Madrid, Spain
I arrived at my hotel by 10:30 last night and went out for a light dinner. Most of the restaurants don´t open until 9:00 p.m. for dinner, and many stay open until 2:00 a.m., so I had no problem finding a decent place to eat.
When I got back to my room (a small, clean room in an old apartment building in the center of the city), I took some melatonin and went to sleep. I slept soundly until about 9:00 this morning. The city really doesn´t wake up until 10:00 a.m., so my timing was perfect. Surprisingly, the melatonin really worked, and I feel perfectly normal today with no signs of jetlag.
I had breakfast in a small cafe on La Puerta del Sol. I ordered the ¨Madrileño desayuno¨ which consisted of churros (a donut-like pastry) and a cup of chocolate (more like a cup of thick melted chocolate than our creamy hot-chocolate drink). Afterwords I went walking around the old city. It´s an incredibly beautiful place -- clean and quaint. The town has a carnival atmosphere as people prepare for the New Year´s Eve festivities on La Puerta del Sol. Street vendors are selling masks and wigs for the big party, and there is much discussion about who´s going to be where and when. The town is full of Spanish tourists who have arrived in recent days to party in the capital. I was in good company strolling around town with my map in hand.
I visited three churches today. The statuary is remarkable. I imagine Mel Gibson visited Madrid to inspire his blood-drenched ¨Passion of Christ.¨ The many manifestations of the Virgin look ever so sad as her son is whipped into a bloody mess. I attended a noon mass at the Basilica de San Isidro. There was great pageantry for a noon mass on a Friday.
On the night before I left Honolulu, Elena and I visited my friend Mark. His daughter, Susannah, had several toy horses out on the living room floor when we arrived. (I think she had received these horses as Christmas gifts.) The horses all had names, personalities, and distinct relationships with each other. Elena asked if the horses had a stable, and Susannah said no, but they clearly needed one. The stable would complete the fantasy. A child´s toys take on a life of their own. The plastic horses become imaginary friends with fully developed life stories. The stable becomes the imaginary universe in which these friends live. The child can delve into that universe.
The church is like a giant doll house. The priest recounts the stories of the imaginary friends that surround the congregation. The congregation lives the fantasy.
I´m not sure if it´s quaint, horrifying, or just human.
It´s siesta time.
I arrived at my hotel by 10:30 last night and went out for a light dinner. Most of the restaurants don´t open until 9:00 p.m. for dinner, and many stay open until 2:00 a.m., so I had no problem finding a decent place to eat.
When I got back to my room (a small, clean room in an old apartment building in the center of the city), I took some melatonin and went to sleep. I slept soundly until about 9:00 this morning. The city really doesn´t wake up until 10:00 a.m., so my timing was perfect. Surprisingly, the melatonin really worked, and I feel perfectly normal today with no signs of jetlag.
I had breakfast in a small cafe on La Puerta del Sol. I ordered the ¨Madrileño desayuno¨ which consisted of churros (a donut-like pastry) and a cup of chocolate (more like a cup of thick melted chocolate than our creamy hot-chocolate drink). Afterwords I went walking around the old city. It´s an incredibly beautiful place -- clean and quaint. The town has a carnival atmosphere as people prepare for the New Year´s Eve festivities on La Puerta del Sol. Street vendors are selling masks and wigs for the big party, and there is much discussion about who´s going to be where and when. The town is full of Spanish tourists who have arrived in recent days to party in the capital. I was in good company strolling around town with my map in hand.
I visited three churches today. The statuary is remarkable. I imagine Mel Gibson visited Madrid to inspire his blood-drenched ¨Passion of Christ.¨ The many manifestations of the Virgin look ever so sad as her son is whipped into a bloody mess. I attended a noon mass at the Basilica de San Isidro. There was great pageantry for a noon mass on a Friday.
On the night before I left Honolulu, Elena and I visited my friend Mark. His daughter, Susannah, had several toy horses out on the living room floor when we arrived. (I think she had received these horses as Christmas gifts.) The horses all had names, personalities, and distinct relationships with each other. Elena asked if the horses had a stable, and Susannah said no, but they clearly needed one. The stable would complete the fantasy. A child´s toys take on a life of their own. The plastic horses become imaginary friends with fully developed life stories. The stable becomes the imaginary universe in which these friends live. The child can delve into that universe.
The church is like a giant doll house. The priest recounts the stories of the imaginary friends that surround the congregation. The congregation lives the fantasy.
I´m not sure if it´s quaint, horrifying, or just human.
It´s siesta time.
posted by Eric at 3:09 PM
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