It has already been an amazing time here in Espana! As I mentioned, we spent several days in Madrid touring various places and spending time walking around the city. El Museo del Prado was a fantastic excursion; we were split into smaller groups, and our guide gave us headsets to listen to her, which was good because it was crowded.
We looked at the works of 3 major artists in detail, which was perfect- not too much and not too little, for those of us interested in the details of the artist and style. Velàzquez was my favorite, with his clean, realistic work and close attention to details. El Greco was probably my least favorite of the three artists, despite his fame in Spain; the dark, cloudy paintings were reminiscent of a scary Church and an unforgiving faith. The works of Goya were very interesting; apparently he was deaf, so he read a lot of body language, and was able to tell stories through his portraits about the people in them in that way.
We looked at the works of 3 major artists in detail, which was perfect- not too much and not too little, for those of us interested in the details of the artist and style. Velàzquez was my favorite, with his clean, realistic work and close attention to details. El Greco was probably my least favorite of the three artists, despite his fame in Spain; the dark, cloudy paintings were reminiscent of a scary Church and an unforgiving faith. The works of Goya were very interesting; apparently he was deaf, so he read a lot of body language, and was able to tell stories through his portraits about the people in them in that way.
We also went to the Royal Palace in Madrid. Like the museum, we were not allowed to take pictures inside, but I have some nice ones of the outside and the courtyard. It was hard to figure out the layout of the palace without a guide, but we went to the armory and found our way to the rooms on display inside: huge dining rooms and party rooms, ornate dressing rooms and sitting rooms, a different color theme for every single room! It was pretty incredible to imagine people living in a place so huge and with a different room for every function. It was all white marble in the outer halls and larger structures; very impressive.
The armory was amazing. There were full horse figures in engraved armor, many of them, with a mannequin rider in full armor on top, that took up most of the room. It was unreal! We could have reached out and touched them. The walls were lined with various weapons, including early firearms, and various helmets and other pieces of armor. Most impressive of all was a full wall-- 30+ feet-- of suits of armor for one king! I believe Carlos V had all those suits made for himself, some of them ornate, others frightening. The opposite wall was lined with his sons' armor, equally intimidating and fantastic.
Downstairs we found armor for children, which was sad, but it was mostly used for training and decoration. I wanted to take pictures so badly! Every time my friends and I mentioned it though, a security guard came out of nowhere to keep an eye on us. It was all so amazing though. Other than cathedrals in New York, I had never been in buildings so large.
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| el Palacio Real from the outer courtyard |
Downstairs we found armor for children, which was sad, but it was mostly used for training and decoration. I wanted to take pictures so badly! Every time my friends and I mentioned it though, a security guard came out of nowhere to keep an eye on us. It was all so amazing though. Other than cathedrals in New York, I had never been in buildings so large.
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| The private part of the palace, facing the marble structure pictured above |
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| las chicas, goofing off! |
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