Dia de la Hispanidad (Museums Part 2)

This is a very delayed post, about what I did last Wednesday, October 12th. I have been super busy since then and haven't had time to post.

Last Wednesday was a national holiday here in Spain, called El Día de la Hispanidad. In the US, you might know it as Columbus day, but that name isn't so popular over here. There are lots of celebrations about the discovery of America, and Spain and Spanish culture, on the holiday and the weekend before it. In celebration of the holiday, many museums are free to enter. I chose to spend my day taking advantage of this opportunity.

I began my day at el Museo Sorolla. It is a museum inside of the Sorolla family home dedicated to Sorolla's work. Sorolla, if you didn't know, is a well-known Spanish painter. I did not know too many of his pieces before going to this museum, but I really enjoyed his work. He has a very interesting style, with large brush strokes and not much blending, which makes it difficult to really see what the piece is of unless you are standing far away from it. It provides a lot of interesting ways to look at a piece and see different things. His house is also surrounded by a beautiful garden. I highly recommend going there if you have the chance. Its only 3 euros usually, and definitely worth it. I think it is my favorite museum so far.

After that, I took a bus over to Moncloa, which is near the Parque del Oeste, to go to the Museo de Americas. Before heading to the museum, I stopped in a bar to have a café con leche and read some of the book I brought along. Then I wandered through the park, which is very beautiful, and just enjoyed the lovely weather before heading up the hill to Museo de Americas. As the name suggests, this museum is dedicated to the discovery of America and the cultures that were present at the time. It was very interesting to see this period of time from "the other side". They had very cool artifacts and really interesting facts about the American cultures that existed before the conquistadors arrived. I definitely wouldn't say that this was my favorite museum, but I wouldn't want to miss it if I visited Madrid. It is also usually only 3 euros.

The museums of Madrid are all very beautiful. I especially enjoy the Casa Museo style, where the house of a famous person has been converted into a museum about them. It's really unique, and preserves both their work and their home for future generations.