GT-One Madrid

Madrid Airport. Grand Tour.... Commence!

First Ups: For those who say I need an editor who isn’t me, I wholeheartedly agree. While this thing is admittedly sprawling and half-formed, a bit like the trip itself, its only goal is to capture. If you consider that the primary audience for this thing is future me (maybe future us) and that it’s already a heavily edited replay of sampled brain traffic, have sympathy for the volume of shit and noise and static that this editor has had to wade through in the moment, and afterwards to even get to this unwieldy, disheveled state. No need to wade through it all, edited or not. See what you make eye contact with and go from there. Second up, for reasons, all of the photos on this and upcoming GT posts are iPhone photos, none are of SLR quality. Phone photos be so flat. I already miss the glass.

Working backwards: 0615 flight to Madrid | 0415 Check in | Leave 0300 | Up 0200. S had just returned from the Gaeltacht the previous afternoon and only just managed to get a couple of washes dried before she was on the road again. D took the approach of not sleeping at all opting instead to sleep on the plane for a few hours. Seemed to have worked out OK for her although there are some extremely pale faces in the airport photos.    

So, the Grand Tour “Families traversed Europe, often for months on end, absorbing every possible palace, party and picnic in the process. For many it was a very long and decadent party for others it was a necessary departure from their homeland until the dust of a divorce, bankruptcy or other social scandal had settled” [1]
 

GT Deets From The Uffizi

Those who respond with a nasal, vocally deep fried ‘Ah! You’re like basically goin’ INTER-RAAAAILIIIIIIIIIIIN’ get immediately excommunicated and snorkelmasked. The plan was for complete cultural immersion in as many artefacts and as much art history and culinary experience as we could squeeze in. “To taste and to touch and to feel as much / As a man can before he repents” The trains were individually booked and the inclusion of the ferry wildcard means the commercially protected phrase “Inter Railing” cannot legally be used. Rucksacks were involved. Cheap cocktails, short shorts and daily sniff tests on 3 rotating items of clothing also featured, but so too did comfortable hotel beds and very tasty meals. So even if it may be a more romantic take on our activities, classic “Inter Railing” was definitely not what we were doing. Given how much schlepping we’d be doing between planes, trains, boats and hotels, my advice to all was travel light. S took that advice to an extreme ‘Alex Honnold scaling El Capitan’ level (see his little hipsack? and his single pair of shoes?), so she was forlornly running the sniff test daily on the same t-shirt and scuds and borrowing shoes and socks through the trip just to stay in the race. She still managed to look scale el-glamorama for dinner though – not sure how, but I was impress. In fact I was impressive. Must be a girl thing. 

Alex Honnold, El Capitan 2025

The first train trip of our illustrious Grand Tour was the unillustrious inter terminal underground driverless train at Madrid airport. Not romantic, but it got our wheels rollin’. 

 

Let's Roll!

After some tasty caprese bagels and a bag drop at the hotel we set off immediately for the first of 2 museum visits scheduled for our first day. The hotel was booked specifically for its location in the middle of the golden triangle of art of The Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museums – all world class museums located just off the Paseo del Prado within the same square kilometer in Madrid where you can step goggle-eyed through the entire history of art.

The first of many, many images of humans studying images

....and images of humans not studying images

The Reina Sofia is free on Sundays (you still need to book tickets). We were in by about 1230, like overheating rats up an airconditioned drainpipe. 

 

The rats have infiltrated the drainpipe... I repeat

 
"Huguette Caland's explorations of the line …demonstrate the art of "continuous line" drawing where the pen or pencil is never lifted from the paper until a thought - cued to an issue of contemporary importance - is completed" The real action was on the 1st floor. Dalis, Magrittes, Kandinskys aplenty with Picasso’s Guernica, a bucket list item of mine and the main draw of the museum. 

 

Aside from the currency of the powerful anti-war statement and the emotional wave on first experiencing it, I was blown away by the scale of the thing. Scale is definitely a theme of this trip. Wave Scale Wander. You really don’t appreciate the visceral impact of a gigantic masterpiece from a photograph the same as you do experiencing it in the flesh. 

