madrid day 2

jenny & i just got back from our day at the picasso exhibit at museo del prado. it was unbelievable. we met katie at plaza del sol & took our first metro ride--hooray. we got to el museo without getting lost, although this was after we asked about 5 people how to get to the prado & all of them pointed us in different directions. it was kind of hilarious. when we got off the metro it felt like we were in a different town altogether, the streets were so much wider and the buildings looked even larger and grander so spread out.

the museum was right next to a botanical garden which we will absolutely visit at some point. we got the musuem guides where you push the # as you get to each piece, so everything is at your own pace. it also seemed like a perfect amount of time to examine each piece. each piece told such a story. the guide said "Picasso was determined to unravel the secrets of others" so a lot of his pieces are based off of artists' pieces whom he is fond of. the museum even had THOSE pieces next to his, so it was really amazing to see the life he brought out of the pieces, and to see how he envisioned others' work. i have a long list of favorites, at the very top are:
"Hombre sentado con vaso (Man with Glass)" for its vibrant color, "Cabeza de mujer llorando con panuelo (Weeping woman with handkerchief III)" for the way he depicted her hand and face in a side and backward view & for the political implications of the piece, and "Las meninas (conjunto), segun Velasquez" for the way he so masterfully recreated Velasquez' work into such a story.

(There it is above)

i bought a little guide booklet of all the pieces that were in the exhibit, and flipping through them now i see how these small recreations do his pieces no justice--it was so incredible to see them in full up close at the museum today.

ohh, and so far, i am really enjoying the food :) today for dinner, my senor made grilled chicken, a bowl of caramelized onions to put on top (mmmm), a salad of shredded carrots + olives + hardboiled egg, greens, and small baked potatoes. and for dinner our senora made a rice dish with peas, mushrooms, zuchinni, raisins & some chile. it was made with saffron, but she said it wasn't paella. it was delicious. both jenny & i really like vegetables, so we told her we'd be happy with those anytime & she said she'd be happy to make them anytime.