Museo del Prado

If you could take just one photo: the collection of Goya paintings

After taking a grand tour of the museums of Europe, you may find yourself a tad jaded, but it only takes a few footsteps inside Madrid's Museo del Prado to realize that this experience truly lives up to the hype. Of course, you will want to see the collection of works by Spanish master Goya, full of drama and dark passions, but you could easily spend a day or two soaking up the rich rewards of the palatial museum. Helpful guides take you through the highlights of the collections in 1, 2, or 3 hour options, but you will likely find yourself distracted and taking time to enjoy some lesser known works in addition to the famous icons from the worlds of painting, sculpture, drawing, and the decorative arts. Especially in the off-season, the high ceilings and light, airy nature of the space make the Prado a surprisingly peaceful, energizing experience.

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When in Madrid go to Prado. In the 70s and 80s and even the 90s the Prado was kind of run down! The grounds were weedy, their little fences rusted out. Not anymore. The statue of Goya outside with the naked maja poised at his feet advertises the experience that waits inside. The art has always been world class. A good place to get to know Goya, Zuberan and Velazquez. This is a museum I can casually walk through in a couple of hours while my son and wife spend 4 hours, nap, then return for a 2 hour evening stroll. An absolute must see. Could not imagine visiting Madrid without visiting the Prado.

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It's easy to lose sight of the humanity of the principled people of the Enlightenment who toiled to bring our political systems out of the dark ages. These were the original policy wonks: economists, philosophers, and politicians. The situation in Spain at the end of the 18th century was particularly dire and Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos fought tooth and nail to get a country in crisis to shake off its outdated and feudal ways. Goya's portrait captures the personal toll exacted by such an ambitious (and ill-fated) enterprise. The goddess of wisdom hovers just over the idealistic economist's shoulder. However, the strain and sense of resignation on his face betray a more earthly reality that no one understood better than Goya: the fight for a just society is a purely human endeavor.

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