Last weekend I made use of the cheap Easyjet airfares and headed off to Madrid for a long weekend - only 700 dirham (less than A$100) return. Had three fully days in Madrid but three art galleries in three days was a bit much for me, two would have been quite sufficient. Mind you the visit just happened to coincide with the opening of a new section at The Prado, which was offering free entry to all. As a result had to queue for more than one hour to get in, even when arriving before the official opening time. The amazing thing, was that even with all these people there was still space as the museum is so big. Lots of religious paintings and portraits but some interesting pieces in between. The other art gallery I would recommend is Reina Sofia, which has Picasso's Guernica, not only the finished piece but a lot of the planning sketches and paintings. Also there are some of Salvador Dali's weird and wonderful pieces and some nice landscapes. Plus there was a special exhibition of photography, "The Double Face of Photography", including a couple of photographs of Australia.
Besides art galleries, I also went to the Royal Palace, where some of the rooms decoration was totally over the top. One had all walls covered in porcelain, many had murals on the ceilings and damask on the walls. There was also an armoury display with lots of different types of armour, not just for men but also children and horses. I thought the visit was well worthwhile. Nextdoor is the recently build cathedral, which is still in the severe style on the outside, like the palace. But inside it has the ceiling painting, but of a modern variety.
Another highlight was the free walking tour - no set cost but you give a tip at the end of what you think they are worth. It was good as I got to learn a lot of the Madrid's history plus got to go places I wouldn't have found otherwise. More information is available at www.mymadridfreetour.com . I believe that there are a number of European cities in which these type of walking tours now run.
Besides art galleries, I also went to the Royal Palace, where some of the rooms decoration was totally over the top. One had all walls covered in porcelain, many had murals on the ceilings and damask on the walls. There was also an armoury display with lots of different types of armour, not just for men but also children and horses. I thought the visit was well worthwhile. Nextdoor is the recently build cathedral, which is still in the severe style on the outside, like the palace. But inside it has the ceiling painting, but of a modern variety.
Of course food and drink was a highlight. As the days were still sunny with blue skies, but nights chilly, cafes and restaurants still had outdoor tables. So it was very pleasant to sample a red wine, nibble on some tapas and watch the world go by. Also managed to find a Thai restaurant and an Indian restaurant. The latter is always on the list as there is no Indian restaurant in Rabat, instead it means a trip to Casablanca.
It was nice to have a few days out of Morocco, wander the shops, eat and drink well as well as see a city I had not been to before. The downer was spending 45 minutes waiting to get through immigration when back in Casablanca!!!
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