain became a democracy. Seeing Guernica has been the highlight of my day.Weīre about to walk to the city center and park. Will keep you guys updated in a few days.
