Day 3: 1st Solo Adventure

I knew there would be a few days of exploring on my own & today would be the first. Nicole had 2 classes in the afternoon, so her & Eduardo gave me excellent directions to hit a few spots, then make my way to her job in the evening.

My stomach was in knots on my way to the Metro, but I figured if I can master the most intricate MTA system in the world, what could be the problem? Once I had Wu-Tang, Erykah and Tariq in my earbuds, I felt all of my friends by my side & I braved the commute. When I got to my first destination, I was on the correct street, but going in the wrong direction - this didn't take long to figure out, but I still crossed to other side, to avoid looking lost.

My only real goal of the day was to see Picasso's Guernica. The Museo de Reina Sofia is where it is housed, and it very likely will remain. Walking through the first exhibit, I met a lovely man named Geronimo! He was a painter from Mexico, by way of what seemed like every major city in Europe. With his Spanglish, Art History knowledge and sense of humor we had a lovely afternoon walking through the museum together. We both agreed on the annoyance of photographing paintings in museums and why people insist on doing this. He confirmed my notion by stating loudly - "an I.Q. test should be administered before entering any museum." AMEN.

We parted ways, and I continued through the sculpture park, outdoors in the courtyard of the museum. Now, 3-dimentional sculptures meant to be seen in nature can be photographed. I have no problem with that, as you can see. LOL argue with me if you will...

After shooting the Atocha Train Station across the street from the museum, I braved the Metro again to meet Nicole at her school, the International Institute.

It was 7:30pm and I had a wonderful day of exploring, I could see the relief on Nicole's face when she saw me sitting in the lobby - I knew she was worried I wouldn't make it! I then met her co-worker Maria (an Irish girl from Boston). She will be traveling with us to Barcelona next weekend, so the 3 of us Americans headed to one of their favorite spots in La Latina, Toma Jamon for wine and tapas. We had a great time laughing and swapping stories. I am so glad that she is taking the trip with us next week - the 3 Amigas.