"When you go down to that place / It makes a monster of your face / It makes you twisted and unkind / And all the right words hard to find / There's no living to a life / Where all your fears are running rife / And you're mugged by your belief / That you owe it all to grief"

The exhibit includes a room of preparatory sketches – e.g. Mater Dolorosa (Weeping Women) “Mothers who have lost their children and their pain has made them monstrous’ ‘The woman as a machine of suffering’ as Picasso himself described it. Picasso stipulated that his masterpiece would not be shown in Spain until Franco was dead and public liberties were re-established following the demise of Franco’s authoritarian and fascist aligned regime. A timely reminder in the current climate of the importance of learning lessons from history and the critical role art plays in calling out the overreach of power corrupted. We had a return visit the following day (Returnica) and we had a time windowed ticket for the Prado, so after checking into our hotel room, off we went to the fricken’ Prado, an institution dating back 200 years. 

But first, this happened

And in a misguided attempt to recreate the aesthetic, this happened

 "Its origins are largely due to the tastes of Spain’s 16th/17th century monarchs when collectors aimed to assemble as many works as possible by their favourite artists. This explains why the Prado has been described as a museum of painters not of paintings and contains the largest holdings of Bosch, Titian, El Greco, Rubens, Velázquez and Goya. Its collections reflect the history of Spain, whose waning role on the international stage in the 19th century reduced its appeal for foreign artists. Spanish artists now trained and worked abroad: in Rome at the beginning of the century, and from the mid-century onwards in Paris, the new world capital of art. The nationalistic fervour that characterised the entire century is reflected by Spanish artists in canvases celebrating the country’s peoples, landscapes and history. Since its foundation in 1819, the Museo del Prado has played a key role in the evolution of art history. It has been crucial for the rediscovery of artists such as El Greco, and for elevating Velázquez as one of the greatest figures in the Spanish painting. Its galleries have inspired some of the most avant-garde painters of the past 150 years"

Before you even get to the art, the building is incredibly impressive. A modern, massive, airy reception area with multiple wings and levels leading off to the most comprehensive collection of Spanish art anywhere in the world, plus one of the world’s best collections of European art (12th to 20th century). 

 I’ve always bristled at lost opportunities when a museum blurb states that it would take DAYS! to truly explore the exhibits, when your flight home is in 3 hours. Well, we were truly blessed (and sufficiently organised) to have 3 visits booked over 3 days to truly explore the Prado. So we went ham - Iberico Ham. 3 half days at the Prado, 2 half days at the Sofia and 1 half day at the Thyssen worked out perfectly. There’s a very strict no photos rule in the Prado and it’s enforced with comical determination by staff who live their interior lives in slow motion replays of successful foto-interventions. Their over-enthusiastic, Guardians of the Art Galaxy attitude, visible even in their stance, reminded me of the movie Dodgeball. It really impacted the experience for me. Yes, in theory it makes you more present to engage with the art in person, but for someone wired like me where photos (and over the course of a lifetime, a words and pictures resource like this one) provide the necessary visual breadcrumbs to a narrative that would otherwise evaporate forever, not having visual snapshots of favourite pieces or the accompanying informational blurbs really does impact my retention of an experience. I took notes on my phone but when you factor in the guaranteed typos into a quadruple barrel Spanish artist’s name (AI popup: ‘I see you’re trying to make a paella’) it’s pretty painful. First world, 21st century complaint obviously but in any world, in any century, art just wants to be free. Even the art that costs hundreds of millions of alleged dollars. 

Anyways, all to be quickly forgotten on first interaction with Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights triptych [~1500] – another bucket list painting for me. The chaos contained within the 3 elements, plus the exterior panels visible from the back, as your eyes wander is immersive and wavemaking. Real and imaginary organisms, fruits, birds and animals are depicted in fascinating detail in highly bizarre interactions. From Wikipedia: “There is no perspectival order in the foreground, which comprises a series of small motifs wherein proportion and terrestrial logic are abandoned. Bosch presents the viewer with gigantic ducks playing with tiny humans under cover of oversized fruit; fish walking on land while birds dwell in the water; a passionate couple encased in an amniotic fluid bubble; and a man inside of a red fruit staring at a mouse in a transparent cylinder” It was an utter joy to hear the dry as fuck, heavily accented audio guide lady matter of factly utter the words “..where a man can plainly be seen expelling coins from his anus….” And that’s one of the least controversial images depicted across the universe of these crazy paintings. The darkness of the hellscape on the right hand side depicting “The Fall”, post the preceding Utopia where lives are being lived without consequence, resonated with the time waves for me. 

