Saturday 16 June 2012

Madrid

Sorry about my prolonged absence, I've had university exams and moved back home for the summer since my last post hence the hiatus. I've tried to make up for it by finally tarting my blog up a bit! The background for the header is a Cath Kidston pattern. It's funny really as I would never wear Cath Kidston prints but in terms of homeware I love it.

I recently went on holiday with my Mum to Madrid in Spain. We were only there for three days so it was a bit of a hectic trip but I really enjoyed it. Madrid is such a beautiful city. I hold New York and London close to my heart but in terms of architecture Madrid trumps them both. If you are going to Madrid any time soon then I would recommend travelling by the city tour bus. It is quite pricey but its a great way to see the city and you can hop on and off whenever you like. While the metro is easier and cheaper, you don't see anything underground!




The main aim of the trip was arty in nature. My Mum is currently doing a Fine Art degree and has always wanted to visit the Museo del Prado, arguably the most famous art gallery in the world. I'm quite into art myself (nearly pursued it instead of History!) but usually more modern stuff (read: NOT conceptual art) rather than contemprary. However, the Prado was really breathtaking. It was amazing to see some masterpieces in the flesh, however my favourite painting was 'The Execution by Firing Squad of Torrijos and his Companions on the Beach of Malaga' by Antonio Gisbert.

Museo del Prado

'The Execution by Firing Squad of Torrijos and his Companions on the Beach of Malaga' by Antonio Gisbert.

On the third day we visited Reina Sofia gallery which houses Picasso's 'Guernica'. I studied this famous anti-war symbol deeply at A-Level so I really enjoyed getting to see it in the flesh, even if the security surrounding it was a bit OTT. Although I enjoyed the Prado, the art in the Reina Sofia is much more my style. They had some Diane Arbus photographs which made me quite excited as she is one of my favourite photographers ever.

'Guernica' by Pablo Picasso

'Girl in a Shiny Dress' - Diane Arbus

'86 Beauty Contestants in Swimwear' by Jorge Ballester and Joan Cardells (1968)

It was so warm in Madrid that I kept outfits pretty simple. I have a love/hate relationship with this striped dress but it turned out to be great in the hot weather. Considering we were only there three days, I took far too many dresses! However, I bought dresses that I could wear over here with tights as I really can't afford to get clothes to only wear once.



Will do a post on my recent purchases soon as I bought a few lovely dresses and shirts in the past few weeks.

1 comment:

  1. I really want to visit Madrid. While I see what you mean about the bus, I love hopping on and off metros in Spanish cities!

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