Studying in Spain – Journal 4: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, named after its founder, is an art museum located near central Madrid. The museum is part of the Golden Triangle of Art, along with the Prado Museum and the Queen Sofía Museum. The Thyssen Museum holds a large painting collection of Impressionists and Expressionists.
The Thyssen Museum is close to the Spanish National Bank: Banco de España. The metro station closest to the museum is Banco de España, which is on metro line 2. There are other famous museums close to Thyssen museum, including the Golden Triangle of Art and Naval Museum of Madrid.
The Thyssen Museum is open from 12:00 to 16:00 on Monday, from 10:00 to 21:00 on Saturday, and from 10:00 to 19:00 on Tuesday to Friday and Sunday. Ticket for an adult cost 13€, and the Thyssen Museum offers a 4€ discount to students under 25 years old with a student ID.
The Bear, Ramen and the Thyssen Museum
The Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, or “El Oso y el Madroño” in Spanish, is a statue made of made of stone and bronze located in Puerta del Sol, the plaza right outside of the metro station Sol. Puerta del Sol is one of the busiest place in Madrid, as it is just above the main Metro station.
There are usually some street performers at Puerta del Sol all day and night. There would be magicians and dancers performing and crowds watching. The Bear Statue is also the most famous statue in Madrid. You would see people taking selfies with the statue or simply admiring it. The Bear Statue is also one of the most famous “meeting point” within the area.
After a walk at Puerta del Sol, you would probably be looking forward to lunch. Ichikoro Ramen is just a five-minute walk away from the Bear Statue. The ramen restaurant is my favorite place for a bowl of delicious hot noodle soup in Madrid, and they have vegetarian options as well.
As a Taiwanese person, the flavor of their ramen exceeds personal expectation for an Asian restaurant in Spain. I go there for a bowl of hot noodle soup every time I miss home. They offer “Menu del dia” during lunch hours, which is a set including a starter, a bowl of ramen, and a dessert. They have an English menu and the waiter there speaks English as well.
After lunch, walking from Ichikoro Ramen to the Thyssen Museum takes less than 10 minutes. There are three floors in the museum, and on the 0th floor is where the temporary exhibition is. The first and second floor are where the permanent collections are.
The Thyssen Museum is my favorite museum of the Golden Triangle of Art. It is not filled with incomprehensible contemporary art works nor is it too big to finish looking at in an afternoon. Personally, if they had offered free entry for students with an ID, I would have spent most of my weekends there looking at Monet and Van Gogh’s paintings.