 

Passing by the Reina Sofia on our way to Atocha to leave Madrid

"Bosch depicts a world in which humans have succumbed to temptations that lead to evil and reap eternal damnation...and presents a tableau that has shifted from the paradise of the centre image to a spectacle of cruel torture and retribution...The viewer is made witness to cities on fire in the background; war, torture chambers, infernal taverns, and demons in the midground, and mutated animals feeding on human flesh in the foreground.. Large explosions in the background throw light through the city gates and spill into the water in the midground their fiery reflection turning the water below into blood... The light illuminates a road filled with fleeing figures, while hordes of tormentors prepare to burn a neighbouring village.... Animals are shown punishing humans, subjecting them to nightmarish torments that may symbolise the seven deadly sins, matching the torment to the sin. Sitting on an object that may be a toilet or a throne, the panel's centrepiece is a gigantic bird-headed monster feasting on human corpses, which he excretes through a cavity below him, into the transparent chamber pot on which he sits. The monster is sometimes referred to as the "Prince of Hell," a name derived from the cauldron he wears on his head, perhaps representing a debased crown. At his feet, a female has her face reflected on the buttocks of a demon. Further to the left, next to a hare-headed demon, a group of naked persons around a toppled gambling table are being massacred with swords and knives. Other brutal violence is shown by a knight torn down and eaten up by a pack of wolves to the right of the tree-man..... In the lower right-hand corner, a man is approached by a pig wearing the veil of a nun. The pig is shown trying to seduce the man to sign legal documents"
Hordes of tormentors? Cruel torture and retribution? BirdsNest headed monster wearing a debased crown? Pig coercing the signing of legal documents? Remind you of anyplace, anyone in particular? We’re moving towards the hellscapes of Hieronymus Bosch. 

"The entire Earth is fighting / All the world is at its end / Just in case an atom bomb / Comes falling on my lawn / I should say, and you should hear / I've loved, I've loved the good times here / I've loved our good times here"

Time Travel To A Barcelona Picture Frame Window

I’d highly recommend clicking trough the high res image links and just scanning. Standing 3 feet from the canvas and scanning was a mesmerising core-memory experience and one of the highlights of my artistic Grand Tour for sure. 

Back Panel High Res | Left Panel High Res | Middle Panel High Res | Right Panel High Res

 

Amigos

Day1 of the Grand Tour and we see Guernica and Garden of Earthly delights in the one afternoon in 2 different museums. Not a bad start. I’d also glimpsed my first few Goyas and piqued my appetite for a deep fascination over the next couple of visits. 

A rare example of Goya's photorealism phase

Back in the land of Earthly Needs, I was craving some nutrition so I wandered across town in the heat to eat wholefoods while the girls were more than happy to do a McDonalds. They’d seen an ad at the airport for a highly exotic, limited edition Pistachio McFlurry (could be Javier Bardem’s Irish cousin). I predicted one would be sourced and consumed for research purposes at some point on the trip. Took my girls less than 6 hours. Champions.
 

 

GT-Two Madrid

Life is life. Banananana.

7am breakfast at hotel – even though it wasn’t included, we were offered it for free ‘just to try it’. It was not great at all and the server, a real life Mater Dolorosa, was dour indeed. Absolutely not worth €25 each / €100 per day when there were excellent cafes and bakeries within 5mins walk offering much better fare for quarter of the price. Shitty hotel breakfasts – you can’t give them away. 

S sick with the head cold we’d all eventually endure, opted to sleep the morning out in her big hotel bed. Me, M & D had a 10am start for Prado Day2. A TINY Mango Passion & Lemon Fluffy for €10 at Café Prado. We declined, but took photos because the expression “Lemon Fluffy” is a funny thing and the price was just as ridiculous. 

Café Prado Sans Lemon Floofy

My first exposure to El Greco. More in depth on Goya, particularly his dark paintings which were truly haunting. Back to the hotel where I wangled a room upgrade for the parents. Old room was dark, long and had no shower door. New room came with a balcony and natural light. Never a better intercession was made. 

Gracias Signor Vino!

