Bank Holiday Weekend

Unfortunately Jaime has to work this weekend so we couldn't go away, I haven't been paid yet either so a bit strapped for cash at the moment. There has been a severe lack of CELTA students in the past few months which hasn't helped matters!

So with Jaime out of the house and me all on my lonesome I decided a) to clean, b) to watch DVDs and finally c) to do something cultural. The cleaning and DVD viewing took place yesterday leaving me free to wander around the Prado museum today.

This was my second visit to the Prado, but the first was very rushed and carried out rather half-heartedly having already whizzed around the other two museums in the 'Triángulo de oro'. This time I was keen to go investigating the masterpieces of Goya, El Greco, Vélazquez and Rubens among the many other famous painters represented amongst the almost 9,000 paintings within the four walls of this magnificent museum. However, for me the best painting is still the one that I only saw on my first visit to the Prado thanks to a postcard in the gift shop. I was so tired I was falling asleep on my feet when I first saw the picture of the Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch and I remember thinking to myself I have got to find this painting. And find it I did, in Room 56 on the ground floor. And I forgot all about being tired when I was stood gazing at this wonderfully amazing tryptych for about an hour! It was as magical today as the first time I saw it. I find the piece truly intriguing, disturbing yet at the same time brilliant and beautiful and so far I haven't found a piece of art that can captivate me in the same way.