La Reina Sofia y El Prado

Joan Muró

On Sunday we took a class trip to La Reina Sofia and El Prado, two art museums in Madrid.  They were very different museums; La Reina Sofia is a modern art museum, while El Prado contains more classical pieces.  I really enjoyed both.  I like modern art, and it was neat to see so many big names in one place: we saw Picasso, Dali, and Muró all together.  We also got to see La Guernica, which was impresionante.  (I can't think of an english word that means what I want to say.  Hm.)

Photos weren't allowed in El Prado, which was a bummer.  However, since it has a lot more famous pieces, it should be relatively easy to find some of those online.  Individually I'm not much of a classical art fan, since it seems to be all dead people and landscapes, things that don't really draw a lot of emotional response   However, since I'm currently taking an art history class and we've been talking about El Greco, Velazquez  and Goya, it was really cool to be able to see those pieces in person.  When we were wandering the second floor it felt like we kept running in to old friends.  (Oh, hey, borachos! Sup, Meninas?)  Textbook pictures really don't do these giant paintings justice.  

Muró

Muró

Picasso

Josefa Tolra

Papa

My host mom and I watched a segment on the new pope during dinner today.  For once, I actually understood the majority of what was said on the television!  That could be because my Spanish is getting better, or it could be due to the fact that for once I was actually paying attention...It's really very interesting to be in a Catholic country during this whole new pope thing.  In the segment we watched a woman who claims to have seen visions of Jesus in Amsterdam debated the role of women in the church with a nun from Cataluña; again, very, very interesting.  (Also, a winning comment on the new pope: he'll be a good pope because he has a very agreeable face.  That's what I usually look for in my new popes.)

Coming from somewhere in which opinions about the church come in the form of monthly magazines, or the weekly church bulletin, it's interesting to have this constant coverage of the pope.  If I were at home, I probably would have heard about it while at church, maybe discussed it a little at home, probably have seen a few bites on twitter.  Here, we've discussed it in every class, and there are constantly new segments on television about the pope.  The discussion is very public.  Everyone has an opinion on who should have been pope, and whether or not the new one will be good for the church or for society, and why.

Also, I just want to know: what is his name, actually?  My English news sources say Frances, but the Spanish news stations say Francisco.  He's Argentinian, so is he going by the Spanish version?  Which do they use in Italy?  Do pope names normally get translated?

An observation

Hay muchos gatos en la calle, y no sé porqué.

En clase

Proverbios y cantares: XXIX

     Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino:
se hace camino al andar.
Al andar se hace camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
sino estelas en la mar.

Antonio Machado

Leímos este poema en mi clase de literatura esta semana, y me encantó.

La música viva

Tengo amigas quienes fueron en el extranjero para estudiar en el pasado.  La mayoria de ellas tuvieron la oportunidad de ir a un concierto mientras fueron en el otro país.  

Este semana voy a muchos conciertos.  Martes fui al concierto de jazz, y voy al concierto de la banda sinfonía anoche.  Mañana hay dos conciertos, uno para una amiga, y el otro para una amiga de mi compañera de cuarto.  Domingo estoy en un recital con mis hermanas de mi fraternidad, y finalmente el martes que viene voy al concierto del coro de los trombones.  

También compré boletos para un concierto de uno de mis grupos favoritos.  Este concierto es el semana antes de que me despida para España.  

Ojalá que mientras me quede en España tenga la oportunidad de escuchar la musica viva.  Más, quiero ir al conciertos de todos típos de música: classica, rock, grupos que ya conozco y grupos nuevos a mi.  No puedo llevar mi trombón a España conmigo, y sé que necesito un poco de música en mi vida para sobrevivir.