We wandered directly into an eclectic collection of artefacts from the Fluxus movement, which was simultaneously light-hearted and challenging (even if the works being collected and exhibited in the perspex cages of a museum, with no interaction permitted, really defeats the purpose of what the artists were trying to achieve...). The works of the Fluxus movement inspired the title of this post: a film clip excerpted from one of their live performances showed a man inflating a double bass with a bicycle pump; the textual instructions for another piece included pushing a piano up against, and potentially through, a wall.
Wandering onwards, we encountered two exhibits formed from monumental slabs of industrial steel.
We also saw stunning pieces from and about the Spanish Civil War, including the main event: Picasso's Guernica.
After the museum we headed back to the hotel for a bit of a rest as it was very hot. We headed out a couple of hours later to walk to the Puerta de Alcalá, a huge arch which is one of the symbols of Madrid.
Then we walked along Gran Via, the main street of Madrid towards the Royal Palace and Cathedral.
We headed back towards our hotel through La Latina, the tapas area where we had dinner last night. We were keen to try out a place Ed had read about but it wasn't open yet. We were feeling hot and a bit tired so we walked back and had a drink and tapas in the plaza by our hotel. We tried the Spanish cured ham which is a local delicacy and it was delicious!
mmm...jamon.....
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