Madrid...Dinner and a show!

Today was the last day of our fantastic trip to Spain. Gate 1 Travel put together a thrilling group of guides and experiences to help us gain a taste of Spain, its culture, and its history. This last day of the trip was a whirlwind tour of Spain's largest and capital city, Madrid. We visited the Prado Mueseum, the Royal Palace, enjoyed a free afternoon, and then were treated to a flamenco dance and dinner at Cafe Chinitas.

The Prado museum is a massive collection of art and sculpture. Many of the paintings in the museum originated from previous royal collections. There are roughly only 1500 of the nearly 7800 paintings on display. This is mainly due to a lack of space within the museum. The Prado is home to masterpieces from such artists as Rubens, Goya, El Greco and Velasquez. Perhaps the most famous painting in the museum is Las Meninas by Velasquez. Unfortunately, the no-camera rule of the Prado prohibited us from making any art of our own. Both main stops on the Madrid tour today (the Prado and the Royal Palace) did not allow photograpy inside.

The Royal Palace is no longer inhabited by royalty. While the royal family does not live in the palace, they do use it occasionaly for ceremonies of the state. The palace has over 2000 rooms, of which we were only afforded the time to visit around 25. The Prado and Royal Palace are two of the most important sites in a city that would be difficult to visit well in one month, let alone one day. However, these two sites gave us a taste of the splendor that makes up Spain's capital city.

After visiting the Prado and the Palace, we were afforded free time in the afternoon until our flamenco dinner. This time was perfect for a return visit to the Prado for a more intense look at its walls, for a visit to the Reina Sofia museum that houses works by such artists as Picasso and Dali, for a visit to the Gran Via and its shopping district, or for catching up on much needed rest at the hotel. Those who chose to explore the city found that certain familiar sites of home would pop up occasionally...such as below.

Those who chose to visit the Reina Sofia museum were treated to works by Picasso and Dali, among others. For some strange reason, this museum would allow photos without flash...and without fear of being tackled by security. One of Pablo Picasso's most famous works, Guernica, was on display.

After our free afternoon, we met back at the hotel to head to dinner and a flamenco show. We had the pleasure of enjoying great food, tremendous performances by the dancers and guitarists, and good company during our final evening together in magical Spain. Tomorrow we board our plane to return home.