I’ve had a lot of revelations on this trip and one of them is that I love Madrid with a passion. I’ve always liked it, but my last trip here, 14 years ago, was not exactly magical. It was a two-month stay in which I was supposed to do political science research (which I did not do, surprise, surprise, but felt guilty about). I had rented a very expensive apartment to share with a friend from the university. But the apartment turned out to be very uncomfortable, my friend turned out to be rather negative and not much fun to be around, her children who were staying with us too, and who were adorable, turned out to have lice, and before too long I abandoned the expensive place I had helped pay for and was on an early morning fast train to Barcelona.
This time around, though, Madrid and I are definitely having our moment. I feel very energized by its sophisticated big city vibe, and I get the sense, too, that it’s a great place for art and artists.
It was crazy hot today, a good day to have an early breakfast then explore museums. Museums tend to have good air conditioning. Also, there’s art. First I went to see the artist Sorolla’s house, because I absolutely love Sorolla. I was thrilled to see how big and wonderful his house was – artists being successful in any time and place makes me extremely happy. Then I visited the vast Lazaro Galdiano art collection, which was a good opportunity to see inside a sumptuous building – also to take a peek at some Goyas. I walked away thinking that my collectors need to have their ceilings painted. Any takers?
After all this, I bought a sandwich and a bottle of gazpacho and went to my room to rest. I came out late and treated myself to a very fancy dinner. Miss Vulpe made me do it! After all, this is her city, and she’s all about the fine dining.