 Delighted to have S join us for Sofia Reina 2 in the afternoon

 

Returnica

Even before you get stuck into the mesmerising details. the sheer scale of Picasso’s masterpiece Guernica is overwhelming. Here's an excellent resource to dive deeper into all things Guernica.

Sweltering hot day, tapas al fresco streetside with an unexpectedly very strong Belgian beer. Unrequested egg tapas in the sunlight becoming less desirable for every second spent in the heat. Wine for the ladies. Then wine for me too. A fotowalk for me PM. First visit of Signor Vino who would become a regular visitor on this tour, like an off-license Santa Clause shinning his way up to our balcony to deposit good cheer in the form of refreshing white wine, and sometimes, oddly, cripps. A glorious Summer evening walk up the Paseo del Prado, brought me nostalgic towards the Paseo del Prado in Havana – up to this point my favourite boulevard in the whole wide world.  

In a city this hot, shade is the thing. And Paseo del Prado provides glorious arboreal shade at any hour. There’s a lovely, neighbourly culture in Madrid of stopping, sitting, chatting, all facilitated by thoughtfully appointed and plentifully sprinkled sit spots overlooked by ancient shade. It’s common during the hottest siesta hours of 3-5pm to see folks of all professional persuasions and none (shout out!) to be perched with a small beer, languidly refreshing themselves or just plain avoiding exertion. A solo siesta is totally fine too, Madrileños/Madrileñas are very comfortable in their skin. Madrid is all about the connections and everyone is so well turned out. 

We were on our way to Barracuda MX in the Retiro neighbourhood. This chef’s story is that his was the first Mexican restaurant ever to earn a Michelin star in Europe. That was pre-Covid and that spot has since closed down. But this current iteration is absolutely top notch. 

A truly cracking Mexican - the first great Mexican meal I've ever had without rice, without cheese, without wheat. Maybe that means the first good Mexican I've had outside of the US. We started with crazy smoky, spicy margaritas and they were very, very good. 

Spicy!

There’s a half page on the menu devoted solely to different types of guacamole  – which I have to say was the thing that turned my head when looking at booking it 3 or 4 weeks prior. The chips and guac that landed before our starters were incredibly good. Smoky, spicy, creamy, citrusy, flavours and flavour combinations I’d never even dreamt of – all on top of the freshest, sweetest tortilla chips. [My culinary vocabulary fails me – see descriptions from the menu in square brackets for a better idea]. S had recently, randomly expressed interest in visiting a Taco Bell at some point in her lifetime. Apparently they’re opening their first Irish branch soon. Anyways, these nextlevelheavenly tacos have ruined every possible iteration of future taco for S and the rest of us. [Bonito Chicarrón Tacos w/serrano chile emulsion & pickled red cabbage |Rib-Eye Tacos w/toreado padrón peppers & morita chile sauce | Al Pastor Iberian Pork Tacos w/tomatillo & chipotle sauce, onion, cilantro & pineapple | Carnitas Tacos Iberian pork confit, avocado & jalapeño chili sauce | Wagyu Brisket Tacos w/green tomatillo & morita chili sauce | Grilled Sweet Potato Tacos w/jalapeño kefir, crispy kale, and mexican seeds]

Grilled Seabass A La Talla w/red guajillo adobo & green poblano chili adobo

 I had one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever had – a full side of Sea Bass grilled Mexican style, covered again with all sorts of stuff I couldn’t possibly describe, with more indescribably tasty small pots of stuff on the side.

 

Whatever it was, it's gone

M and S had grilled Short Rib w/green tomatillo & beans sauce, D went with Grilled Bone Marrow w/Red Toreado Tuna Tartare corn tostadas & serrano chili emulsion. One of the girls' last meals before we left home was the inspired result of an empty pre-holiday pantry, a scrambling together of available ingredients to feed my family something more nutritious than a Pistachio McFlurry. I came up with Peanut Butter & Jelly Quesadillas. They really were not impressed at the time and the mindblowingly delicious quesadillas available here did serious damage to my already faltering culinary reputation [Blue Corn Huitlacoche Quesadillas w/charred tomatillo sauce, guajillo chile emulsion & ranch-style cream] A hazard which I re-experienced the following night with Papo e Ceci. Turns out one person’s yum is another’s WTF. 

"Aren't we made to be crowded together, like leaves?"

