October 16, 2022

The prior three Sundays I walked in Spain were filled with frustration over closed (or late-opening) bars and cafes. But my experience today was remarkably different. I was in the capital city of Madrid, with all the hustle and bustle of any major international city.

Sunday might even be the best day of the week to visit Madrid! The police close off one of the main boulevards near the museums, allowing people to walk through the streets past fountains and some of the city’s most beautiful architecture.

Buskers set up in the narrow parks, providing a soundtrack. The city is alive with the energy of locals and tourists alike. Moreover, on Sundays, the Prada Museum and Reina Sofia Museum have free hours in the early afternoon (as opposed to the evenings).

This Sunday was a perfectly sunny, warm day, so I decided to head down to the city center to stroll around and take in the sights. I knew I couldn’t possibly see everything I wanted in my 36 hours in Madrid before flying back home, so I needed to prioritize my desires.

I’d already visited the Prado at the end of my last Camino – taking in the massive amounts of classical art contained inside its walls. This time, I opted for the Reina Sofia Museum and its modern art.

If I’m being completely honest though, there was one particular painting I felt compelled to see during my visit today. After walking through the Basque town of Guernica on day 5 of my hike and admiring the Picasso mural there, I wanted to see the original artwork.

Seeing “Guernica” seemed to be everyone else’s aim too, and a giant crowd was standing in front of the painting when I arrived. Signs instructed visitors not to take photos of the overwhelmingly large painting, but museum employees repeatedly had to scold obtuse patrons who tried to ignore the prohibition.

On the wall opposite the famous painting, the gallery displayed a series of pictures by Dora Maar, the French photographer who helped document the painting’s creation (and who would become Picasso’s lover for nine years).

Most visitors were enraptured by the massive painting and kept their backs turned to this exhibit. But not me. These photos showing Picasso working on the artwork in stages were a significant highlight of my visit. The fact that he was able to conceive of the piece, sketch it out, and complete it in five weeks’ time was just amazing.

I was similarly enamored with another Picasso sitting on one of the side walls of the gallery entitled, “Study for Horse Head, for Guernica Composition” (1937). I felt that this smaller oil painting was akin to having a ladder, allowing me to perch three feet away from the more famous Guernica and inspect its details up close.

Knowing I only had a limited time during the museum’s free admission hours this afternoon, I tore myself away from the Picassos to visit some of the other interesting surrealist, cubist, and modern art by Joan Miró, Salvador Dali, Juan Gris, and others.

Walking through the museum was a journey in art itself, from the building’s architecture to the sculpture pieces in the museum’s interior courtyard.

It was a whirlwind of a visit, but one that reminded me I would be back in Spain again. There is never enough time to see it all. And this lovely country keeps calling me to return.

Tomorrow I’d be heading to the airport for the long journey back to North America. A circuitous trip that would require me to fly to Frankfurt, then to Seattle, and finally to my hometown of Eugene, Oregon. This adventure was formally winding down. And all that was left was to hop on a plane and savor my memories of the Spanish coast.