Recent art exhibit outings in Madrid

In the past couple weeks we've gone out with greater frequency with the primary motivation of catching some temporary exhibits before they left the city, and along the way we've found some decent culinary spots too.

We saw a Picasso exhibit at the Reina Sofia, which included 5 times the number of Picasso works that normally grace the museum, on the last day before it was shipped back to the Musée Picasso in Paris. (Also, I recently read that the museum will be changing the installation space for Guernica in a good way, and I hope it gets completed soon. Since last year was a major anniversary of the painting, we saw tributes throughout Madrid and País Vasco, including a documentary about all the trouble the cuadro went through before it was finally restored to Spain.)

Then we went to the "Noche de museos" for free midnight entrance to the Modigliani exhibit at the Thyssen. The visit continued at the always-free Caja Madrid exhibition space. We saw some really great Modigliani portraits--with their signature elongation and soft brushstrokes--and plenty of other works by his contemporaries. I'm confident I would have been perfect for Paris in the 1910's.

Finally, just yesterday we caught the Alphonse Mucha exhibit at the newly inaugurated CaixaForum in Madrid. A Czech Art Nouveau artist, Mucha was well known for his gorgeous posters advertising everything from Sarah Bernhardt to bicycles to cigarette rolling paper, but it was also interesting to see his studies for non-commercial works.

Three places we've eaten out at and enjoyed recently have been Manuelas, with their turn-of-the-century columns and molding (and board games), Home Burger Bar, with delicious organic burgers (make a reservation or just get take-out), and La Sueca, a Swedish lounge with lots of salmon (surprise).

One thing's for sure: these three artists had very distinct ways of depicting women in their art. Just take a look at these three examples (all of which I like very much).

A beautiful May trip to Paris

Preparatory research
lots of friends' personal recommendations
New York travel section
Paris veggie recs

French brushing up resources
Speaking Hints-French Notes
Real Life French podcast episodes
Easy French Poetry podcast
My conversations go quite well and I am pleasantly surprised to understand the majority of everything I hear and read.

Food eaten
carrot bread, tomme des vosges cheese, and rambutans from the Baudoyer plaza market:pain chocolat
crêpes (especially with nutella)
best bagels ever at Rosiers and Ecouffies Jewish bakeryfalafel at both L'As du Falafel and Chez Mariannemacaroons (a little disappointing, they remind me of flavored Tootsie Rolls)
decadent Ladurée berry cream puff

Museums visitedThe Louvre: Behold the crowds. The Denon wing is pretty well covered in a Rick Steves audio tour. After listening, we try to see some Rembrandt and Vermeer and stumble upon a truly bizarre temporary exhibit that has installed contemporary pieces alongside permanent collection pieces in the Flemish and Dutch painting rooms. We are completely unprepared for Jan Fabre's weirdness: sculptures covered in brass tacks, peacocks constructed out of pills, a recording of people moaning and wearing armor and the coup de grâce--Voldemort-Nagini amalgamation spread over tombstones occupying the Rubens hall. I don't photograph the craziest stuff.Musée d'Orsay: We only do the top floor because we want to concentrate more time there on Impressionists and Post-impressionists. New-found love of Toulouse-Lautrec for A. and discovery of Redon. Superb collection with lots of gems.Musée Rodin: There's a temporary exhibit of Camille Claudel which I would encourage everyone to see even though we couldn't. The place is really packed and we are there a little too close to closing time. Since I don't get to see the exhibit, I buy a book about her. So make sure you go early and preferably before July 20. I personally prefer the garden sculptures to the indoor installations, which are not laid out to handle so many visitors.Centre Pompidou: Only the Stravinsky fountains outside.
Sights seen
Institut du Monde Arabe: The mechanical openings are supposed to move but are at a standstill.Notre Dame: Outside only: way too many tourists for me to want to push through the swarms.InvalidesEiffel towerPantheonArc de Triomphe
Ambient highlights:
Rue Mouffetard
Other Latin Quarter streets, including one where a private lunch is being enjoyed in the shadeSpace invaders street art mosaicsFun little Marais shops near where we stay
Escaping the crowds back behind the Sacre CoeurBridges galore and the sunny SeineA much too long walk at night from Arc de Triomphe via the Eiffel tower to our hotel, admiring houseboats on the Seine along the way but ultimately killing our feet.
The marked contrast between a quiet right bank in the mornings and Les Halles packed with Paris teens in the evening.
The view outside our hotel window (Place Baudoyer):The only disconcerting experience we have is on a packed metro car on the way to Montmartre when a psychotic man picks a fight with an older woman who had (barely) bumped him with her baby stroller and it escalates to the point where he is forced off the car by fellow passengers, but not without yelling and striking the outside of the car. A couple of very tense minutes ensue, but in the end a plainclothes cop shows up and we all go on our way.

