Final shots of Madrid!

And so dear readers, our time in Madrid has come to an end.  Boo-hoo!

I won't be posting a blog too often while we're in San Mateo, since it's less about "exploring a new city" and more about spending time with family and friends.  I will resume more frequent blogs when we're in Auckland, NZ starting Dec. 14th.

Here are some random final shots of BEAUTIFUL Madrid! 

Just as we were crossing Calle de Mayor, a huge herd of sheep were making their way down the street led by costumed shepherds.  Nobody seemed to know what they were doing there!

The Plaza de Cibeles is a square with a neo-classical complex of marble sculptures with fountains

Really beautiful architecture

We visited the Centro Sefarad Israel (Israel-Spanish Cultural Center) which offers Hebrew classes, lectures and rotating art exhibits.  We saw an exhibit of Daniel Schinasi, born in Egypt in 1933 and originally from a Sephardic family from Livorno, Italy.  He was the founder of Neofuturism movement.

A Daniel Schinasi painting

Madrid has MANY large parks and we explored most of them. 

Lago de las Casa de Campo

The area around the River Manzanares in Madrid has recently been developed into 6 kilometers of walking paths, bike trails, playgrounds, greenery, ponds and fountains called Parque de Arguanzela  There are also many pedestrian bridges.  We just loved walking here!

Pedestrian bridge

Overhang

Fall colors in the park

Fountain 

Maze

Here we have the Mad Hatter who was sitting outside the Prado Museum.  I found him intriguing as he "poured" the little live white mouse (on the left) into the teapot and then back again into the cup. 

Madrid’s four-story vertical garden from 2008 on the front of the CaixaForum is one of the world’s most lush living walls to date.

Very calming

The national symbol of Madrid is a bear stretching on his hind legs for fruits on the Madrono tree. It symbolizes the resiliency and strength of the industry of Madrileños.The fruit from the tree, which is not native to Madrid but Galacia, is bitter when eaten raw and is used to make liqueur.  

ADIOS!

Food Tour and Flamenco

Another fun thing I did with Debbie and David (Miles opted out), was to go on a food tour in the Huertas neighborhood of Madrid.

Here's a sample of some of our "tastes":

We tasted porras, similar to churros, but made with baking powder which makes the churros puffier.  This is a breakfast treat and the custom is to dip the parros in warm syrupy chocolate.  I didn't think I'd like it, but it was DELICIOUS!

Chocolate and porras

Jamon (pronounced "hamon") or ham, is THE specialty of Madrid.  You see legs of ham in shops all over town and can run into the hundreds of dollars per leg.  Our guide said her family can go through a leg in a couple of weeks, eating very thin slices every day.

Jamon (Iberian and Serrano) and beef jerky

Nothing's more Spanish than tapas!  The word ‘tapa’ in Spanish means ‘lid’. It is thought that tapas originated when drinks were served out in the dusty open air.  The theory goes that people used bits of bread to put over their drinks and keep them clean, and things gradually developed from there. Basically, tapas are just very small portions/bites of food, with or without the bread base, usually eaten in a crowded bar.  In some restaurants you can get the same selection tapas-size or a full portion.

Sample of smoked pork belly on the left--on the right are veggie options on home-made bread

Another sample of tapas (tostas): cheese and ham, shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and a cluster of potato chips

We also tried a variety of olives, jams, honeys, olive oil, vermouth, wine, cheesecake, home made potato chips, bread and cheeses.  Wonderful, delicious and filling!

Next cultural experience:  FLAMENCO!

We went to a flamenco club in the outskirts of Madrid that offered a dance lesson, dinner and a show.  The place was started by Melodie, originally from England, who has lived in Madrid for 20 years and is a flamenco maven.

We sat with her for about a 1/2 hour and she told us all about the history, movements, clothes and styles of flamenco.  We then had about 15 minutes to try and learn to clap and stamp our feet in a coordinated fashion.  Not easy!  There's much more to flamenco than meets the eye.

Melodie, our teacher, performer and waitress

Melodie and two other wonderful dancers

I expected to see the dancers using castanets, but Melodie said they are usually used in other types of Spanish folk dances, not flamenco.

Flamenco dresses for sale

Until recently, flamenco shoes came only in black, but as you can see, they are now available in many colors, some even with embroidery.

Sorolla Museum and Avila

After visiting the three major museums of Madrid, the Prado, the Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza (all wonderful), we thought, "OK, no more museums".  But on the recommendation of our friend Lisa Efrat, we went to the Sorolla Museum.  What a treasure!

Joaquin Sorolla was an Impressionist from Valencia and his former studio-mansion in Madrid has been converted into a museum.  There are beautiful gardens with tiled benches and fountains. The building, built in 1910, has been left as it was when the artist died in 1923 and his paintings are displayed inside. The canvas he was painting just before he died remains in place, with brushes next to the unfinished work.

 Miles in Sorolla's garden

 

Pretty pool

Ceramic dish in Sorrola's home

Sorolla's paintbrushes in ceramic containers

Sorolla painted in several styles, although he is best known for his beautifully lit Mediterranean beach scenes.

Sample of Sorrola's style

Our very close friends, Debbie and David Block Temin from Haifa came to visit for 3 days!  They are "real" followers of the Rubin Trek because they also visited us in Trento, Italy (2010) and Paris (2014).

Our first night together:  paella and sangria!  Ole!

We had a wonderful 9-hour day-tour together to Avila and Segovia.  (I will only post pictures from Avila since I already posted a blog about Segovia a few weeks ago when we visited with our host Jose.)

Avila is best known for its intact medieval city walls, with 80-plus crenelated, semicircular towers and 9 gates, including the arched El Alcázar.

 Crenelated walls in Avila

The Cathedral of Ávila is a Romanesque and Gothic church.  It was planned as a cathedral-fortress, its apse being one of the turrets of the city walls.
 

Outside Avila Cathedral

 Nave

Romanesque arch

Gothic ceiling

 Tower

 Charming street

 Pretty courtyard

Market day Plaza Mayor in Avila

For Roman Catholics, a visit to the Convent of St. Theresa is a "must".  Theresa was a prominent Spanish mystic, saint, Carmelite nun (yes, named after Mount Carmel in Haifa) and author during the Counter Reformation and theologian of contemplative life through mental prayer. 

 Convent of St. Theresa

Friends of St. Theresa