Spain, Madrid – Trip for Romance VIII

So I choose the works by Titian and El Greco. Titian has 36 paintings there. He created new kind of woman beauty in his “Venuses”. And in pagan bakhanalias he expressed his joy of life… Beauty. He was truly a renaissance man. He painted spontaneously, and he was not worried about questions of next era...

El Greco who lived the second half of his life in Toledo remained a foreigner. He was a foreigner in a country where he lived but even a stranger in the world he lived in. Since his 20ies he lived abroad. First, in Venice, then v Rome, and eventually in Spain. They called him El Greco according to his origin. Even on Crete he painted icons and saints with prolonged figures. I look again and now I see it. Real king of his paintings is light. It is wonder that somebody put it on the painting.

I go on to the Royal Palace (Palacio Real) and cathedral (Catedral de la Almudena) with thin towers and beautiful façade. There are many tourists taking pictures, and on Plaza Mayor is cheerful atmosphere. You can hear laugh and watch young people dancing. People have danced there three centuries. Still something has been celebrated there. Tournaments took part there, koridas and saints were declared there. Ministers were executed there, and heretics were burned to death. The square has operated as theatre scene. Entertainment there has been really diverse. Today, a bunch of Spaniards dance to the sound of guitar and with them foreigners in jeans and enjoy the spirit of Madrid through their own bodies.

I come at Plaza de Espaňa, with a monument of queen and king statues in its center. In front of it, stands the memorial of Cervantes with two iron riders. When brave Don Quixote wandered there with his loyal servant. With risen hand he addresses passersby hurrying for their own wind mills...

The end of my journey is neigh. I write Francis who gave me lift there on the first day. I still have five days of time. Immediately he invites me in. It is mere 250 km from Valencia. Why not. He will nice places around Murcia, thermal springs, and special mills lifting irrigation. The Arabs came up with the idea. In the mill’s wheel there are openings with pockets. They take water up, lift it perpendicularly, and then on the top water flows to irrigation channels.

It is Saturday already. I say my goodbyes to Francis to get me enough time to get to Valencia. Nice Romanian and his friends give me lift. He warmly invites me to his village and lets me sleep over there. On the following day, he has to make a business trip to Valencia. It means a taxi for me. He will take me through the city. At the end, we visit the Museum of Science. It is a fantastic modern complex. Eventually, he takes me to the airport. I sleep over at the river and in the morning I walk to the airport. It was, however, a nice trip…

I would like to thank Mr Jaroslav Vacha – the author of Spanish Way book which helped me to write these articles...

Text and photo: Sylvie Halouzková