I’ve been to one art museum before.  It was nice.  I saw a Van Gough exhibition in Seattle.  And while I don’t remember the exact painting I do remember being impressed by seeing the actual brush strokes and the amount of paint on the canvas.  Lonely Planet has informed me that Madrid is home to three world-class museums and I figured I should check at least one out.  I choose Museo Reina Sofia based on a recommendation from a friend in Washington.  It’s a commitment to get there.  A nearly two hour bus ride followed by a 17-station stop Metro ride (which for awhile we were packed liked sardines)  Truthfully though, I’ve been itching to get out of Buitrago.  So even after we missed the first bus out of town.  Yes, we were not up and ready to go in time to make the 10 am bus, I still wanted to head out.  I knew either way (or at least I guessed that either way) an art museum was not going to be long-lived with three children.  And I was right.  They did enjoy looking at the art and showing there enthusiasm with vigorous pointing which made the museum attendants quite nervous which in turn made my experience less enjoyable.  We made it through 2 of 4 floors.  The kids said their favorite art was Guenica by Pablo Picasso. And it was fun looking through the painting and talking with the kids about what they saw in the painting.  It was the last painting we saw before we left so we did hang around extra long to enjoy it.

IMG_1544 IMG_1545 IMG_1555 IMG_1552 IMG_1559After leaving the museum we headed back toward the metro station (which was really close) and heard drumming and chanting.  Lavender excitedly pronounced it was a parade.  It was instead a protest rally of some sort.  And from my limited ability to understand the news I have gathered that protests in Mardrid are a rather frequent event.  We then left and got on a very crowded metro train.  Standing room only doesn’t even describe it.  But press on we did as our bus only runs every 1.5 hours and I didn’t want to be stuck waiting for the next one.   I enjoyed going into Madrid, eating lunch out and visiting the museum.  Yes, I needed to blow this Popsicle stand.

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Here are the police following the protesters along, as well as the street sweepers. The protesters are off to the left. And yes, I was that tourist that pulled out my camera and took pictures.

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Happy smiles once the metro train cleared out and they got a seat. You couldn’t even see the floor or the walls 3 stops ago.