Madrid, Spain
October 1–2, 2026
The next day we rode the fast train to Madrid. Again, the ride was very comfortable. I didn’t try to take any photos out of the train windows.The landscape was fascinating, a desert that looked much like the American West. Our hotel was in walking distance from two major museums. We arrived early enough to tour the Museo Nacional del Prado. The Prado is one of the world's great art museums, with works starting from the twelfth century. Featured artists include Goya, Titian, El Greco, and Rubens. It stayed open until 8 pm, and the senior ticket price was just €7.50. We managed to see the main things of interest to us in the time available.
In the morning we walked down to the Museo Reina Sofia, the modern art museum. I didn't take any pictures there, either, though the buildings are interesting as well as the art. The most famous work there is Picasso’s Guernica of which you can find plenty of pictures on line and read of its historical significance. Naturally we went to see it first. There were also especially significant works by Salvador Dali and Joan Miró. Many decades ago I had been introduced to the latter by the cover of a Dave Brubeck album.
We were unable to get tickets to visit the royal palace, and we certainly weren't going to stand in a huge line in the hot sun. So we walked down the street to the cathedral, and I took some pictures there.
To celebrate my special birthday we found a restaurant serving seafood paella and sangria. And on my birthday I solved my 100th Wordle in a row, as documented by the notice from the next morning.
