A long weekend in Madrid

This was originally scheduled for 2 months agobut my cat had a hypoglaecemic fit and we had to reschedule.

Readers might wonder why Madrid? it does not rank amongst Europe’s great cities.  I  was persuaded to make my second visit after a captivating programme by Michael Portillo  whose republican father was a Professor of Law at Salamanca.

Madrid is a mix of old and new.  The old is represented by the Royal  Palace and 3 of the best known art museums in the world: The Prado  , Reina  Sofia and Thyssen. The new by its cool remergence after Generalissimo Franco , the mo vida movement and the films of Pedro Amoldivar.  It has eclipsed Barcelona as a financial  centre and the Catayunian city has been mired in independence for the region.  Madrid now has buzzy restaurants and a cool vibe.

 

We were flying out of Gatwick – a dreadful airport that  now has the cheek to charge £6 just for dropping off.  That , a sudden change of airlines and unnecessarily officious security put Bob Tickler in a bad mood and only a large Bloody Mary revived his spirits. As he has a slight mobility issue I arranged special assistance and he enjoyed being whizzed to the front of the departure gate.

 

Aside from Bob, Daffers is accompanying us for restsurant reviews and Alice Mansfield for art and the museums.