As you probably know, I was fortunate enough to spend this last weekend in Madrid spending my time chilling out, walking nonstop, seeing the sites, drinking in fresh air clear of the exhaust that dominates Fez's atmosphere, digging on a bit of culture, and having a beer for the first time in over a month, all of this going down Spain's gorgeous capital. I wish I could post some pictures from my brief time in Madrid, but I neglected to bring my camera for the weekend since I wasn't sure whether or not Ryan Air would let me bring an extra bag, and I didn't have room in my main carry-on to accommodate my bulky camera. I guess I'll just have to use my gift of gab to illustrate a glimpse of Madrid for all of you.
The city was wonderful, full of open plazas and open air cafes, regal buildings, tree lined streets, botanical gardens, the Spanish equivalent of Central Park, perfect fall temperatures all day and even a little cold at night (I'm glad I brought my fleece), air so fresh you could taste the crispness of it on each breath (probably the most welcome difference from Fez where I actually find myself holding my breath or at least struggling to not breath through my noise in hopes of avoiding some of the epic stench of the Medina e.g. meat ranging from raw to rotten, leather tanneries, donkey shit, car exhaust, etc.), and finally, after all of my dull time in Fez, I actually had stuff to do, museums to see, new foods to try, actual activities. Madrid was the perfect respite from the chaos of Fez, a break back to culture and fall weather, a break back to a clean city and crosswalk signals, a break from the Third World, back in a developed country again if only for a short while. When my fellow Spain Travelers and I exited to Metro up to the street in Madrid, we all let out a loud collective sigh of relief
The highlight of the trip was probably my visit to the Reina Sophia Museum of Contemporary Art. I was even able to get into the museum free of charge; they offer free admission for several hours each day. Reina Sophia has a huge collection of Picasso's, several paintings by Salvador Dali, a couple of Goya's, and some Max Ernst as well. But the crown jewel of the place is certainly Picasso's epic mural, "Guernica", which just happens to be my favorite painting of all time. I though it might be displayed in Madrid, but I wasn't sure. As we began to walk around the museum, I noticed several Picasso's drawn and/or painted in a style similar to Guernica. According to Nick Stang and Connor Johnson I actually gasped when we happened upon the room in which Guernica was displayed. I was positively giddy for the rest of our time at the museum, and those of you who know me know that I'm not normally a very giddy guy. I can say without a doubt that I've never felt greater excitement from seeing a painting in all of my life. Oh, and the Salvador Dali's were pretty great too (he might be my second favorite artist behind Picasso).
After my visit to Reina Sophia, I headed over to Madrid's equivalent of Central Park for a long walk through the trees in the midst of their fall color-change. Unfortunately, Fez doesn't have any legit greens space, so needless to say it was incredibly refreshing to have some time in such a beautiful park.
I was also lucky enough to visit the Prado Museum, Madrid's classic art museum. And like Reina Sophia, I was able to get into the Prado during their free hours. What a deal: two of the better museums in Europe without spending a dime. The Prado was amazing, but I'm not very partial to classic paintings. I respect the technical skill involved and I have been blown away by what people have been able to do with some paint and brushes, but I still get a bigger emotive kick out of contemporary, modern-era art. Nonetheless, I can't deny the amazing quality and size of the Prado's collection. When I was there, I saw dozens of Goya's, including his immensely disturbing "Pinturas Negras" (Black Paintings), which he composed shortly after going completely insane, a bunch of El Greco's and Diego Velázquez's (including his most famous work, "Las Meninas", one Caravaggio and one Rembrandt (Rembrandt's "Artemisia"), paintings by Tintoretto and Titian, Raphael and Durer, so many classic works, too many in fact; we were kicked out for closing time well before we could get to everything we wanted to see. I definitely got my money's worth though.
Well there's more to tell about Madrid, but I could go on for far too long about my weekend jaunt. One last funny anecdote: I was climbing into bed for an afternoon nap at our hostel and as per my habit, my bed-ward movement was accompanied by a series of grunts and groans from yours truly, just a little sample of my sounds of settling. I guess my noises are even stranger in Europe; a girl in our dormitory seemed to think I was in mortal pain, asking me if I was alright with an obvious sense of concern. I assured her that I was just fine.
Today I'm at the exact halfway point of my trip: two months down and two more to go. I'm over the hump, cruising on the down slope now, excited to get a move on. This is also my last night in Fez and I have to say, I'm ready to move on. My time here has been good for the most part, but I've had significant stretchs of boredom (there's absolutely nothing to do here) and homesickness made all the worse for not having stuff to do to distract me from missing home. My host family has been excellent, very accommodating with my schedule and more than willing to give me an ample amount of time on my own. I'll be sad to see them go, but it will be nice to not have to worry about stripping of Ziad's and Mohammed's 6th fingers every time I shake their hands.
I haven't really experienced any significant culture shock thus far on my trip, probably a consequence of my well-traveled past, which has certainly hardened me a bit against the strange sights you're guaranteed to encounter while you're abroad. However, upon my return from Spain, the underdeveloped reality of Morocco hit me a lot harder than when I first arrived in this country from Turkey. As I was walking back to my host family's apartment, I was suddenly enveloped in a strange sense of unreality. Even though I had walked the streets so many times before, on that night they seemed totally alien and unfamiliar to me. I guess I never realized how much I appreciate living in a developed country.
Tomorrow morning, I depart for my Moroccan excursion, which should be a blast. I'm looking forward most to Marrakesh, but I think Essouria will be equally awesome. It'll be good to get on the move; I've definitely been antsy this last month. I'm sure that I'll have some painfully long bus rides to tolerate, but it'll be totally worth it to get out and see some of this country beyond the close-packed walls of the Fez Medina. I'll make sure to keep you posted with pics included from my cross-country tour of Morocco, hitching a ride on the Marrakesh Express. Hard to believe that I'll be in Egypt In 12 days; I gotta tell you, that blows my mind. Another country to conquer, a step closer to home. Bring it on.
Until next time,
Your Favorite Luker
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