I'd like to be able to say that I sensed how special Madrid was from the moment that I got off the night train from Barcelona. However, considering my journey on the train consisted of ten hours of trying to sleep upright, avoiding conversation with a creepy Nigerian man and trying not to crunch my feet on the empty San Miguel beer cans that the Korean backpacker was littering our cabin with, I think that it is amazing that I managed to even get off the train at the right stop with both of my shoes on. So it wasn't until I had dumped my stuff at my hostel, slapped some water onto my face and stumbled out into the chilly Madrid morning that I realised how great this place is.
I was exhausted after my train arrived in Madrid and I was desperate for a long nap. However, I was lucky that the hostel was tight and wouldn't let me check in straight away, because this forced me to go out and explore Madrid on a Sunday morning. I went to El Rastro, the Sunday flea market, and I was even too early for the stall-holders and so I ate churros while I waited for them to set up in the pouring rain. El Rastro was interesting, but from somewhere within myself I have managed to develop some restraint when it comes to purchasing random junk at overseas flea markets. Even with those words just typed in mind, I have to admit that the variety of huge rings did dazzle me and I decided to buy an outrageously large one. After five minutes of dithering over colour choice I was about to say 'I'll take this one, por favor!', when one of the women who worked the stall pushed me out of the way so that she could get to the other side of the table. That was enough to snap me out of my large-ring trance and I moved off in a huff. It was good that this happened, as I have already purchased three rings so far this trip and I brought along at least seven of my own!
After El Rastro I went to THE museum, the Prado. I got there an hour after it had opened and the line had hundreds of people in it. I walked to the front to see what the opening hours were and an Australian couple told me that they had been waiting nearly an hour, and they were near the front! I went to the Museo Thyssen Bornemisza instead and it was great. All of the artwork in this museum was donated by Baron and Baroness Thyssen-Bornemisza and the collection is huge. Once I hurried past all of the religious stuff, I saw some great work.
I'm enjoying Madrid so much that I have decided to stay for a week. I've gotten into this rhythm of getting up in the morning and going to a tourist sight (like a museum or Plaza Mayor) and then spending the afternoon wandering down streets and catching the Metro to new stations.
To finish, I have to express my disappointment in the Prado. Let's just say that after lining up for 40 minutes yesterday in 4 degree weather, I was quite underwhelmed by the number of potraits I saw of monks with bowl cuts. The only good thing about it was that as teacher I got in for free. The woman who served clearly did not know what to make of my Victorian Institute of Teaching card, but I don't think her job satisfaction is very high, as she just rolled her eyes and waved me through!
