isn't the rain in spain supposed to be on the plain? madrid tues

I went to Starbucks for breakfast. At the table next to me, there was a man with his religious man in collar.
Then I went to the Palacio Real. Turns out you have to go through Placa de Oriente to get to it. It is pretty, but it was raining... lots. I could tell it would be a nice place for lots of pictures on a different day.
















I got my ticket and went into the main courtyard after waiting in a loooong line and going through security. There's a nice church just across from the palace too.













The first place you're allowed to go is the royal farmacy. They have ROOMS of ancient looking jars of herbs. It's a little bit ridiculous. I doubt they use any of them-- probably they use modern medicine?
I went inside and the ladies told me to put my umbrella in a bag and that I couldn't take pictures. Ok, what CAN I do? Where am I supposed to go? They repeated the same thing. I asked again and they directed me toward the main staircase of the palace.
It was huge and very grand. Every room in the palace was grand, though, obviously, it's a palace. It was built in 1734 after a fire burned down the original. The rooms almost all had intricated carved ceilings with flowers and scenes of kings and queens or bible stories or greek mythology stories. They also almost all had fancy silk embroidered wall paper. Almost every room had a clock that didn't look like a clock. They all had wooden or stone floors with detailed patterns. Grandiose comes to mind. No photos, though, of course. The current king and queen still deal with state affairs in this palace. There are 2008 rooms in it. I wished I could see more of them! I decided I would like to live in a palace in spite of my conclusion that it would be easy to lose things in it. Not just because of how many rooms it has, but also it would be hard to spot something extra-- it's so over-done already!
There were plaques about which king decorated which room and who lived where. They also told a little history about the most important pieces.
The best rooms were the throne room, the ceramic room, and the main staircase. The throne room had throwns with the king and queen's heads carved into them in gold. There were gold lion statues and gold mirrored armoires around the room. The carpet was red. Lots of details everywhere. The ceramic room had a wooden base with porcelain bits on all of the walls. The seems were covered by vines and leaves. There were intricate patterns and angels. Speaking of angels, there were some heads just floating around on some of the frescos, sometimes pairs. I didn't like them.
There was an Italian family in front of me and a tour group behind me. The family didn't show a lot of respect. They took multiple photos with flash and were loud and one guy even talked on his cell phone! The tour was ok, except if they came in before I got out, I couldn't get around them to the next room!
After that, I went into the Royal Armoury (Armeria). They had armor for humans and for horses on display. Also no photos. My favorite armor was the pieces that were not symmetrical-- different shapes for different weapons on each side.
I got postcards to show the highlights and then went to the cafeteria for lunch. I had a ham and cheese sandwhich and a lemon drink that turned out to be tonic water. BLECH!














I looked at the guidebook and found out the convent I wanted to go to was closed for siesta so I decided to go home to have a break of my own. I watched Project Runway and uploaded Cordoba. I took this pic on the way to the subway.











When I got to the convent, they said their tickets were sold out for the afternoon and I'd have to try back tomorrow. And no, they couldn't sell me a ticket today for a visit tomorrow. I plan to be there at 10:30 sharp when they open, if not 10:25 (thank goodness it isn't earlier!).
I decided to have a walkabout. I wanted to go to Plaza Mayor, but Puerta del Sol happened to be on the way, along with some random alleys. Puerta del Sol is considered to be the center of Spain. All distances are measured from it.











There's a statue in it (which I MEANT to take a picture of) of a bear eating the fruit off of an arbutus tree, which is the symbol of Madrid's coat of arms.
I walked by Chocolateria San Gines. It seems to be a THING because people were taking photos out front and it was PACKED. I have a feeling it's like Ghiradelli to San Francisco. I crossed Calle Mayor (which I BELIEVE is this street).













Then I sort of found Plaza Mayor on accident! It was originally just outside of the city walls, but it's now fairly central. My guidebook calls it Madrid's most handsome public space. Felipe II chose it for a centerpiece of the new capital but only finished the building that's covered in frescoes. Felipe III finished the job in 1617 and added the statue. It was built for processions, plays, pagaents, tournaments, public executions, and bullfights. I forgot to mention when I went to the bullring in Sevilla that they said that originally, before official rings were built, bullfights were held in the main squares of cities!






















Then I went out a far gate and had a bit of a wander. Sometimes, it's nice to just roam and not know exactly where you are and also know that it doesn't REALLY matter! I figured as long as I eventually found a subway stop (and didn't feel unsafe), I could get anywhere!




















