Travel Log Page 6

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	Madrid (Day2)
	We made it back to Madrid on Thursday. After a little mishap with our train reservations. It turned out they were for a day earlier than we had requested. So after a 12 hour wait and $60 more, we were able to get a sleeper car out of Barcelona at 10 pm. The sleeper car was interesting. We had a small couch, and 2 bunks up on either side of our space. The bed was ok, but not anything that you would want to sleep on for more than one night.
	Museo Del Prado
	We spent the first of at least two days at the Museo Del Prado. Which is one huge art museum. It took us 4 hours just to see some of the 16th and 17th century art. We saw Francisco Calvo Serraller Velazquez’s Las Meninas, or The Family of Philip IV, which the Spanish feel is the greatest masterpiece of the 17th century. In the center of the painting is the child-Infanta Margarita, attended by two meninas (a Portuguese word used at Court for maid-of-honour and pages, which ended up becoming the title of this painting). On the right side is a female dwarf known as Maribarbola, and a male dwarf and buffoon named Nicolas Pertusato, who is kicking a sleeping mastiff dog. In the mirror we see the reflection of the King and Queen as they pose for their portraits, which Velazuez painted himself in as the artist. The fact that he painted himself into the painting shows his high standing and respect for the King
	We also stumble on a vault door leading into a gallery filled with crystal and serving pieces with all kinds of precious stones.
	This green serving plate has pearls, rubies and emeralds embedded into the gold lace. How, and what type of food was served with the pearls was not mentioned. Very elaborate.
	This is a sauce dish.
	Plus, some very spectacular smooth mosaics. These pieces ranged from 2nd century to about the 14th century.

	After dark in Madrid.
	Madrid is a very pretty city at night.
	Puerta del Sol (a plaza) is the place to be at night as everybody comes out to shop and people watch.
	The street venders really come out after dark. They start setting up around 10 pm. All of their wares are placed on clothes on the ground. This makes it easy for them to roll up shop if the police should decide to hassle them.

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