Madrid : Sangria in the Sunlight, Masters on the Walls

Madrid, the capital of Spain, is a city bursting with flavor for all the senses. From the café to the wine, jamón ibérico to huevos rotos, tapas, seafood, peppers, churros — ah, the list goes on — eating is a communal experience. Cozy bars and cafés line the streets and alleys.

Plaza cafés deliver cerveza, Rioja, sangria, and cava to tourists and locals alike. The architecture and the art, visible on the streets or in one of the many museums, surprise and thrill. While February is not lush with vegetation, the parks are beginning to plant their flowers, a few fountains are starting to flow, and the brilliant sun wraps the afternoons in warmth.

The Prado Museum, a world-premier art museum, boasts the largest collection of several major artists. It is the Who’s Who of 15th- to 19th-century art greats. We booked a tour in English to maximize our time, which proved very worthwhile.

We had a genial guide and a small group: a young woman from LA who worked for Delta and was leaving the next day to help coordinate travel arrangements home for Team USA, and an elegant couple from Italy who knew art and were delightful travelers. There was good-natured razzing about the Italian masters versus the Spanish greats. There are so many works to see, but having the context — of the Prado, of the progression of art and artists from the very classical to the more avant-garde — punctuated our visit beautifully.

Previously, while in Barcelona, we had seen Picasso’s 58 paintings — an homage to Velázquez and a reimagining of Las Meninas. Here in Madrid, we saw Velázquez’s inspirational original.

The conversation was lively, the art inspiring. We even saw the vibrant and colorful Mona Lisa — a mirror image of La Gioconda in bright lapis blues and magenta on pinks. Could it, too, have been painted by Da Vinci? A mystery to ponder.

On a beautiful afternoon, the park calls. The mornings have been very chilly, but sunny afternoons bring the people out — ¡De Madrid al cielo! Traversing the city to El Retiro Park, we sat at a café watching the boaters with a sangria or a cerveza,

then wandered over to the majestic lions that guard the monument and testify to the power of Spain (and provide a challenge to park visitors to climb aboard for a picture).

For us, Madrid seems to linger. In the taste of Sangria, in the echo of gallery halls, in the late-afternoon sun warming a chilly day. It is a city of conversation — between past and present, Spanish and Italian masters, locals and travelers. We leave each evening a little fuller, a little warmer, already looking forward to tomorrow.