El Museo Naval
After my first day of work in Madrid, my mom and I went to El Museo Naval!
(For the record, I LOVE that the museums in Madrid are typically open to 7 or 8. It gave us so much more flexibility)!
My mom found this museum and put it on our radar given the history and influence of the Spanish armada. It turns out it was across the street from the hotel. AND it was relative inexpensive (2.5 EUR)!
The museum was much more expansive than I realized. The rooms were numbered and easy to follow. There was limited English translation, but for the price, it was expected.
The collection is quite large. Some of the items are unbelievable.
1. An original map of the Americas. It is the oldest existing map It is about 4x6 feet and the level of detail is amazing.
2. A massive painting of Christopher Columbus -- it was larger than life. The painting is probably 20 feet by 12 feet.
3. A number of model ships! So many to choose from!
My mom made the following observation about Christopher Columbus when leaving this museum. In Spain, Christopher Columbus is a true hero. In the USA, he has such a mixed legacy, but in the Spain, it is so pure. He discovered the "new" world and brought wealth and prosperity to Spain. No question. A lot of their history comes from his conquering of the new lands. As our tour guide described it, in 1492, Spain consolidated lands and Christopher Columbus was the "home team hero" to unite the land and cheer for his successful voyage.
We really enjoyed the visit. I felt like the collection could use a little bit of editing -- it had so much to look at it that it was difficult to know where to focus!
Time in museum: 1.5 hrs
Times visited: 1
Overall: B+
(For the record, I LOVE that the museums in Madrid are typically open to 7 or 8. It gave us so much more flexibility)!
My mom found this museum and put it on our radar given the history and influence of the Spanish armada. It turns out it was across the street from the hotel. AND it was relative inexpensive (2.5 EUR)!
The museum was much more expansive than I realized. The rooms were numbered and easy to follow. There was limited English translation, but for the price, it was expected.
The collection is quite large. Some of the items are unbelievable.
1. An original map of the Americas. It is the oldest existing map It is about 4x6 feet and the level of detail is amazing.
2. A massive painting of Christopher Columbus -- it was larger than life. The painting is probably 20 feet by 12 feet.
3. A number of model ships! So many to choose from!
4. Recreated rooms from key ships!
My mom made the following observation about Christopher Columbus when leaving this museum. In Spain, Christopher Columbus is a true hero. In the USA, he has such a mixed legacy, but in the Spain, it is so pure. He discovered the "new" world and brought wealth and prosperity to Spain. No question. A lot of their history comes from his conquering of the new lands. As our tour guide described it, in 1492, Spain consolidated lands and Christopher Columbus was the "home team hero" to unite the land and cheer for his successful voyage.
We really enjoyed the visit. I felt like the collection could use a little bit of editing -- it had so much to look at it that it was difficult to know where to focus!
Time in museum: 1.5 hrs
Times visited: 1
Overall: B+
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