Four museums within strolling distance a real treat
ART | Whether you're inside or outside, collections and architecture sure to impress
When in Madrid, do as the Madrilenos do, especially if it's a Sunday.
That means eating tapas (which, as many Spaniards will tell you, is only an excuse for drinking wine), strolling through the lush Royal Botanical Gardens, and exploring the four terrific museums nearby that are closely strung along the Paseo del Prado boulevard like so many pearls. Along the way, the people-watching is great fun. Sunday is a big family day and even the tiniest tots (dressed in stylish street urchin outfits) do a great deal of walking. Strollers appear to be a rarity in the city, as do whining and crying.
A few notes about the museums:
THE PRADO: I wish the museum's fabulous collection of paintings by the Old Masters (with the emphasis on such Spanish geniuses as Velasquez, Murillo, Zurbaran and, above all, Goya) were better displayed. But there is much to feast on here. And for a blissful bit of peace and relaxation there is no lovelier place to take a break than the new, cloister-like "addition" to the museum created by architect Rafael Moneo. The space is surrounded by the museum's restoration workshops. Just outside the building you will find a pair of formidable bronze doors specially created by Cristina Iglesias that suggest a fairy tale thicket. And beyond them is a formal clipped boxwood garden. A real oasis.
REINA SOFIA ART GALLERY: In this former hospital (with a lovely interior courtyard garden) you will find endless galleries devoted to the rich and complex world of 20th century Spanish art. The nightmare of the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s looms large here (in films and paintings), and Picasso's monumental canvas "Guernica" is displayed in a room of its own. Leave the museum through architect Jean Nouvel's cold and cavernous recent addition (which houses a restaurant-cafe serving top-notch food) and you will find yourself in Embajadores, a multicultural little neighborhood with real character that is well worth walking around.
THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA MUSEUM: This is an amazing treasury of paintings from the 13th to the 20th century that would benefit greatly from more contemporary curating and display techniques. My favorite discovery? Gilbert Stuart's stunning painting of George Washington's black cook. The museum's more modernized section features changing state-of-the-art exhibits and an excellent (if pricey) gift shop.
CAIXAFORUM MADRID: With its rotating, often multimedia-infused shows (exhibits about Charlie Chaplin and Etruscan art were on view during my visit), this lively, relaxed, manageable place is ideal for families. And even if you don't go in, check out the building itself. Formerly an old power station, it has been brilliantly reinvented by architects Herzog & de Meuron. Its industrial-chic look comes from the addition of two stories clad in rusted steel panels with a sort of lacey trim. And just outside you'll find a gorgeous, tapestry-like vertical garden designed by the French botanist Patrick Blanc.
NOTE: I stayed at the NH Paseo del Prado hotel, smack in the center of the museum neighborhood, and an easy walk to the Atocha train station (itself worth visiting if only for its grand architecture and indoor semi-tropical garden). The hotel's elegant lobby, exceptionally lavish buffet breakfast, and simply unbeatable location compensated for a somewhat shabby room. Estado Puro, the extravagant tapas bar that adjoins the hotel, has delicious food and a super-energized atmosphere.
One additional Sunday pleasure well worth noting is the jam-packed El Rastro street market in the city's Lavapies district. Watch your purse and have fun.