Hola Espana!

Days ago, we arrived in Spain and began our adventure. We arrived in Madrid and started day one with a trip to the Palacio Real and a walking tour of Madrid. The Palacio Real with magnificent. The rooms were grand and were each themed differently. Some were Asian influenced while others were European influenced.

I have to say that one of my favorite parts of our visit to Madrid had to be the Museo del Prado. The museum had artwork that I have seen in textbooks since I was little!!! I found that the painting called Las Meninas by Velazquez. It was amazing to hear the different stories of its geometrical and astronomical composition. Our tour guide informed us that in the painting, Margarita and the others were placed in specific positions that were to symbolize the stars around the main star (which is Margarita). I was amazed to know that a beautiful painting of a royal family had so much depth and symbolism behind it. It is also has Velazquez painted in the portrait as well.

Also in the museum, I found many paintings and sculptures I had seen previously. One of the portraits was of Mary Tudor, Queen of England and wife of King Philip II of Spain. Being the extreme history nerd that I am, I was determined to find this portrait. I ultimately found it on the last floor of the museum. It was simple, but it was grand. Seeing a picture I have seen over many years up close gives it much more impact. I was able to see many other paintings that I have learned over the years but mostly, I found many of them I learned about in my Art History class. Van der Weyden's Descent from the Cross is one altarpiece we discussed repeatedly in class over the semester. When I saw it at the Museo del Prado, I was surprised at how large it was. It was much bigger than I expected and much more vivid in color.

I never liked art museums until now. Thank you Spain :)

More blogs to come,

Amanda