Over the past few weeks, I've been uncovering the smaller spots that Madrid has to offer. After class last Wednesday (St. Patrick's Day), I visited the CaixaForum, an art space founded by La Caixa (a Catalan bank). The space rotates exhibits frequently; I managed to catch the modern paintings of Miquel Barcelo. Although the museum offers some interesting exhibits inside, I found that some of the most intriguing work stood outside. Two of my favorites were the iron elephant standing on its trunk and the vertical garden that lined the outside of the building!
On Friday, Ilene and I stood in line for 40 minutes (forgot Friday was a holiday, whoops!) to visit Madrid's Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (Convent of the Royal Barefoot Nuns). The small monastery had a "homey" feel as it was much smaller than the others that we had visited earlier throughout Spain. Our guide explained the significance of each tiny "capilla" (chapel) along with an extended explanation for each painting. Weirdly, one of my favorite parts was the most simple aspect: the original glass windows. They had a way of swirling the light that made everything look that much prettier.
Due to the holiday (El dia de San Jose), many buildings and banks were closed, so we headed to a public space that is open all the time: the Atocha train station. Besides housing various modes of transportation (the Renfe, train, bus, and metro) and the March-11 memorial, the Atocha station also maintains an indoor jungle/garden (complete with birds and turtles)!!
Lunch brought us to Mercado San Miguel (Madrid's Whole Foods) for some fresh strawberries and grapes. I saved some green and filled up on simple 1 euro tapas -- slices of bread with a variety of delicious cheeses!
Adam woke up in time to meet me for a 4 pm movie showing of Celda 211 - a big time winner at the 2010 Goya Awards. Although intense thrillers usually aren't up my alley, this film proved to be an exception! [I also understood a lot more of the movie, a testament to my ever-so-slowly-improving Spanish.]
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