 

Public Service Announcement: unabashedly gushy descriptions of our great Grand Tour meals will be a feature of the coming dispatches. Reviewing the entire trip, the food and the communal meals are as much of a highlight as any of the other culture. As a family we’ve always loved sitting down together over a good meal in a hospitable environment. We make a huge effort to eat together, even at home, which according to the girls is exceptional among their peers. I believe that communal good food - sometimes with wine, and all the conversations and discussions, debriefs and disagreements of the day which flow in waves around the table from those simple ingredients, is the cornerstone for all culture, making it a key element for any cultural trip. And it has always been so for our family. Ref "Best gnocchi in Oslo?" Bottom line, we don’t intend to be flexy at all. These meals are huge treats for us. Never indulgence, always riding the waves of cultural research. This is obviously why our first good meal in Spain was a Mexican meal. Kind of like your first meal as a tourist in England being an Irish Stew with boxty and coddle to start and haggis for dessert. As with all elements of culture, the colonist oppressors get to bring home the tastiest morsels. Or get poisoned by them where they live. Dodgy coddle = ultimate revenge. We mixed it up throughout the trip with Spanish and Italian deli picnics on hotel balconies or hotel floors, attempts at frugality, forever trying to recreate a legendary kerbstone picnic one glorious September afternoon on Ischia island. Miel, lune, media lunas, spoon. 

 

The Blue & Orange Grand Tour Plates

The original Grand Tourists were a bit grabby, notorious for pillaging paintings, sculptures, antiquities, bits off the Coliseum and bringing them home as “souvenirs”. We picked up 2 baby blue and burnt orange enamel plates, some tardis-y Tupperware and some gorgeous hammered tin implements in Madrid as our souvenirs early on the trip and they served us well for ad hoc picnics everywhere ever since. A buzzy stroll (not the streetlights, not the fireflies - us) back up the Prado to our hotel and happily to bed with a bellyful of Mexican. 

Umami, the place up the street

OSOM the place across from Umami, the place up the street

The following morning: smoothies and freshly baked cinnamon rolls from Umami again the breakfast of choice for the girls. Eaten at a fountain on the Prado first thing. Prado Day 3. 

Beautiful Summer morning sunlight on Paseo del Prado

At this point we’re getting good at proceeding straight to popular rooms or exhibits straight out of the traps on museum opening. It’s amazing the difference 5 minutes in a sparsely populated room with a masterpiece can do for you – that compared to sharing space with multiple international flashmobs and their intrusive hardware on guided tours. The first of those tours will have made its way to the outer reaches of the museum usually within 10-15mins of opening. We’re also getting better at drawing parallels or spotting cross references. E.g. Goya’s Saturn Devouring His Son | Ruben’s Saturn. Or Goya’s antiwar 3rd of May and its influence on the form of another antiwar masterpiece -  Picasso’s Guernica. I “discovered” and fell in love with Goya on this visit to Madrid. You’d need to research for a month and come back for a full week straight of visits to his work to come close to getting your arms around his life’s work. Amazing artist. 

Goya - Drowning Dog (1820 - 1823)

M brought S to Goya’s dark room (she had missed it yesterday) while me and D headed back to Hieronymus Bosch for another head melt. All that done, as a follow up to the previous evenings Mexicanidad, there was a beautiful exhibition on Guadalupe of Mexico – the first globalised Marian image. Some of the exhibits were stunningly ornate and intricate - amazing what holy things can be done with hammered tin and brass. Imagine “the bang and the clatter as an angel hits the ground” The Marian icons coming out of Mexico in the 15th and 16th centuries prominently featured the radial solar mandorla- the almond-shaped radiating oval that surrounds holy folks in moments of divine transfiguration or glory, symbolising the intersection of heaven and earth. 

Definitely makes for some visually stunning artefacts which stop you in your tracks – missionary / visionary artists doing their jobs I guess. Because it’s the Prado, I have no visual aide-mémoire. So here’s a link. “So far, so close: Guadalupe, Mexico, in Spain casts an unprecedented gaze on the artistic dialogue between Latin America and Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries and shows how the Virgin of Guadalupe was reinterpreted, reproduced and venerated on both continents” 

 A well earned vegetarian lunch for me & M. The place, literally around the corner from our hotel, was exquisite and very reasonable.  A long fotowalk for me in the afternoon. I was supposed to be looking for new hiking shoes but got highly distracted taking photos, tying one hand behind my back like a masochist, forcing myself to use a prime lens for street photography. Girls went shopping and had a very successful trip. 

