Museo del Prado, Free

Conditions to be met:

• Rooms dedicated to Goya.
• Age from 15 to 25 years old.
• Fridays. From 8.30PM to 10.30PM.
• October to December 2006.

Thats it. HTH.

Hypothermia

Amazingly, after the coldest days or with best chances of snowing on Madrid, even after the sun, today we had snow. And everywhere else. Loads of snow and sun.

Seville Tour

I begun the trip looking for a map, when I got one searched for the most important touristic places and started. The first thing where the ruins of an old aqueduct on the middle of the street, then a few churches on the way to the river, the Guadalquivir river, the bridges crossing the river, the bus station, the bridge of Triana. The Seville plaza de toros (where bullfighters play), and the Torre del Oro.

Rested a while in a place and a Seville local asked me if I was lost, I was seeing my map. I told him that I wasn't lost and then he told me of some places to see. He added something curious about Eva Perón, that he liked her ('she was beautiful', he said) but not as much as another woman, I forgot the name. Headed to the central area of the city.

The center is full of orange trees and orange trees with oranges. Every once in a while one them falls, little boys and girls play orange football. It feels orange in the ambient, an orange ambient; no one here should have their C vitamin level low. According to what they said to me -it didn't check- oranges in those trees are sour.

Streets get filled with people and on the sides of these streets locals sale roasted chestnuts. I bought a little cone full of chestnuts to see how they tasted, liked a lot. I was in the Cathedral and continued to where the central area ends. I change heading to Plaza de España (Courtyard of Spain), pass through gates and monuments.

I sought the Palacio de San Telmo (Palace), then a corner where I was trying to take a picture. Two kids approached, and asked me 'if I was filming the road', I pointed to the opposite direction laughing and told them where I was taking the picture, they laughed too. Reached Plaza de España, one of the most beautiful things to see, but it was also under repair. I walked around to a courtyard, a monument with images of Columbus.

I was back in the central area, where the Cathedral is, for a closer look. Downloaded the photos. Started looking for an hotel room, searched all the city in a rush with no luck. The Davis Cup season plus a long weekend here, the city was more than full, no available rooms at all. Decided to hit the bars all the night.

Seville night never ends. I rested very little.

The day after was very sunny. I knew almost all the city, even the city labyrinths. Without batteries, no more photos could be taken. I stayed a while in the bridge, seeing the river, the city was still, in peaceful silence, like me.

Ave to Seville

I woke up on saturday morning and then headed to Atocha, the train station. I headed to the Ave ticket office, the high speed trains and grabbed a ticket to Seville.

The price of the ticket was eighty something euros. In first class, because tourist was full. I didn't expected but they served lunch -the train is like a flight and it goes fast enough for the raindrops to slide horizontally on the window, instead diagonally-. Paella was the main dish (a mix of seafood and yellow rice: azafrán).

Now I'm on a cybercafé, downloading pictures and looking for an hotel room.

Seville is not bad. Just a big detail, one of the landmarks, Torre del Oro (Tower of the Gold) was being restored. Well.

I'll see what I'll do. ¿Will I sleep today?

Just arrived

A very pleasant flight, like the last one. The seat next to me was empty, while being more comfortable I could not be able to sleep during the 12 hours in the air. I really need to sleep now.

Definitely is really cold here, in Madrid. The White Christmas atmosphere is everywhere you look. I miss the thirty degree Celsius temperature at home.

Last photo in Europe

I took this picture while travelling from Granada to Madrid. Heaven and earth, a spectacular landscape, from the seat of the bus.

Nazari Palaces

One of the most beatiful things I've seen. The Courtyard of the Lions (Patio de los Leones) in the Alhambra. Although I would have liked to see it fully working, with the central fountain complete -because, for some reason, the upper section has been displaced- and with the ambience of those times. Its a very captivating place, with a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere, it makes you want to be there and stay for a good while.



In the orginal version, the water flowed by diverse canalizations and ducts, gained pressure and propelled water streams from the lions mouth and through the different stages of the fountain itself. Also water slopes runned by the four ways that converged in the center, each one starting on the rooms and the entrances. The missing part of this fountain, is located on one of the gardens, between the fortification towers, alone, like abandoned.

To be able of visiting the Alhambra, I have had to change my bus ticket back to Madrid for one on the next day, and then, after loosing that bus, changed it again for a ticket a few hours later (yes, I've changed the tickets two times). I've also taken the risk of not being able to reach the flight back home, because I'll be letting only one hour between the arrival at Estación Sur and the departure from Barajas Airport, Madrid. If the bus delayed just half an hour... Luckily there were no problems.



An extra place to emphasize, all made of marble, and like always, we're being accompanied by the watery sound. The Courtyard of Myrtles (Patio de los Arrayanes), in the Comares Palace; here the decorated fronts are reflected on the pool, sometimes you are able to see colorful little fishes getting closer to the surface. The water is dark green, like the trees around, myrtles (arrayanes). I cannot avoid remembering the Myrtles Woods (Bosque de Arrayanes) in Patagonia, Argentina.