Window-shopping (window licking in French)
Stohrer bakery and other Rue Montorgueil gourmet shopsAve. Montagne: I don't recognize half the fashion house names but A. says he does. My jaw drops at the 4-digit price of a dress I see...and there's no decimal point.

Places on our to-see list for next time
Ste.-Chappelle
Peace memorial close to the Eiffel tower
Cinémathèque Française
Versailles
Flea markets

We saw a lot in three days. We hope it's the first of many.
(More photos at Picasa link).

My fall fashion fetish

Classical beauty.

This will probably sound facetious, but I have been obsessed with fashion this past week. First of all, I have had the (beautiful) song from new Corte Inglés commercials for their "Entra en la magia de la moda" campaign for their fall '07 women's collection stuck in my head. You can watch the spot here.

I searched and searched for the song's lyrics using my mad-awesome detective skills (unfortunately my ear for sung French is not very good, so it took some time) and finally found it: The artist is Jane Birkin and the song, "Baby Alone in Babylone," (the version is from Birkin's live Arabesque album, NOT the earlier album of the same name).

Secondly, Spanish news shows have been covering the Pasarela Cibeles week obsessively, and I happened to see a brief shot of some chiffon concoctions that completely captivated me. After some more careful online detective work, I found that they were designed by Spanish bridal designer Elio Berhanyer. I will let the dresses speak for themselves:

Even better, treat yourself to the first 3 minutes (at least) of this video of the parade. What an elegant presentation, with the divine live flamenco ensemble behind the models, fronted by Spanish soprano Paloma Soria. I sure hope these styles get trickled down into affordable clothing stores in the coming season(s). I would just die to have one (or several) dresses like these in my closet.

Gernika--70 years later

We began our last day in Basque Country by checking out of our lovely casa rural and thanking our hosts, and then walking all the way down the mountain for breakfast. I was better able to appreciate the view of the river and the surrounding meadows on the way downhill.

Our destination that morning was Gernika, a small town accessible by a bus that leaves Bilbao every half hour. Historically, it was the seat of Basque government, but it entered popular consciousness when Franco (with Hitler and Mussolini in cahoots) bombed the civilian population there in 1937. The incident inspired Picasso to paint his famous Guernica, which didn't enter Spain for more than 40 years until Franco's despotic rule was over.

We learned a lot about the history of the painting itself at a special exhibit (related to the 70th anniversary) at the Museo de la Paz in Gernika. We watched at least an hour of an art history documentary related to the painting and its politics. Of course, the painting itself remains safe at the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid. Read up on what this piece of art has gone through and you'll understand why it's not likely to be transported any time soon.

I love the Peace Museum in Gernika. The permanent museum space is dedicated half to the bombing of Gernika and half to the process of peacemaking, with reconciliation between survivors of the bombing and descendents of the German fighter pilots responsible for the deaths as an example. Gernika stands as such a powerful, universal symbol against totalitarian violence, due largely to Picasso's influence, and yet it was also a concrete experience for Basques who lived through the Spanish Civil War. I picked up an informative map of the town that indicates which few buildings survived the bombing unscathed (perhaps 20 percent of the town) and which have had to be totally reconstructed.

I was sobered to read a plaque stating the estimated civilian loss of life in Dresden, Germany (at 30,000) when experts place the Gernika numbers at around 250. I shall have to visit historical sites in Dresden when I visit Germany. Despite all the good intention of the Peace Museum, I get angry and frustrated to think of the genocide and injustice that continues today in other lands. But I won't drift into my international politics now, since the focus here is on a war that is tucked safely into Spain's past.

