With paella and sangria? Nope, all good here.
I'm safely in Granada, after quite a silly hassle with the buses in Madrid (Note: Just because you bought the ticket with, say, Greyhound, does not mean you won't be riding on a Megabus bus...).
So a recap of the last few days (over a week now, eek!):
June 2nd: I completely flubbed my final oral exam. I got quizzed on poetry in French. In Verlan (the French word-reversing slang - reverse = versere), "august" should sound like "Hugo." Stupid me for not combing through the entire poem looking for juvenile word play.
June 3rd: Headed to Loches! I had forgotten how simply beautiful Loches was, and I was staying with some absolutely wonderful family friends. I'm already excited to go back to visit the Days (and their dogs) in July! In proper Alabama fashion, I was greeted with a drink on the porch (only here it overlooked the beautiful countryside).
June 4th: We headed into Tours for the Musee des Beaux Arts and the Cathedral there. We also looked at the remnants of an older, grander cathedral that had gotten destroyed somewhere along the way. But was huge.
June 5th: Another house guest of the Days, Laurin, and I went exploring in Loches. Loches is where Joan of Arc convinced the prince to try to seize the throne of France AND where Agnes Sorel, first official mistress of the king and ancestor of nearly all of the French royalty, is buried. They have a dungeon, royal lodgings, and a lovely church, where we got to hammer nails into a stump.
June 6th: Chateaux! Chenonceau - possibly the most beautiful chateau on the planet - Azay le Rideau and Sache. And a little piece of French advice: Ladies, do you want a quality husband? Then marry whoever you like, and honeymoon to the Loire Valley, to look at chateaux. "Maybe head to Italy for some history..." But really it's about the chateaux. Then you'll have yourself a quality husband.
June 7th: Unfortunately, I had to leave Loches for Bordeaux. My thoughts on Bordeaux - when you're older, richer, and have a lot of money to spend - go. Definitely go. When you have money. Not exactly a student friendly city. But I had a FABULOUS hotel - not fancy, but the owner went far out of his way to make sure we were comfortable. He even had flowers in my room when I got there! (In an Evian bottle, which is just cute.)
June 8th: Exploring Bordeaux, lots of churches, lots of wineries, lots of cows. Then hopped on the all-night bus for...
June 9th: MADRID! I stayed with the daughter of the family I'd visited in Loches. And I spent all day (after a nap) in the Prado museum. Holy crap. I thought that a museum having one Titian was cool. Maybe a couple of Titians, an El Greco, you know, you're impressed. Then you go to the Prado. And you immediately enter an entire room full of Titians (who's one of my favorite painters). And your jaw drops, and does not close again until you leave. After one room full of Titians is ANOTHER. Followed by solid walls full of Rubens, Rembrandts, and Velazquezs! And El Grecos - an entire suite of rooms devoted to El Greco! And then some more - Bosch and Fra Angelico and Caravaggio and...
June 10th: Tried to go to the Royal Palace, but it was closed. So I spent the day in the Prado again. Did some walking around Madrid, ate some (delicious) ham. Went to the ham museum.
June 11th: Got on a bus, came to Granada, got some sangria, and am quite happy.
I must confess, I really hate Rubens. Like, a lot. Sounds incredible, though (the museum, and the last week-ish).
ReplyDeleteNo? He's not my ultimate fav, but I definitely like him. Still not as much as Titian, but there are absolutely no artists that compare with my love of Titian.
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