Madrid

Anniemay has long wanted to see Picasso’s painting Guernica.  There’s an exhibition about it currently on in Madrid.  

I discover that Madrid is just 32 minutes by fast train from Toledo.  Not only that, the exhibition is just across the road from Madrid train station.  So getting to see it should be pretty simple.  Providing we can work out how to buy train tickets in Spanish.  This is a new one for us.

But it all goes very smoothly and gets even better once we arrive.  We get to the gallery ticket office and I’m about to hand over €20 for 2 tickets when Anniemay butts in; “seniors?”  The woman  nods - but doesn’t seem too happy about it and asks for proof of age.  We hand over our driving licences and she gives them a thorough scrutiny.  And then hands over two free tickets.

The main photo is Madrid train station.  It’s quite extraordinary and has been described as a cross between St Pancras and Kew Gardens.  In the centre is a botanical garden.  And in this garden is  a lake - the extra shows the inhabitants of the lake.

Madrid had never been part of our plans for this holiday so it was nice to do something on the spur of the moment and see even just a small part of it.