I wound up at Mercado de San Miguel. I'd seen something about its traditional food online. I went inside. I browsed the cheeses, meats, sea food, fruits, pastries, wines, etc. Then I had a gofre (like a little waffle) with chocolate sauce and a smoothie.

















Then I headed out to the Museo Nacional del Prado. It's free from 6-8! I took the subway there and asked at the tourist information booth where it was.














The man inside gave me an information PACKET with brochures and a map. I started to walk away but then went back. Annnnd Carnaval? He tried to tell me it's over. No, tomorrow's the last day. Well, yes, there is El Entierro de la Sardina. Yes, where is that. He looked quickly in one of the brochures and made an arrow off the top of my map. He wouldn't tell me exactly! He said it's not very nice and that it's mostly for Spanish people (which clearly sparked my interest even more). I WILL find out more! I'd already spent some time on Google. I'm pretty sure it's a parade (I have a list of places that it goes through) and I think it ends at Casa de Campo, where they burn a sardine and then everyone eats it. I just don't know exactly what I'm looking for at Casa de Campo (fieldhouse?).
My new flyer says: La Alegre Cofradia del Entierro de la Sardina de San Antonio de la Florida, fiel a su cita anual, nos trae la esperada mala noticia: acabo el Carnaval. Es hora de guarder el disfraz y enterrar al humilde pescado. Nos espera un ao duro, es cierto, pero estamos seguros de que Dona Cuaresma, por una vez, no sera tan rigida como acostumbra.
To which googles says: The Alegre Cofradia del Entierro de la Sardina de San Antonio de la Florida, true to its annual event, brings the expected bad news: I just (the end of)Carnival. It's time to save the humble disguise and bury the fish. Ao We have a hard, true (year), but we are confident that Lent, for once, will not be as rigid as usual.
My new flyer also lists the same places as the websites I'd found.













I did continue on to the musuem. Its building was started in 1785 and has been added to fairly constantly since. It's known for its Velazquez and Goya works, although it has loads of paintings by loads of people from loads of places. The place has 102 ROOMS of paintings, sculptures, and other art.
I walked through the whole of the 1st floor. It's got Spanish, German, Flemish, French, Italian, British and Dutch art from 1300-1850. This is where the Velazquez and Goya are supposed to be. They're local and therefore most important. ;)
I was exhausted after about 3 rooms. They were HUGE!! Most of the paintings on the floor I was on were either of Bible-related stories or of ancient people of power (kings, dukes, etc.). Lots of the people looked a bit too pale. Some of them were eerie. A kid by me said "Daddy! It looks like it's in 3D!" which was true about some of them. I couldn't understand why half of the people were clothed and half were just drapped in cloth. Wouldn't everyone have the same standards of dress? It seemed like every painter had done Jesus on the cross and the immaculate conception. Some of the paintings did have English translations about the painter and the story, but it seemed the most bizaree ones didn't. Like some old man biting into a screaming baby's chest. What is that about?! I liked the pictures of 2 fat kids. A lot of Velazquez's children looked like midgets. They had adult faces and odd proportions. Goya had some really cheerful, almost jolly people that practically glowed and some that were ghostly. Some of his perspective and proportions seemed slightly off. I wasn't sure I though he should be in the same category as some of the others. Shhh don't tell the Spanish.
When it 10 minutes until the museum was supposed to close, I went looking for the bathroom. The guard told me I wasn't allowed to go! I couldn't believe it!! I was tired and cranky and almost cried. I went to Burger King across the street for dinner-- a friendly face. (Sidenote: There's Burger King in Sol. I'd seen MacDonald's downstairs and Starbucks across the street and immediately wondered where BK and KFC were-- they're in Sol, just down from Gran Via, where my hostel is. This is a shopping district and like in Korea, I knew we needed all of those chains to be a true tourist destination).
On the way to the subway, I had a movie moment. I was walking on the sidewalk with my umbrella, minding my own business when a bus went through the puddle next to me and splashed up LOADS of water! I almost cried again. (It's supposed to rain for the rest of my time in Madrid and my time in Lisbon). I went home to the internet. I need my connection to the outer world!! I'd been having a tough day, feeling I was ready to go home. I uploaded my pictures and watched some Brothers and Sisters. Those characters are practically my friends. I felt a little better. I'm sure Lisbon and Paris are going to be great, but I ache a little for lame old Moraga, especially Stuie and Mooey.