Last night we had our first encounter with our tour guide and our fellow travelers. I think the group is over 30 people from all over the US. So far everyone seems to be very friendly. Our tour guide, Carmen, lives in Madrid, and is a very sweet lady. We introduced ourselves, got an overview to our trip, and then went to a restaurant for dinner. So far so good!
Then today was really our first tour day. We started the day with a walk in the general area of the hotel, which is a beautiful part of town. I found it amusing to discover that we are in the theater district and there are lots of live shows, and sadly I have no time to see any. I especially thought it would be a kick to see LionKing in Spanish. 😆But alas, no time.
We then got on our bus for a driving tour of the city. Our local specialist for today, Jose, was outstanding! After the city tour, we went to the Prado Museum. We broke into somewhat smaller groups, and Merle and I were with Jose. He was the best docent I have ever been with. He had selected perhaps a couple dozen important works to show us rather than try to tell us everything in the world about every painting. I really appreciate how he showed us what to focus on and how it fit into the scheme of the art of that period.
Next, we drove to the city of Toledo. What a very special place this is! Jose had so many excellent stories to tell, and got us to walk our fannies off. I am quite exhausted at the moment and it’s bedtime and I know this is not the best post I have ever written, but it’s the best I can muster now. I will try to add more details at another time.
I will attach a couple of pictures from today. We all agreed. It was an outstanding beginning to our trip.
El Greco is one of my favorite Spanish painters.
ReplyDelete