Teleferico and Museo Del Traje

Teleferico
Some cities should not insist on having a cable car or gondola ride if the skyline is up to scratch. Madrid is one of the them. The Teleferico runs from the Paseo del Pintor Rosales into the centre of the Casa de Campo park is an enormous forest of pines and shrubs and where the monarch use to hunt wild boar (jabali). The cable car was old and the announcer providing information about the sights as we were being transported over only spoke Spanish. It should have at least been bilingual. I mean the locals won't be taking this ride so it should have been catered for the tourists. What can I say about the view? It was green, there was a muddy rio and the view of the city was average (the palace and cathedral being the saving grace). Once you got to the park, the viewing section was overgrown and I still couldn't see the view properly even after climbing on to a park bench. The city council should have converted this area into the 'little Gaulish village we know so well'. By the way, I've just discovered Doubleclix's blog.

There was really nothing exciting going on at the park so I picked a bunch of weed daisies. I use to do this activity in primary school and made daisy chains but senility has gotten the better of me and I can't for the life of me remember how to do it. Speaking of botanical activities, yesterday my nephew (Olé, my new nickname for him) experienced being 'on grass' for the first time. Olé loved it and couldn't get over the fact that all of this piece of huge green carpet was his for the plucking. He was plucking away on all fours like a lawn mower and stuffing the grass in his shoe and into his mouth. Olé has yet to develop the ability to become a biped but we are all hanging out in hope that the transformation from lawn mower to whipper snipper will happen in the next couple of months. Presently, when you watch him move 'The Baby Elephant Walk' starts playing in your head.

Museo Del Traje
Otherwise known as the Museum of Costume, it has one the best collections of historical costumes I've seen so far in my lifetime. Also we had the entire museum to ourselves so there were no crowds breathing and smudging the glass so you can see the items on display with clarity. I don't know why I like looking at old clothing. Perhaps it's the fact that it's all done by hand and the details that goes into creating something out of nothing. The collection dates back to the 1700's to the modern day. I didn't know Balenciaga was Spanish. Also on display was Dior's 'new look' and Givenchy's black dress for Audrey! I saw the Audrey Hepburn collection many years ago in Sydney and flew down from Brisbane especially to go to it. That's how much of a costume freak or was it her shoe collection? Audrey had a huge collection of handmade Ferragamo shoes and most of them were flat ballerina ones in all shades of colours. Am I really talking about shoes again?

Photo of the Day
The view of the sludgey rio from the Teleferico.


Postscipt - I'm off to Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow for a few days. I'm going to catch up with Fuz in Glasgow on Saturday and buy tartan socks. Fuz, remember when I first met you I couldn't understand a word you said? Maybe you will have to do your excellent queen's impersonation for the first half hour or so? Yes?