Entry 2 from Madrid

"Earth" - from "Mirror Suite"
Federico Garcia Lorca

We walk on
an unsilvered
mirror,
a crystal surface
without clouds.
If lilies would grow
backwards,
if roses would grow
backwards,
if all those roots could see the stars
& the dead not close
their eyes,
we would become like swans.


Hola amigos y familia,

We have had two more excellent days here in Madrid. Wednesday we discovered a fun plaza where many locals hang out and shop, the Plaza Santa Ana. Max and Maddy and I pose with Lorca in the Plaza above.

We spent the afternoon in the Parque del Retiro, a 300 acre oasis in the city. It was originally open only to the aristocracy beginning in 1767. 100 years later it was opened to the public. It is very beautiful, with a myriad of things to see and do.

Here is a boating lake, one of the oldest features in the park. It was built in 1631! There are over 6,000 fish in it which occasionally have to be removed for cleaning. What a job that would be!

We were thrilled to happen upon an installation by Andy Goldsworthy in the Retiro's Cystal Palace. The palace was inspired by its British namesake and was built in 1887. Goldsworthy's work is titled "En las entrañas del árbol" and is built inside follow the architecture of the Palace. It is three large, connected domed wood spaces built completely of logs of Scots Pine from the forests in the mountains north of Madrid. The logs are "borrowed" and temporarily diverted from their commercial route in the timber industry. I took some pictures from the outside but no pictures are allowed inside. There are some images at the Museo Naciaonal Centro de Reina Sofía It was completely breathtaking. Jen and I just recently saw "Rivers and Tides", a film about Goldsworthy which is really fantastic. Great music by Fred Frith too!

We ended the day with a favorite of Madrileños - Chocolates con Churros. Imagine Churros dipped in some of the richest chocolate you've ever tasted...with enough chocolate left over to sip. Muy delicioso! The kids really loved it!



Jen's parents, David & Linda, arrived Thursday. Dec. 6 is "Constitution Day" in Spain and the crowds were truly unbelievable. The Plaza Mayor was so crowded you could hardly move. We took a long walk around much of the central old city and got to know more of our surroundings with David & Linda. Today we are heading to the Palacio Real, the Royal Palace, to continue our touristic adventures!

I've found a couple of flamenco shops I hope to check out today (they were closed yesterday) and I'll be getting together with Juan Carlos Melián on Monday to start some music adventures!

Adios!