Our next stop was the Casa de Juntas, where a Basque parliament met historically (the autonomous government currently meets in Vitoria-Gasteiz). I proudly spoke my limited Basque with one of the grounds curators as A. tried to capture the grandeur of the stained glass ceiling through photography. Outside the building is the famous Oak of Gernika, or at least part of the 300-year-old trunk of the previous tree, beside which a new tree grows.

We returned to Bilbao and needed to eat something, but because of the hour, the only thing we could find was an American-Western-themed grill called "Boys" with John Wayne photos on one wall and Latino music videos blaring on another. The meal wasn't bad, but it certainly lacked Basque authenticity. The best part of it was our dessert: the great Alacant brand of ice cream.

Later, we enjoyed wandering through the old casco viejo of the city and observing everyday Bilbao citizens (and their pet dogs) going about. Bilbao would be a very nice place to live, we concluded. We reflected on how kind the Basque people had been to us during our travels (from metro behavior to store clerks). Not to demean madrileños or any other Spaniards, but the Basques are so nice. Eskerrik asko.

We departed from the main train station, with its awesome stained glass window, weary from carrying our packs around all day (remember: no consignas in Basque Country). I can't say that I slept well on the train ride home, since there weren't any couchettes. But over the next two days I had ample time to rest at home as A. took care of me, and I soon recovered from whatever was ailing me.

We hope we can return to Basque country in the future months. If you have any suggestions for us for things we should do or see or if you know someone who lives there that we could meet up with, we'd be happy to hear from you.

Inside the Bilbao train station

Bilbao/Bilbo (Baggins?)

I woke up in San Sebastián feeling sore but I passed it off as stemming from the walking and sun from the day before. But after a serpentine hour-long bus trip to Bilbao, I lost my cookies. I don't know if I picked up a bug somewhere or ate something off, but I am pretty sure I didn't contract meningitis or any other serious disease. Still, I felt weak and sick to my stomach enough that it put a damper on Bilbao, or Bilbo, as it is called in Basque. (Speaking of good food under other circumstances, though, there's an excellent bakery inside a gourmet grocery store called Don Serapio, which is at Calle Sancho el Sabio 22, near the bus station in San Sebastián).

We had reserved a double room for 35€ at an agroturismo casa rural in Bilbao, curious about how these accommodations would be compared to the windowless hostel rooms we had been paying 40€ for. When we called the house managers, they assured us we would have nearby public transportation, since they were only 1 km away from a metro stop. What they neglected to mention is that it was a kilometer straight uphill.
Now, the accommodations were lovely, and the views remarkable (see picture above), but I was not in the best shape to be chugging up the mountain with my backpack. We took a few wrong turns on the way up, which complicated matters, so I was very grateful to see our quaint room. I would recommend the casa rural experience to everyone. Obviously it's easier if you have your own car to get around, but it is still possible to stay in a casa rural in various Spanish provinces that is located within a metropolitan zone that has fairly good public transportation. In our case, we found that a bus to central Bilbao passed by within a block of the house.

After a quick shower (with the most reliable heated water I've experienced yet in Spain, my apartment included), we were off to the city. Our first stop was the Museo Vasco, which has many ethnographic and archaeological exhibits pertaining to Basque culture and history. There was a lot to digest, but some of the lessons we took home had to do with traditional Basque sports, religion, and fishing techniques.

We were also lucky to catch a special 70th anniversary exhibit on Gernika. It included historical film footage of the bombing and its aftermath and a tapestry version of Picasso's Guernica. Next we checked out the Guggenheim, with all its quirky architecture and modern art...I recommend the documentary Sketches of Frank Gehry if you have the time. Still, this museum is getting more and more expensive, which concerns me.

I have to admit I repented many times for having brought an old edition of my guidebook, LP. It was outdated on many basic points for Bilbao, understandable considering the ever-growing city that it is. It's my fault for not buying at least the guide with 2006-current info. Additionally, one of the city tourist information offices had moved from the address we had and the other was closed when we got there. Luckily, we were able to call a hotline and get information on transportation options to Gernika for the following day.

