I am in love. Where else, but Madrid, can a theater of the performing arts be named after my favorite ice cream?

I am sitting in a square, late at night, about to head to dinner. When in Spain… Apparently the locals dine after 9 p.m. Dinner is at a super cool restaurant where the owner only serves fresh produce and meat. So the only options are ham (local specialty) and 3 different types of mushrooms, and one selection of asparagus.

It was a beautiful, clear day in Madrid, 25 degrees C, and I spent the majority of it in meetings, however, at the end I did have an opportunity to visit the Museo de Patro - the home of my favorite artist, Francisco Goya. The mainstream is fond of his early work, but what I really love are his pieces from his “Dark Period”. It was late in life; Goya was suffering from disillusionment from the war that ravaged Spain, his handicap - as he was suffering from deafness (directly caused by lead-based paint poisoning) and from his movement into old age.

My favorite piece is termed “Saturn Devours His Children”. It is a dark background, but with vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. Scary, but powerful. It depicts his internal struggle with age, as the older is eating the younger. Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I took a quick tour through the rest of the Museo, but lingered and stared deeply at the works of Goya. I remember being in school staring at Art History books filled with images, dreaming of the day I would be able to see these master pieces first hand - and today I realized a dream. It was wonderful.

The experience of a “first” is magnificent. A first dance, first kiss, fist trip with friends, first love, and the first work of art you have being dreaming of seeing. Art is awe inspiring, thankfully surviving hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. What a blessing people can be to the world. Taking a vocation and breathing creativity into it; forming a trade out of a passion is a marvelous gift.

My walks through the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace and its gardens were restful. It is no wonder that this city steals hearts and minds.

I return to Paris in the morning, but Madrid is something special. I can hardly wait to explore its beauty further.

Adios Amigos.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 5th, 2007 at 10:53 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.