This morning was breezy and you could smell that there was a recent rain, a downpour! As I walked from the Palace Hotel to the Prado it hit me, the weather was good enough to go grab my camera and take some pictures during my walk. So after going back to my hotel to get my camera I was off and Walking in the park and snapping some Shots. To see any photos that I shoot when travelling simply check out http://Yonaitis.shutterfly.com/ to see my photo site.
Madrid like Africa always seems like getting back to the source for me, somewhat like going to an unspoiled place. It is the type of place that when you go for a walk, by yourself and alone with your thoughts, you remember that in life you are busy doing one of two things – living or dying. This simple fact cannot be escaped. Everything else is simply footnotes. AS I walked today I realized that micro blogging was not working for me from being the mayor of every coffee shop to hotel it seemed meaningless and lacked the quality of real writing. I mean compare an App saying I checked into the park versus this blog post and you get the idea!
So now I will go back to blogging about travel and experiences versus just checking into places with a one liner. For example: Yesterday I checked into Café Gijon and had some Rioja and Iberico Ham (Jamon) and I checked in on Four Square uploaded a picture of a plate of Jamon and said something like food with friends. I do not even think it was a full sentence. I cannot imagine coming to Madrid and not going to have a glass of wine and some jamon at Café Gijon and this is because of a few things: Food is great, atmosphere is better and here is a link to the Café website: http://www.cafegijon.com/
Beyond that there is a sense of history at Café Gijon. Here is a quote from the Wikipedia Website:
“It was established on 15 May 1888 by Gumersindo Gómez[3] (possibly Gunmersindo García).[1] and despite modest beginnings, after the Spanish Civil War it became a meeting-place for intellectuals, writers and artists collectively known as Generation of ’36.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_Gij%C3%B3n
So today, after my walk in the Park, I headed to the Prado, again a check-in at the Prado would be meaningless. How does a checking describe time in front of El Bosco’s the Garden of Earthly Delights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Earthly_Delights ). A walk through the Prado is a highlight on any outing in Madrid, but do yourself a favor, if you are in Madrid for a long weekend do a floor of the museum each day versus trying to do it all at once! Also do not miss the other local museums!
Well that is all; I leave early in the AM for London and more Art & Work! Have a great day/night!
-rob y