The Reina Sofia

 In 1969, this massive building was transformed from a hospital to a Museum of Modern Art. The Hallways are massive, and I could immediately imagine the gurneys going up and down the corridors, which all looked out onto an outdoor courtyard. 

This is a watercolor I did to copy one of the modern paintings. Today we see this style all the time but back in the 1930's this was considered cutting edge art. 

Tennis Player on Yellow 1933 

by Willi Baumeister

Swallow by Joan Miró 

1937

I love the combination of paint,  paper, and lines. 

Joan Miró

Retrato 11

1938

Candy and I are in front of 

The Woman of Guernica 

Pablo Picasso 1937

And of course, the best part of soaking in art is finding art wherever you go next.    

I took this photo on the rooftop of the museum, Black and White, of course. 

And here is a view of the foyer to our apartment.

Check out the lighting! Is this good art or bad art? You decide. 

The Unspeakable Beauty of Toledo

 I hesitate to write about Toledo. The town has maintained its medieval presence. And so it was easy to get lost in the past. It seems to me that spirituality, religions, and science were blended together. Technological advances were slower. And there was no separation between spirituality and religion. There was religious tolerance for a while , but the Spanish Inquisition put an end to that. I came away with dozens more questions than answers.  And I am not sure how to get them answered. 

Here are a few

1) Do societies that embrace free speech foster science? Is this what progressive means? 

2) In Toledo, what did the Christians, Jews, and Muslims contribute to astronomy? Or construction?

3) Was there a stronger Roman influence in France than Spain due to its proximity? And did that make for better roads, aqueducts and agriculture and medicine? 

4) How were ideas exchanged from town to town? 

5) What role did beauty play in the construction? Were they said to be inspired by GOD? What was life like when everyone embraced the idea of a soul and Father? How did it elevate its people, and how did it divide them? 

I think I need to research and get back to this. It's all basic history. Now that I have seen the place, my interest is peaked. 

Was the water always this muddy? Is this seasonal after the storm mud? Climate changes? Control of the water upstream?

I bought one of these sketches. They were all very good. Is he from Toledo? What is his story? It seems as if he has had a hard life and only worked with a ballpoint pen and lightweight paper. Now I wish I had bought them all.

What is it like to grow up in a town that has been around longer than any relative you can remember? Are there people who live there now and can trace their roots back to the Middle Ages? New York City has a history, but it is also constantly changing its architecture. So you get a sense of time passing. Here, there is great care to preserve the past. 

My travel buddy Candy, who traces her Sephardic Jewish past to this area. 

This was a private synagogue. And is now a museum. Built in the style of the day. To us, it looks Islamic, but at the time, it was just the style the area. 

Ancient Jewish Carvings. 

The building on the left is a great example of the brick and rock mixtures so typical of this city.

And here was our wonderful and knowledgeable guide. 

Sandra, Candy, and Alex

The header just over this doorway was taken from an abandoned Jewish Cemetery.  

Townmap

Miguel de Cervantes wrote his story, Don Quixote which begins in the Imperial city of  1605 Toledo

Moreno Moreano. I'll take them both. 

Mother Daughter Dynamic Duo

Made it to Madrid

Spain is known for its Tapas, and this open-air market is a perfect place to sample the best. 

Of course, it would take months to try everything. But looking at all the food is half the fun. 

Train from Montpellier to Madrid

(from my journal) 

I’ve just passed Narbonne and remember that I took this train towards Montpellier in 2012, right after a four-day bike ride from Toulouse.

We are stopping in Perpignan for two minutes. Last stop in France. From now on, everything will be new to me.

The past six days have been magical. Vero is a fabulous hostess, and we got on well together. The French has come easily to me this time. In fact, I am inspired to continue with French lessons. And I was romanced by both Mireille’s village and Cecile’s places. I can see renting a place near them for a month and just doing very little. Perhaps hiking, cooking, painting, and writing. Alex and I  would enjoy ourselves. April is especially beautiful and not too hot.

Unfortunately, I have had no time to write or draw. With no downtime, I can hardly reflect upon the trip. But it was a worthy sacrifice, and finally, today during this long train ride, I can write. 

I’ve got the best seat that looks towards the sea. I can see the Pyrenees as we approach and they rise sharply from the sea. Their peeks a still white with snow.

Luci and Bernard have a summer place in the Pyrenees. He takes a truck and trailer with him every summer, filled with equipment he can’t live without. As a potter and sculptor, he is equipment-needy.  They also bring their chickens wherever they go. At this point, they are more family than egg layers ……Lucie continues to work even though she has retired. Her work has really been a lifetime career. I am sure she is very valuable.  We have bonded on our love of plants, cooking, and shared history.

Now we are in a tunnel deep under the Pyrenees. I guess this means Spain is around the corner.

Cecile and her boyfriend Jacques built a house on Tito's property during Covid. Tito was still alive at the time. And it is the same place where both Guillaume and Cecile grew up. In 2020, they took apart 80% of the sheep barn and constructed and new domicile. It took only 6 months. (Which in French time is a miracle.) The rule of the village is that they had to keep the 300-year-old exterior walls to stay in keeping with the historic town. 

A surprise for me is that Jacques has worked for FileMaker Pro, now Claris software, for over 30 years. That software is an all-time favorite of mine.  I used this program with Bellevue school district! I am a computer geek at heart. 

So on one side of the property is Cecile’s new house, and on the other side is her childhood home called LePigeonnier. Her brother lives there. He has piles and piles of collections. Including collecting PEZ dispensers. It rivals my friend Roxane’s place.  Both Guillaume and Tito were real collectors.

We are now stopping at Figueres-Vilafant for two minutes.

Marie also joined us from the Cévennes. For her, it was a 90-minute drive. She is still working as a cook at the local school. She shops and cooks 4 days a week for both the faculty and students. Her budget is 4 euros each person. They eat a lot of bread, potatoes, cheese and pasta. Plus whatever else she can find. She says the kids eat every crumb! She looks  good for a woman in her 70’s and just as nice as ever.    

We are back in and out of several tunnels. It must be easier to blast a tunnel than rise up and down over the mountain pass. I am happy in a tunnel. I’m so glad I chose a train over a plane for this leg of the route. 

It is around noon now, and I bought a baguette sandwich with Brie cheese, ham, and pickles. So far, I have eaten everything and somehow not gained weight. I don’t even get hungry between meals. I’m even drinking coffee and wine. I’ve broken almost all my rules. I’m not smoking though, not yet! Mousse au chocolate, yes. But du fume, non

New stop, Girona. In a tunnel. Two minutes till noon and I hear everyone opening their sandwiches. It’s a cultural thing to eat by the clock.

I’m going to stop and eat. Hopefully, more writing to follow.

Insider Outsider art

 My cousin Guillaume has a kitchen full of "outsider art." Has never been to the museum in Montpellier, but his objet's d'art would fit right in.

A Day with French Cousins

 

Great fun the whole day long. We had a paella extraordinaire.

 I could easily spend a month here and not get bored. 

Chez Mireille en Vendémian

The next day we traveled from Montpellier to Vendémian where my cousin Mireille Chabal lives. 

The countryside is fabulous and filled with wild thyme, lavender, and other luscious herbs. As one would expect in April, everything was quite green. 

She lives in a medieval village with wonderful ancient passageways.

A nice spot for lunch in the backyard

A dramatic dish consisting of cheese and potatoes. It is all about the consistency!

And of course with a plate of sausages. France is a cut above the USA in this regard. 

Below we have Sandra, Mireille, Vero, and Isabel. 

 I was happy to see that my cyanotype has found a good home.  

And after lunch a nice walk was essential. Non?