Museo del Prado

There is now a facility for buying prints of very high quality – starting for as little as €10 for A4 size. They are printed on demand and take a long time from an excellent computer. A certificate of exceptional quality is provided with every print.

I never saw so many Titians before! And Raphael, Bosch, Goya, Velazquez…Tire yourself out here and then treat yourself to a rest in the botanical garden next door.

All I can say is that I was in a room alone with Goya and Saturn Devouring his Son on a lucky day and time when it wasn’t so busy. I went back a few times just to sit with the art of Goya and take it in. Not to mention bosch, el greco, velasquez and other artists works. So moving; so awe-inspiring; so mysterious. I can’t imagine there is a better place on earth to visit a great collection of Spanish and other important European works of art. There are also other great museums in Madrid, but the Prado is absoultely the best. I can’t wait to go back to it.

It’s not hyperbole, it’s true. I still have my picture postcard of a tiny El Greco painting bought in the gift shop and remember the big statues of Velazquez and Goya that sit outside the entrances of the museum. Go see the Black paintings and purchase a little guidebook from the vending machine – they come in a ton of languages. Good place to seek respite from the glaring Spanish sun. Free on Sundays?

It’s a huge museum, be sure to take time to watch all the paintings. Rocks.