Our European Adventure

Hop-on….Hop-off and Art

CharliExplores4 Comments

For our last two days in Madrid, we bought passes on the Hop-on….Hop-off buses to tour the city and catch some of the sights that we missed.

Hop-on-Hop-off Bus
Hop-on…Hop-off Bus

As in Sydney, we could probably be here for months and never experience it all, but this gave us another flavor of the Madrid.

Impressive
Impressive
Hustle and Bustle of Madrid
Hustle and Bustle of Madrid

 

 

 

More Beautiful Architecture
More Beautiful Architecture
More streets of Madrid
More streets of Madrid

Our tour highlighted the fact that despite the antique quality of much of the architecture, Madrid is an up to date, modern city with subways, live theater it’s got it all.

 

Our tour showed us newer areas of Madrid where old style architecture blended with the new.
Our tour showed us newer areas of Madrid where old style architecture blended with the new.
The rounded structure is an entrance to the subway which we used a lot while in Madrid.
The rounded structure is an entrance to the subway which we used a lot while in Madrid.

 

Live performance of Cabaret.
Live performance of Cabaret.
and The Lion King
The Lion King

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

prado-b02[1]
The National Prado Museum
In the afternoon of the first “Art” day, we visited the Museo National Del Prado (National Prado Museum). This building, built in 1785 to house the National History Cabinet, at the order of King Charles III (here he is yet again).  It was later dedicated as the new Royal Museum of Paintings and Sculptures and opened as such in 1819. It houses works by Goya, Degas, Rembrandt, Ribera, and Regoyos to name a few.

On the second day we went to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

 

 

This mansion was bought by the very wealthy art lovers Baron Van Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his wife Carmen. Between them they amassed the largest private art collection in the world. In 1992 the couple opened The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum to the public. A year later the Spanish government bought the entire mansion and art collection for around $345 million – that’s a nice nest egg.

 

 

Baron Hans Heinrich And Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza
Baron Hans Heinrich And Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza

 

My pictures got a bit mixed, so I’m just going to let you see them and not worry about which picture came from which gallery, okay?  Good then, here goes.

Camille Pissarro
Camille Pissarro

 

Swaying Dancer by Edgar Degas
Swaying Dancer by Edgar Degas
Tom and I found some of the titles on the paintings pretty funny - Portrait of a Young Woman in Profile with a Mask in Her Right Hand
Tom and I found some of the titles on the paintings pretty funny like – Portrait of a Young Woman in Profile with a Mask in Her Right Hand
Claude Monet
Claude Monet
Tom insisted that I put in this painting by Edouard Manet along with a painting by Claude Monet for those like him who couldn't tell there Monet's from their Manet"s
Tom insisted that I put in this painting by Edouard Manet along with a painting by Claude Monet for those like him who couldn’t tell there Monet’s from their Manet”s
Art Student at work.
Art Student at work.

At various locations around the Prado we saw art students learning by imitating the masters. Some of them were very good.

 

If you look closely at this painting by Francisco Goya you'll see that he painted himself painting just behind the people on the left.
If you look closely at this painting by Francisco Goya you’ll see that he painted himself painting just behind the people on the left.
A Statue of Francisco Goya stands at the entrance to the museum grounds.
A Statue of Francisco Goya stands at the entrance to the museum grounds.

There was a large showing of Goya’s works at the Thyssen Museum and a statue of him in front of the museum.

Both Tom and I have come to the conclusion that we just are not all that into Renaissance paintings.

Rubens or not, it just doesn't sing to me.
Rubens or not, it just doesn’t sing to me.

 

 

 

We do however enjoy the impressionists,  sculpture, furniture, pottery… so it was on that which we focused.

Gorgeous tables were also displayed.
Gorgeous tables were also displayed.
One hallway had marble busts displayed. I liked the combination of white and colored marble.
One hallway had marble busts displayed. I liked the combination of white and colored marble.
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer
Jean-Baptiste Monnoyer
Statuary was scattered throughout, but paintings were the most well represented.
Statuary was scattered throughout, but paintings were the most well represented.
Head of a Nude Draped by Pablo Picasso
Head of a Nude Draped by Pablo Picasso I’m not real big on Expressionism either and I think Picasso was pretty much off his rocker, but I like this one even if it has a weird title.

Just a taste of what we saw.

Next stop Paris, wait till we go to the Louver!

 

 

 

 

4 thoughts on “Hop-on….Hop-off and Art”

  1. I am so impressed. Peter won’t travel to Europe. He said he hasn’t seen everything here yet. I would love to go to Sweden to see where my mom’s family originated. Dad came from Canada. We have been there many times. So I am depending on you to show me the sights..lol have fun.

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    • Tom and I are incredibly lucky in that we both love adventure, love to travel, and both want to see the world. We’ve always been frugal and saved and finally have the mortgage paid off, so now is the time while we can enjoy it – and we are! I am delighted that you are coming along and happy to show you the sights.

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