Art! Arte!

So today is my last day in Spain and I hit the art scene hard. I went to the Museo Reina Sofia for a dose of contemporary art then headed over to the Prado for some more classical, and I must say enjoyable art. And holy crap did the Prado's collection ever impress me! They have numerous Rubens, Velazquez, Goyas, Titians, Tintorettos, Raphaels, El Grecos, Boschs, etc! I was amazed. The only disappointment was that every single time I tried to take a photo I was either yelled at or the lighting was so bad that the amazing details of say Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights were completely unrecognizable. So, I will pull some much better versions off the internet to give visual examples of what I saw. Here is just a short list for those of you interested: Fra Angelico's Annunciation, Mantegna's Death of the Virgin, Van der Weyden's Descent from the Cross- AWESOME!, Bosch's Table of 7 Deadly Sins and Garden of Earthly Delights, Brueghel's Triumph of Death, Durer's Self Portrait and Adam and Eve, Titian's Bacchanal and Danae and the Gold Shower, El Greco's Adoration of the Shepherds, Poussin's Parnassus, Velazquez's Drinkers, Surrender at Breda, and Las Meninas!, Rubens' 3 Graces, Goya's Naked Maja, Family of Charles IV, The 3rd of May, and Saturn devouring his Child. These are just a few highlights. Im surprised I didnt have a Stendhal moment, but there were definitely some somaesthetic reactions for sure (only AH people will understand this sentence).

So now Im participating in siesta and getting ready for Alfredo's speed walking tour of Madrid and tomorrow's flight to Roma!!!! I cant wait to get to Amelia, unpack, and get to know my home for the next 3 months. I am unaware of the internet situation there, so no promises on when the next post will be, but stay tuned- it might be sooner than you think.

Adios Espana, Ciao Italia!!!

Ole!

So yesterday, after a quick (and I mean quick) little nap, I met up with Ashley and Miguel and their friend Sebastian for some lunch and a walk around their part of town. This city is huge and Im glad to have gotten the chance to see a little bit of it. The BEST part was in Plaza Mayor where an Italian man was dressed in a homemade Spiderman costume. Im talkin about an over-weight, creepy man in tight, TIGHT spandex. Also an observation and complete side-note, the men in Spain like to tuck it to the left. But anyways, I sneakily grabbed a photo of said spiderman at work. One of the best parts about the man was not his outfit, however, it was his posing. One might think as a man/spider hybrid you would pose more elaborately than a right-then-left-then-right contraposto pose. This guy must have thought he was Michelangelo's David the way he worked this stance. Amazing!

So, after that I hopped on the metro and met Miguel after work for a bull fight.

At first I was a little hesitant seeing as these things can be rather violent and cruel. At the same time, I was really excited because my brother, Matt, said this is one thing I must do while in Spain. I am so happy I got to go! We had seats in the 6th row, which provided a perfect view for maximum disgust. At one point I could watch as the blood ran down the bull's body like a waterfall into the dirt. Really it's just another sporting event that I could get into, and simply due to the crowd. People really, REALLY love their bull fighting here. Miguel and I grabbed cheese, chorizo, a baguette and a bottle of wine and headed into the arena. Here are just a few pictures from it. I mean, if you think about it the whole event is rather graphic and morbid, and not for animal lovers. I never really considered myself a PETA advocate, and after this I definitely cannot say I would join their forces. I always knew I had a slight morbid fascination, but after this I can safely say its more than slight. Now don't judge me, but its just an event I really got into and enjoyed thoroughly. I would go again in a heartbeat.

Anyways, after this we met up with the girls and had our own little tapas and drinks at the apartment and finally crashed around 1:30 am. Today we grabbed breakie and then the Venzels and Miguel headed off to San Sebastian for a mini-vacay. I, unfortunately cannot go seeing as my flight is out of Madrid and at the butt-crack of dawn on Sunday. Today I will nap and then head off to the Prado and the Mueso Reina Sophia. There is a free Monet exhibit near the Plaza Mayor I might try to find as well. Today is about art, and maybe tomorrow as well. Miguel's brother, Alfredo, is coming to stay with me Saturday so maybe he will take me around more to see the sights.

Madrid... what a whirlwind!

So I made it to Madrid, safe and sound... after an hour delay, but with luggage! I proceeded to have multiple failed attempts at using a pay phone to locate Ashley, my friend, and decided to jump in a cab with only an address and definitely no map. Some might say this was a mistake...

But anyways, I roll up to Ashleys NEW apartment, out 40 euros, and 100% exhausted (naturally I didnt sleep on the plane when I definitely needed to). But what do I find there: noone! Holy crap- so not only was I loopy from lack of sleep, but I had no phone, no OLD address, and no way of locating the Venzels. After about 10 minutes of almost freaking out (this included numerous plots for going to the bathroom- one of which included a sandwich container) an angel appeared from the elevator in the form of Bridget, Ashelys sister. She rescued me only by fluke and whisked me off to the appropriate location for some much needed R&R.

This is where I find myself now- blogging when I should be napping and getting overly excited for the Prado. I need to charge my camera battery for some photo taking! So more updates to come, but for any follow travelers out there I have one tip: for your own sanity, safety, and survival get a flippin map!!!!

Ciao, or I guess adios!

Ciao Tutti!!!

Ciao! This is my first attempt at blogging, ever, and have decided to document as much as possible of my trip to Amelia, Italy this summer. I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I do... so let's go!

I take off from my hometown of Columbus, Oh tomorrow afternoon and head to Madrid for a quick visit with ex-roommate and current bestie, Ashley! I cannot wait to visit the Prado, and will post some good pics if possible. For now, I just want to say welcome to my blog! I will try to post as often as possible.