Days in Madrid!!!

Our flight from Lisbon to Madrid was only an hour.  We immediately went to the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum and there was so much to see there!   Then we went to my parents' friend Sandie's house and I met her sons Erik and Miguel.  We had dinner at 9:00!  Then we went to friend Richard's flat where we were to stay.  It was quite nice.

Today Pai ("Father" in Portuguese) and I went to get breakfast.  Then we toured the streets of Madrid.  We saw the Foundacion Grassy where there was a museum which had beautiful old precious clocks.  We also saw a big square called the Plaza Mayor where we saw a still ghoul who jumped out at me, a sparkly goat type animal, a headless man, Spiderman and Mickey Mouse.  Then my mom left to go to Sandie's and Dad and I did more touring and then went to the Thyssen again!  There we saw some abstract art.

Then we went to meet Ricardo, Zoe, and their 11-year old son, Santiago.  We saw some artwork at the Museum called The Prado.  Then we went out for Tapas and had chorizo with potatoes, fried calamari, chicken with French fries, sardines, and bread!  It was EXCELLENTE!

Ben, Louise, Isabel, Zoe, Santiago, and Ricardo in front of the Madrid Bear in the Plaza del Sol

 

 

 

 

Churros and chocolate!  Mmmm!

The next day was a very well planned day.  We met Ricardo and his family again for churros (a long fried dough) which we dipped into melted hot chocolate.  We ate at their flat.  Then we went to the museum of the Americas which I think might be my favorite museum of Madrid.  There was a lot of interesting stuff like masks, weapons, and cool patterns.  Then we went over to Sandie's house and had lunch.  Chicken!

Today we went to the Reina Sofia Museum where there was stuff by Picasso and other modern masters.  Then we went to the Prado and saw some old masters.  Then we took the bus to a Halloween party on the outskirts of Madrid.  I was dressed as a farmer with overalls and an axe in my head and with blood dripping down my forehead.  We played fusball and I got to know people better.  Then we put on plays and my costume was a big hit!  I went to bed at midnight!

Halloween in Madrid with Erik and Miguel (Edward Scissorhands meets Kiss)!

The next day we went to Segovia by train.  We saw a beautiful water tunnel above the ground built by the Romans which they called an aquaduct. 

Original Roman aqueduct in Segovia

Then we saw all sorts of beautiful churches and the city's castle, Alcasa.  Segovia is considered an old place in Spain.  Then we went out to each lunch at a very good restaurant.   We ate beans with all different kinds of pork meat -- chorizo, blood sausage, a chunk of some other kind of pig meat, and a pig's ear which was soft, rubbery, and salty!  We also ate a whole pig.  I got the leg of the pig and kept the hoof.  For dessert we had fried milk in a square with cinnamon and some doughnut something.

Afternoon dinner at a famous roast pig restaurant, Segovia

Castle in Segovia

On our last day we went to the National Museum of Decorative Arts.  In it we saw cool art from a school project and other things. 

 A typical 18th century Spanish tiled kitchen.   There's the hot chocolate, but where are the churros?

Then we visited the lobbies of two expensive fancy hotels, the Ritz and the Westin Palace.  In the Ritz, the piano player smiled at me.  Then we walked home an interesting.  At a pond we saw black swans which my Aunt Sylvia says are very rare.  Also we saw turtles all bunched up together sunning.  One did a back flip into the water and another pushed another turtle back into the water as it struggled to climb out of the water and into the sunshine.  The had beautiful speckled heads which went in and out of their shells.  A while later we took the plane back to London.

Isabel and turtles in the Buen Retiro Park, Madrid