Souvenirs from the city:

• Kukuxumusu postcards depicting Basque culture
• small flag of Euskal Herria
• t-shirt with four ancient Basque runes
• wooden box with Basque symbol of the four elements
• glass with Guggenheim sketch design
  

San Sebastián--sculpture and sea

The RENFE train ride from Barcelona was infinitely better than our bus experience. For an overnight ride just as long as that between Madrid and Barcelona, the difference between being able to lay down (in a couchette, or litera, as they are called) and being upright is amazing.

San Sebastián (or Donostia, as it's known in Basque) is one of my all-time favorite destinations in Spain. I was especially looking forward to visiting the Basque Country (Euskal Herria in Basque) after having taken a beginning course in the Basque language--Euskara--this past summer. Bai, bai. (Even Viggo Mortensen has learned to speak a little, to the delight of the opening night audience at the San Sebastián film festival...too bad we aren't there now to enjoy it.

Unfortunately, the Basque Country is quite well known for a small group of political extremists and even some incidences of terrorism. This image makes many Spaniards and others afraid to visit the area or to reach out to Basques. My experience, though, is that the people and the country are placid and welcoming. I have never felt unsafe there; in fact, after being anxious the whole two days in Barcelona that I would be a pickpocket target (having had my backpack stolen last time I was there) it was a relief to feel genuinely safe on the streets here in this friendly beach town. [UPDATE: I highly recommend you read this post, written by friends of mine who are temporarily based in Spain who are also responsible for first introducing me to the Basque Country. They explain more about the Basques' history and culture.]

For some reason (probably related more to fear than actual threat), the luggage lockers at all public transportation facilities had been placed out of commission a few months back, in San Sebastián train and bus stations and in Bilbao as well. The security risk could be adequately resolved with X-ray equipment and guards (as in Barcelona's Estació Sants). At any rate, our mobility was severely hampered by this development. We are strong proponents of storing your backpack away during the day while you travel to different sites--good for your back health and good for helping you blend in.

Our first stop...after finding a hostel to drop off our backpacks and eating breakfast by where the sea meets the river...was the Chillida-Leku museum, a leisurely outdoor installation of sculptures by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. It's 10 minutes outside the city, but easily accessible by the G2 bus. We took the bus back to the Concha beach, walking past sunbathers to the famous Chillida sculpture El Peine del Viento (Wind Comb), which he installed on an outcrop of rocks by the sea. The artwork's 30th anniversary was celebrated this past month.

It's a piece best appreciated on stormy days when the wind and waves get going, producing a musical howl. On this visit, it was cloudless but still photo-worthy. We walked from there several kilometers along the beach to another outdoor sculpture, this one by Jorge Oteiza. The walk was invigorating and the views of the bay spectacular. On our way, we encountered a blue Serveta scooter. Later, we visited three churches, all very nice. Unfortunately, my favorite museum, San Telmo, is closed for repairs. We did catch a great Gargallo temporary exhibit at the Kursaal performance hall though. His homage to Chagall:

That night we went out for pintxos (as tapas are known in Basque country) in the old part (parte vieja or alde zaharra) of the city. The first stop, Bar Aralar, was one I had read about in my guidebook. It turned out to be yummy but very expensive. Our second stop was a nondescript marisquería where we had mejillones tigres (mussels in marinara sauce) and fried calamari. The third place was by far our favorite, not for the fanciness of the food, but because the proprietress was so inviting. It's a place called Bar Narrica, located on Calle Narrica, and it's known for its sandwiches. If it hadn't been closed for vacations, Casa Alcalde would certainly have been worth a visit for its cuisine and outgoing chef.

All in all, San Sebastián was a relaxing and rejuvenating stop on the road, and I would recommend any traveler to Spain stop there.

Souvenirs from the city:

• 6 Chillida prints
  

Holy Toledo!

Toledo is a lovely city where medeival Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived in harmony for many years and we are the benficiaries of their shared history. It's also the home of El Greco. A. and I set out to visit it this Saturday.

