Siri in Madrid

 Monday, March 30, 2026 I have decided to conquer the Metro today. Enough with all the cab rides! I can inform myself about the process of getting a card, purchasing rides, etc., from the comfort of my bed with the help of Chat GPT. It turns out there are two stations near me, Sol and Tirso de Molina, both within walking distance, and soon I'm waiting for the train to the Bilbao station. My plan is to follow a walk suggested by Mada, which will have me ranging across non-touristy streets in the Chamberi neighborhood.  The weather is gorgeous, sunny and clear and I quickly reach the pretty Plaza de Olavide, where she has instructed me to sit in the sun and "notice the little things."  I find a comfortable recliner bench and lie there looking at the kids playing, the groups of mothers chatting, the little dogs barking excitedly, and it is very nice. Then I march on, tracing my route on Google Maps. This can be maddening, because most of the smaller streets do not run in a s...

 Sunday, March 29, 2026 The weather today was unusually cold and bitter, despite the sun, and with warnings for strong winds later in the morning.  I had my first breakfast out in a cozy café down the street - hot chocolate and a croissant - and then set out on my quest to find El Rastro, the famed flea market. On my way I captured the light on these buildings, looking like a Di Quirico painting. It was the only picture I'd take all day, due to warnings of active pickpockets 😱 The flea market was arranged on both sides of a warren of old criscrossisng streets with booths selling anything you could imagine, clothes, leather goods, jewelry, scarves... I went through everything, holding on to my bag, and picked up a couple of things. I even found 2 dog toys in a store run by two Chinese ladies bickering loudly. After a while the wind picked up and blew down some awnings and I decided to head home, where I could talk to dad and then to my sister.  Then I received a lunch inv...

 Saturday, March 28, 2026 The day started out a little colder than the previous ones and I add a sweater to my outfit. I had made an 11.15 appointment for the Thyssen -Bornemisza National Museum and set out on foot for the 20 min walk, mostly downhill, through the awakening streets,  following the Google Maps female voice instructions. Once inside the museum I see one fabulous painting after the other  - this Gauguin, Mata Mua, from 1892,  This Vasarely - a nod to our collection ar home: This Edward Munch, of which I've had a copy since I was at university: And this seamstress by Edward Hopper that I didn't know: And so many more. I finalize by seeing an exhibition by a Danish artist, Wilhelm Hammershøi, which show a very different Nordic vibe, so familiar to me After a snack in the museum restaurant I catch a cab to Chueka,  where the first thing I see as I get out of the car is this cute wirefox terrier called Max - reminding me of my lovely and long gone Suss...

 Friday, March 27, 2026 My plan today is to visit the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, where the Guernica is housed, along with a priceless collection of Dalis, Miros, Magrittes and so many more exquisite paintings. Again the morning is brisk and sunny and this time I note, walking down a busy thoroughfare, many cozy breakfast places, but also interesting fabric stores, of which I take a mental note, for a second look at a later moment. The museum is a vast concrete construction, not immediately easy to find your way around in, but I find the Guernica - huge, amazing almost 4 metres high and 8 metres long. I'd had a memory of seeing this painting in the MOMA many years ago, but whatever I saw was not this one. In my memory the one at MOMA was also in a separate room, but on a much smaller scale.  What you don't see in the picture is the quiet semi-circle of people contemplating the painting at a respectful distance, watched by the two guards sitting one on either side of the painti...

 Thursday, March 26, 2026 I wake up at 8.30 am, which is pretty great, considering the +4 hour time difference. I feel rested and ready to go. A quick look in the street shows people wearing puff jackets and hunched up against what seems a raw morning. I'm out in the street by 10.30, dressed in layers. My aim is to walk to the Prado Museum, about 20 minutes away, and perhaps find some breakfast on the way.  On the Plaza de Santa Ana I find this charming statue of Frederico Garcia Lorca holding a little bird. I don't find a single breakfast place on my walk and I'm in sight of the museum when I finally spot a prosaic Starbucks, where I enjoy a latte and a croissant in the company of several Americans.  My ticket is for noon, but I manage to get in at 11 and thus start my quest to hit as many high spots as I can, Velasquez, Titian, Rubens, El Greco, Bosch and many more.  Highly organized Asian tourists with guides whispering into microphones, throngs of school children...

 Wednesday, March 25, 2026 It is dark when I land in Lisbon on my way to Madrid. Local time is 4.44am, which is 1.44am Brazil time. I have dined and tried to sleep on the plane, without much luck, and I am bone-tired when I settle in the lounge for the 3+ hour wait for the connection to Madrid. Flying across the countryside in the bright daylight Portugal and then Spain look dry and pale, broken by the surprise of snow-capped mountains It's unexpectedly warm and sunny when I land in Madrid. Taxis are plentiful and have a fixed rate, thus minimizing stress for the traveler. I have booked a small studio near the Plaza Mayor, which looks perfect for me After a shower and a rest I walk around my new neighborhood, visiting the busy Mercado São Miguel full of tempting foods and drinks And the imposing Plaza Mayor, just around the corner It's challenging to follow the GPS directions on Google Maps for my return to the hotel. I trawl up and down the same narrow cobbled streets several ...