On Tuesday the heat continued, but the temperature was a few degrees cooler, especially in the morning at breakfast. During the afternoon we went to the Museo Nacional del Prado and saw its incomparable collection of Spanish paintings, including works by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, Francisco Goya (Third of May, 1808), and Diego Velazquez, whose painting Las Meninas is the museum highlight.
Another pedestrian friendly street offering respite from the intense sun even in the a.m.
St. Al
The Prado Museum opened in 1819 and features neoclassical architecture. The north entrance honors Francisco Goya -- a statue of the painter faces the building. This picture was taken after 8:00 p.m. when the museum closed, and visitors had dispersed.
The Jeronimos entrance on the east side is the main entryway and part of a major expansion project completed in 2007 under museum director Miguel Zugaza Miranda. Hedges grow on the lobby roof.
One side of the entrance lobby...
...the other side with gift shop and cafe
The cloister of the church San Jeronimos el Real, which is adjacent to the Prado's main building (called Villanueva), was dismantled and then rebuilt as part of the expansion project. Each stone of the structure was put back in place as it appeared in the original cloister. The rectangular rail in the foreground is a skylight that looks down to galleries below.
San Jeronimos el Real is a Baroque church from the 16th c. The modern expansion with the rebuilt cloister can be seen above. This structure is connected to the main Villanueva building by underground floors that include galleries, storage areas, and restoration rooms.
A plate of Padron peppers at El Olivar tapas bar were in order after the Prado.
Old and new architectural styles mix on the street Gran Via. We walked past these buildings on the way back to the hostel.
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