We took a direct one-hour bus from Madrid at 4.40€ per person each way, arriving at 1 p.m. Our first stop after climbing the hill from the bus depot was the well preserved Puerta del Sol (see picture). We climbed some more and seemingly having arrived at the summit of Toledo, stopped to catch our breath at the Plaza of Zocodóver, anciently a Muslim marketplace, and currently the center of town and tourist activity.

I was anxious to show A. the newly built Army Museum, integrated into the city's Alcázar fortress, but unfortunately the construction hasn't finished. So we went to what is probably the main attraction of the town, the Iglesia de Santo Tomé, which houses El Greco's Burial of Count Orgaz. Afterward, A. breathed, "I don't need to see anything else after that." (By way of trivia, Toledo is the setting for an excellent Spanish film that speaks against domestic violence, Te Doy Mis Ojos. The main protagonist plays a guard at Santo Tomé.)

Next, we decided to hit the Jewish quarter, which is my perennial favorite bunch of city monuments. We meandered through the simulated medieval marketplace, with its Sephardic music, and then entered the Sinagoga del Tránsito. This is a gorgeously restored synagogue with intricate Hebrew and Arabic carving on the walls.

You enter the Museo Sefardí directly from the synagogue, where there are many informative exhibits about Jews in Spain. My favorite part is the garden with gravestones and translations of the inscriptions. The other Toledan synagogue is the Sinagoga María la Blanca (see picture). It is such a serene and transcendent experience to stand among its white columns (just ignore the garish Christian retablo added to the front).

We planned to see the El Greco House-Museum next but it is currently closed for refurbishing through the end of 2007 (another trip, perhaps). We went to the nearby Victorio Macho museum, but it only has a handful of El Grecos on display temporarily during the closure. I was particularly disappointed to not see more of my favorite "caballero" portraits. They are so visceral in real life!

We got a little lost through side streets searching for the Cristo de la Luz Mosque, only to find it right next to the Puerta del Sol by which we had entered. It is undergoing archaeological excavations right now but is open to the public. By the way, the original name was not Christian, but it was changed when the Christians kicked out its former worshipers to transform the edifice into a church. Unfortunately, the second mosque in the city is not open Saturdays.

I dissuaded A. from going into the cathedral, telling him he'd see plenty more (I am not a big fan of cathedrals). But we did poke our heads inside the cloisters area to watch a very frou-frou wedding party (everyone arrived in Audis, BMWs and Givenchy eveningwear). This was only the first wedding we would run into that afternoon.

In our search for the misnamed Plaza Mayor, we encountered a little gem we had been searching for: the Pozo Amargo. According to Toledan legend, the bitter well got its name from a young Jewish woman who supposedly cried out all her tears there over her father's murder of her Christian lover. It is a few meters down a very narrow street that cars still muster the guts to drive through.

From there we followed the stiletto heels to another wedding in another church, this time with a choir! When we were done spying on them, we walked around that area and bumped into the Toledo School of Translators. I would totally go there for my master's (if my language pair were Spanish and Arabic or Hebrew)!

We went in search for a souvenir box (I collect boxes) and found even the smallest gold or silver inlaid box prohibitively expensive. Then we looked at the prices of marzipan and were equally shocked at the prices. So we bought just two pieces. They were delish!
After walking back down the hill toward the bus station, we were thirsty and stopped for some excellent refreshment at one of the summer-operating terrazas within view of the Puerta de Bisagra. Their ice-cold horchata de chufa and limón granizado is to die for!

Back in Madrid, we enjoyed a night of tapas. All the places we hit were standouts:

Casa del Abuelo
Specialty-gambas al ajillo or a la plancha

Las Bravas
Specialty-patatas bravas

La Malaspina
Specialty-"malaspina" (generous portion of toast topped with jamón serrano, melted cheese and oregano, and dressed with olive oil)

It was a wonderful day. Our feet were tired but our tummies full, and we had seen many things in Toledo. Next time, we'll hopefully see what wasn't open today.

Note: We paid reduced student admission that was 1.40€ at each attraction.