Saturday, July 11

Slept in until 10:30 had breakfast...toast and coffee of course.  Then Amanda and I went to the pool.  Alice was away on a mandatory school excursion (mandatory for Hunter College).  It was really very wonderful in the icy cold water today and there were less people than last time which was nice.  We figured out how to take the Metro loop which cut travel time in half.

When we got home for lunch at 3, Patricia had everything prepared for us but unfortunately had a bad headache and couldn't join us.  So it was a rather quiet lunch...we did practice our Spanish however.

At about 6 we walked over to the Palace intending to tour it but changed our minds when Amanda realized she didn't have her student pass and thus couldn't get the discount.  Instead we went to the Cathedral of the Almudena and then Temple of Debod.  The Cathedral is relatively new built in the late 19th century and consecrated only in 1993.  The Temple of Debod is a gift from Egypt in thanks for Spain's assistance in the construction of the Aswan High Dam and in preserving ancient sites.  The view from the Temple is just marvelous.  The part though was a dog who got away from his mom and went straight into the large fountain and wouldn't come out.

 

(The Virgin of Almudena, a patron saint of Madrid)

 

 

 

 

Below the Cathedral is a Neo-Romanesque Crypt.

There was a musical performance about to take place and several sopranos were practicing their parts.  It would have been a little eerie walking through the more than 400 columns in this dimly lit crypt, but the sweet, floating notes of the religious songs lightened the atmosphere.

 

This is the image of "Our Lady of the Flor de Lis" commissioned by Alfonso VI in 1083 AD.

 

"Where you go, I will go.

Where you live, I will live.

Where you die, there I will die

and there they will bury me.

And not even death will be able to separate us."

-Book of Ruth

 

 

 

Temple of Debod:

His partner off to the side got out when told but he romped around in the water for a good 20 minutes, eventually just lying down and playing with a water bottle he found.

After the dog finally got out we two decided to head home as well.  On our way out of  Parque Oeste (West Park) we saw a group of people dancing and singing.  We believe they were Hindu.

We made dinner at home: a Pizza and some soup.

This is apparently the month of weddings for our little church.  There were two today and have been several over the past couple of weeks

Just before 10 we walked up to Plaza Mayor where an event through the Veranos de la Villa Madrid concert-art series that lasts all through the summer, was taking place.  Tonight was a free performance by the Community of Madrid Symphony!
Other than the heat it was fantastic!!

The conductor was excellent...His movements did such a great job at conveying the sentiment of each piece and it was so much fun because the camera screen would show his face and you could see him quietly singing along.

 

 

We left at about 12 for home; the performance was still going on as the conductor kept indulging the crowds cries for an encore. 

It was a balmy, quiet evening following just a wonderful day.