Midweek Break from the Midterm Grind

So this Tuesday was Dia de la Hispanidad, a Spanish version of the American Columbus Day, and so the entire weekend before was an enormous festival celebrating Hispanic culture. So, on Di de la Hispanidad, we were released from the Midterm grind and were allowed one day to let off some steam before hitting the books again. So, after sleeping in late, i walked over to the Museo Sorolla, which i had been meaning to visit ever since i left the US. Sorolla, a painter with a similar style to the impressionists, lived in Madrid´s Castellana neighborhood for a large part of his life, though he originally came from Valencia. His city house still stands, wedged between two high-rises, and almost everything has been left the way he had it before he died and his widow gave the house and all its contents to the city. His paintings of turn of the century beach scenes are some of my favorite works of any century, and having them placed in the places that Sorolla left them, makes for an amazing experience. The furniture, like the artist, is eclectic and interesting, from many different eras and styles, the gardens are spectacular, and a perfect haven from the busy streets beyond and the family´s Spanish pottery collection on the lower floor is not to be missed. Overall the day off was perfect, right in the middle of midterms though i wished i could have gone through the Sorolla without so many people, though I will be back. Well, back to the midterm grind, it´s almost over...and nearly time to start preparing final projects!