A beautiful balcony picnic of sourdough bread, gouda cheese, fresh tomatoes, cuke, olives & anchovies and CRIPPS set up stealthily by Signor Vino (who also dropped off some wine!) as we siesta’d. 

Later we schlepped up the hill for some delicious Gelato at a Patagonian (?) Gelaterie up the street past the Jazz club we never visited. 

CRIPPS!

Our last day full day in Madrid brought one of the busiest, highlight filled days of the trip. Started with a nutritious early breakfast and great coffee at OSOM. The girls opted again for take away smoothies and fresh cinnamon rolls from Umami bakery up the street which were consumed in the leisurin’ style in the shade of a palm tree on the Prado. Sure what else would we be doin? 

Some incredible models of details from Prado masterpieces

Our schedule told us we had tickets to the Thyssen-Bornemiszamuseum  |  Guide To Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum: Masterpieces & Tips - The Geographical Cure It’s technically a private collection, but it’s exceptionally good. It’s the collection of Baron Heinrich Thyssen and his son Hans (steel magnates, those of the same parish as the Thyssen Krupp elevator company).  

S with Lichtenestein POP

At this point we’d become fully naturalised to artistic masterpieces around every corner. We’d maybe become a bit cheeky as we ran through the galleries only stopping when one piece of the abundant art on the walls stopped us in our tracks. 

Girls With Rothko

 

Me With Ross Bleckner

De Goyls With Degas

This collection includes (in order of appearance in my photos) the breathtaking photorealism of Richard Estes, iconic works of Pop Art by Roy Lichtenstein and stunning portraits by Lucien Freud. 

Gino Severino - Expansion Of Light (1914)

The Girls Mesmerised By Richard Estes' Photorealism

I’m not fond of the idea of just listing out artists and artworks but I do want to capture some of the sheer volume of iconic art in this collection. I’d recommend anyone go visit any or all 3 of the museums in Madrid for a complete immersion. This list comprises only the artworks that jumped off the wall at me so that I took note of or a photo of: Robert Rauschenberg (who we meet again in Milan); Mark Rothko; Josef Albers; 

 

Georgia O’Keefe - Sun Prairie 1887 Santa Fe 1986 (1925)

Georgia O’Keefe; Edward Hopper’s perfectly enigmatic Hotel Room; George Grosz - Street Scene + Metropolis; Otto Dix; Paul Klee; Max Ernst; Salvador Dali; Joan Miro; Lazslo Maholy-Nagy (whose work we first saw in Prague when we were small); Fernand Léger; Sonia Delaunay; Gino Severini (Expansion Of Light + Woman At Window); 

Marc Chagall - The Cock (1928)

Marc Chagall (The Cock); Vladimir Burliuk (Ukrainian Peasant Woman); Wassily Kandinsky (In The Bright Oval); Emil Nolde (Glowing Sunflowers); Lyonel Feininger (Architecture II); Otto Mueller; Mijail Larionov (Blue Nude); Edvard Munch; Joaquin Sorolla!; Alexej Von Jawlensky (Child With Doll - new one on me); 

Egon Schiele - Houses On The River (1914)

Egon Schiele (Houses On The River - my first in person brush with Egon, one of my favourite artists); Andre Derain; Vincent Van Gogh; Edgar Degas; Pierre-Auguste Renoir; Winslow Homer; 

 Martin Johnson-Heade ; John Singer Sargent (Portrait of Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland). His Venetian Onion Seller had a huge impact on M; Claude Monet; Camille Pissarro; Paul Gaugin; Henri Martin; Gustave Loiseau; Jean Metzinger; Maximillien Luce; Paul Delvaux

Making My Own Art

On the 3^rd floor lived some of the more classical pieces by Rembrandt; Bronzino; Ricci. Overall, what a collection! There were multiple other side exhibits, all excellent. Isabelle Coixet Collages (A COLLAGE?) was particularly interesting for D who is a budding collage artist. 

