This month marks sixteen years of matrimonial bliss for Husband and me. We celebrated by having a date night in downtown Madrid. With the kids safely in the care of our friend, Tiff, we set out on the metro for a night of museums, good food and good drink! 
We decided to take advantage of the fact that many of Madrid’s museums are absolutely free in the evenings. Such is the case at the Reina Sofia, which is free from 7-9pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The Reina Sofia houses Pablo Picasso’s famous painting called Guernica. According to Wikipedia, “Guernica depicts the bombing of Guernica, Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican government commissioned Pablo Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937) Paris International Exposition in the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.”
Obviously seeing all the great works of art was amazing, but so was simply being in the museum at night. Walking through this former hospital, with all of its dark windows and shadows was truly mesmerizing. It was almost like strolling through a photographic negative. I loved it and highly recommend it to all. After the Reina Sofia, we walked over to the Casa Encendida, another Madrid museum, to see an exhibit called, Camuflajes (Camouflages). It was really cool. They had photographic presentations as well as paintings, and video displays. One of my favorites was a landscape, presented in a “paint by numbers” style. It included a legend of camouflage patterns of military uniforms from different countries. The artist used these camouflage patterns to create the mountain scene. 
Now it was time to eat! We walked over the Plaza Santa Ana, which was pretty crowded, so we sat down at one of the only available tables there. We decided to just have a glass of wine and some olive oil potato chips, then hit a little café we’d seen on the way over. While we were enjoying our wine, we were treated to a little impromptu flamenco music and dancing by some street performers. Once their performance was over, we asked for “la cuenta,” the bill, paid the 4.50 euros and headed back to the charming Café del Principe, located on one of five corners at a busy intersection in Madrid. It was teeming with traffic and people and we had a great time sharing the menu de la noche and taking it all in. The Café del Principe is located at Plaza de Canalejas 5, between the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Santa Ana. It cost only 11 Euro per person to dine outside among the hustle and the bustle. The service was great and the food was even better. What a deal! 
To cap off the evening, we headed over to the Plaza Mayor to the Chocolatería San Ginés. Open since 1894, this little shop serves churros y chocolate 24 hours a day! Pretty cool and pretty tasty too! Feeling every bit of our age, we called it a night, and hopped on the metro for home! Being out until 1:30am was pretty late for us, even though it’s not by Madrid standards. Maybe we’ll stay out all night long for New Year’s …hmmmm, maybe not…Hasta Luego…
We decided to take advantage of the fact that many of Madrid’s museums are absolutely free in the evenings. Such is the case at the Reina Sofia, which is free from 7-9pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The Reina Sofia houses Pablo Picasso’s famous painting called Guernica. According to Wikipedia, “Guernica depicts the bombing of Guernica, Spain, by German and Italian warplanes at the behest of the Spanish Nationalist forces, on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Republican government commissioned Pablo Picasso to create a large mural for the Spanish display at the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937) Paris International Exposition in the 1937 World's Fair in Paris. Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world's attention.”Obviously seeing all the great works of art was amazing, but so was simply being in the museum at night. Walking through this former hospital, with all of its dark windows and shadows was truly mesmerizing. It was almost like strolling through a photographic negative. I loved it and highly recommend it to all. After the Reina Sofia, we walked over to the Casa Encendida, another Madrid museum, to see an exhibit called, Camuflajes (Camouflages). It was really cool. They had photographic presentations as well as paintings, and video displays. One of my favorites was a landscape, presented in a “paint by numbers” style. It included a legend of camouflage patterns of military uniforms from different countries. The artist used these camouflage patterns to create the mountain scene. Now it was time to eat! We walked over the Plaza Santa Ana, which was pretty crowded, so we sat down at one of the only available tables there. We decided to just have a glass of wine and some olive oil potato chips, then hit a little café we’d seen on the way over. While we were enjoying our wine, we were treated to a little impromptu flamenco music and dancing by some street performers. Once their performance was over, we asked for “la cuenta,” the bill, paid the 4.50 euros and headed back to the charming Café del Principe, located on one of five corners at a busy intersection in Madrid. It was teeming with traffic and people and we had a great time sharing the menu de la noche and taking it all in. The Café del Principe is located at Plaza de Canalejas 5, between the Puerta del Sol and the Plaza Santa Ana. It cost only 11 Euro per person to dine outside among the hustle and the bustle. The service was great and the food was even better. What a deal! To cap off the evening, we headed over to the Plaza Mayor to the Chocolatería San Ginés. Open since 1894, this little shop serves churros y chocolate 24 hours a day! Pretty cool and pretty tasty too! Feeling every bit of our age, we called it a night, and hopped on the metro for home! Being out until 1:30am was pretty late for us, even though it’s not by Madrid standards. Maybe we’ll stay out all night long for New Year’s …hmmmm, maybe not…Hasta Luego…
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