A Wide Swath of Madrid

Morning croissants from the grocery store come in a plastic box of six. With orange marmalade they are delicious, especially after perfectly ripe melon slices. Rob and I were out and immersed in 12th-20th century masterpieces at the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum by 11 am.  The boys were still home at 1:30 when we came back for lunch.

Great to have food at home before heading out again. Couldn't convince the younger duo to come out with us to investigate the ABC museum of illustration in a clever new building near the university, nor wander the Malasana with us.

We enjoyed it so much! The graffiti and modern insertions, the local bakery and art supply stores. Then we took the metro to the southern entrance of El Retiro and wandered the length of this park finding the plantings interesting, the dryness remarkable, the number of cute cats and kittens awesome! At the "Lake" a young man performed flamenco on a board to match his friend's drum rhythms and earn a few Euros.

When we got home, we heard the exploits of the younger duo - who had also headed out towards El Retiro only to discover that they had gotten out of the subway several stops past the park.  They explored the suburban urban area and found their way back, orienting by the tall radio tower nearby. Turns out we were in the same place at almost the same time, photographing the same strange trees in the bright glare. Rob took on the challenge of taking a chance at simulating "Atget photos," shooting in black and white.

Then we had a little rest with foot and face washing and a beer and went out for the best dinner of the trip by far -- Naia in Place de la Paja.  Our delightful waitress was from Barcelona! She treated us so well and the food was yummy.  Home to bed, setting alarms for 5 AM!!