 

 

 

TBC From Upstairs - It's The Faces That Grab You

M says the 3 days in the Prado got her in the headspace to be mindblown-at Thyssen. After an early start, we were done by 130pm and we all headed back to that nice vegetarian place around the corner for Gazpacho for some quality nutrition and wine to power us through the afternoon. 

We hadn’t any tickets pre-purchased for the afternoon but D in her research had spotted a Banksy museum maybe a 40min walk from our hotel. Off we trotted in the extreme heat and got in comfortably, no Q’s, no packed gallery. 

Banksy, Mixing Up The Classics

This exhibition shouldn’t have worked but we all really enjoyed it. Because the work is mostly stencilled graffiti, it can be recreated pretty much anywhere. I’m not sure of Banksy’s involvement in the endeavour, nothing referenced on the website. Astute social commentary served up with an anarchic wit. The Israel / Palestine work he completed almost a decade ago particularly resonated. Brings to mind that book: “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always BeenAgainst This” by Omar El Akkad, a frequently referenced source on international complicity with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

Me n D Been Going Through A Tarantino Phase Right Now

Great art is eternal as is the resonance of the recurring, universal themes which continue to capture the imagination of our most imaginative and creative citizens. Banksy’s Warholesque prints of Kate Moss were a fantastically quirky surprise and offered a welcome counterbalance to the geopolitical heaviness as we exited the exhibition - through the giftshop of course. 

Home again in the heat, passing a vintage clothes store where the girls did some damage. Back to the hotel for a quick rest, during which the Very Reverend SIGNOR VIGNO arrived silently, enabling the continuation of the tradition of prinks on the balcony with Fontaines blaring. Dinner booked for 8pm at NOI (“noy”) a 20min walk up the Prado. 

Walking Up The Prado On The Way To NOI

This place turned out to be the absolute bomb diggedy, the quintessential research reward. Probably one of the best all round dining and hospitality experiences I’ve ever had. 

Given that this meal has come up several times when biding time discussing overall highlights for the trip on trains or at ferry terminals, seems we all enjoyed it muy muy immensely. Think Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory meets David Lynch's red curtains, but instead of confectionery think quality Italian food. effortlessly excellent hospitality and opulent, spacious yet relaxed environment. 

We were guided towards a round booth table which immediately brought me great joy. Probably predates this trip, but I’ve developed a huge grá for dining at a round table. Within moments of being seated my spidey senses had me smiling like a cheshire cat, knowing that this was going to be a very pleasant and memorable experience.  And so it was. 

We’d just watched the last season of the Bear before we came out, so we’re obviously steeped in the mechanics of fine dining establishments. I haven't seen Twin Peaks in 20 years, but the memories are strong.

Aperitifs with branded ice cubes, the freshest, softest cheesy bread you can ever imagine (thanks S for the recommendation), grissini that were an event in themselves, the chef’s famous hot tomato dip which is stewed and reduced for days with the goal of mesmerising the palate. 

Our excellent server walked us through the menu, giving us options which allowed us to order in standard / half /sharing portions, enabling us to sample a broader selection of the menu. I had Spaghettone Cacio E Pepe (what’s known at home a Papo e Ceci) and honestly, following up from Monday night’s quesadilla thrashing, my culinary reputation was destroyed forever by the quality of this dish. 

 

Of course the girls took the liberty of tasting mine for comparison purposes. There’s a Tagliatelle Ragu Pugliese and a Rigatoni Pummarola on the receipt aswell. Some crazy good desserts to finish, including a Tiramisu and a Cannolo and digestifs. We waddled out of there sideways so much more culinarily enlightened than when we went in. 10/10 would love to say we’ll be back, hopefully we will. 

M's Favourite Photo Of The Grand Tour

Walked back along the balmy midnight Prado, streeesing. We were all pulling strenuous and excited shapes in the post-meal photos so we thoroughly let ourselves go and must have enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. What a beautiful street Paseo de Prado is. It’s more than a street. It’s a multi-lane artery, a tree-lined linear park brim-full of all the humanity that happens when a boiling hot city draws its occupants outdoors onto the public stage of Summertime. 

"And in the foggy dew, I saw you throwing shapes around / It was underneath the waking of a Dublin City sky"

Life Is A Stage...

.....And I'm Pig Sayers

Isabelle Coixet - Finally, Everyone Had Taken A Picture Of Everything