Madrid

We arrived late last night to Madrid, when the soft golden lights on old detailed buildings looked magical and beautiful. Dropped off our backpacks and went out for a midnight dinner.

This morning we had breakfast at a sidewalk cafe in a big plaza, found an old bookstore (a cat dozed between stacks of books on the front desk) to trade the worn paperbacks we've finished for a couple new worn ones. Pickings were slim, but we came out okay. It doesn't seem as hot here as in Barcelona, but maybe that is because we acclimated to the heat in Moroccan.

On our way back to the hotel for lunch, we passed by a palace and a cathedral. We were almost run over by a mob of about 30 men who had been selling fake Dolce and Gabannas and other high end brands on the streets. At first we thought it was a flash mob, but then saw two policemen following behind. We didn't hang around to see what happened.

Spent the afternoon bewildered and entertained at Madrid's modern art museum, the Reina Sofia. Saw the same artist's poo in the same can as we did in Paris. Many similar pieces and same artists seem to be popping up in these world class modern art museums. The main exhibit featured the New Realism movement. The pieces of this movement were first exhibited between 1957 and 1962. What is shocking to us now must have been truly mind blowing then. It was a great museum. Afterwards we strolled through Parc Retiro where people were jogging, cuddling, and playing horseshoes.