From the palace I am heading toward the Gran Vía, which is Madrid’s version of Broadway in NYC. On this street there are large shopping centers, movie theaters, hotels, and countless entertainment venues (I walk by the production of Spamalot). To get there, it is a long but fun walk across countless small squares– including the Plaza de Isabel II, Plaza del Angel, and Plaza del Callao to name a few–with tons of things to grab your attention…
But with the sun gone, it is becoming quite cold. The churches–and there are plenty in Madrid–make great stops for viewing and thawing:
But no matter how tough the weather gets, I have to persevere in order to get the shots of Madrid at night. As it turns out, the entire city seems to be persevering the cold to enjoy the last days of the holiday lights and Christmas markets:
But the shots I’ve really come for are of these two buildings; too bad they come out a bit blurry because my hands are shaking from the cold. The first is the Edificio Metrópolis, an office building built in the grand Parisian style that sits at the very intersection of the two streets Calle de Alcalá and Calle del Caballero de Gracia. Its gold-leaf covered, rounded tower sparkles night and day:
There’s only one word to describe the second building, the Banco de España, and that’s colossal. It takes up the entire block and occupies one of Madrid’s prime real estate, right in front of the Cibeles Fountain and at the corner of the Paseo del Prado where I began my walking tour of Madrid:
I’ll have better pictures of the bank when I come back through here during the day. It’s been a long day with tons of walking. Can’t wait to get back to my warm hotel room!
Tags: Banco de España, Calle de Alcalá, Calle del Caballero de Gracia, Cibeles Fountain, Edificio Metrópolis, Gran Vía, Madrid, Paseo del Prado, Plaza de Isabel II, Plaza del Angel, Plaza del Callao
By the time I reach this bronze fellow, I can see that he’s gazing out toward the Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace). I’m hustling to get to the palace before sunset but am already seriously lagging behind the sun by the time I reach the huge Catedral de la Almudena that’s on my way:
The church couldn’t have come at a better time as my hands are freezing and I need yet another place to thaw. So as much as I’d like to skip ahead to the palace, I skip up the dramatic stairs to the cathedral’s courtyard instead…
though I have to linger a bit outside still to imagine what it must have been like here, on these very steps, back in 2004 when Prince Felipe and his new bride Letizia waved to the crowds after their wedding.
The interior of the church is Neo-Gothic in style, and I am charmed mostly by the stained glass windows that resemble Pop-art:
From the very far end of the church,
I am able to grasp just how elegantly exquisite this cathedral is:
It is not overly ornate; rather, for a church of its size and importance, it is quite subtle in its effortless polish, daring you to look closer for all the special details…
All the street lights are on by the time I leave the Almudena Cathedral,
and I’ve definitely missed the last entry to the palace tour…
so I mill about for whatever shots I can take of the grounds:
But no worries, I’ll be back…
Tags: Almudena Cathedral, Catedral de la Almudena, Leticia, Palacio Real de Madrid, Prince Felipe
Behind the arch in yesterday’s last photo is the famous Plaza Mayor, a large public square in the shape of a rectangle, measuring 129m x 94m, in the middle of Madrid’s historic center:
Surrounding the square are three-story residences with some 237 balconies facing the square. There are 9 entrances into the square:
The first photo in today’s entry is of the facade of the Casa de la Panadería (bakery), which has survived all 3 of the Plaza’s fires and numerous reconstructions. It now serves as a municipal office. The Plaza itself has hosted everything from public executions to bullfights. But today, during my visit, all I see are kids being entertained by street vendors:
Through one of the Plaza Mayor’s gateways, I run into the trendy Mercardo de San Miguel,
which turns out to be the perfect place to warm my hands and tempt my senses:
Cozy, long bars make the perfect place for snacks and drinks with friends:
Speaking of bars…
…so I stumble, ahem, walk down Calle Mayor from the market,
soaking up beautiful Spanish real estate at every turn:
But the nicest digs of all are still to come–I’ll show you tomorrow.
Tags: Casa de la Panadería, Madrid, Mercardo de San Miguel, Plaza Mayor, Spain
So yesterday I left you hanging at the Buen Retiro Park. I’ll blog about it separately since it is so special it deserves its own entry. But on my first afternoon in Madrid, I’ve only got a few hours of sunlight left so I’m in a hurry to cut across the park to get to the Paseo de Prado, which is more or less a museum row,
to get my bearings straight. I’ve already planned two nights at the museums (the Prado and then the Museo Reina Sofía)
so I want to get their exterior shots while the light is still good. The portable Tourist Information office seen below is one of the more clever things I’ve seen on my trips anywhere. Information on wheels is definitely the way to go…
I get a city map from them and they tell me that today is a national holiday so the museums are all closed, which also explains why the streets are deserted, even near the busy Atocha train station:
I’m bummed out that I won’t get to visit the museum later today as planned, but that means I now have more time to go look for some Spanish food. But as luck would have it, the only places that are open today near here are not exactly what I have in mind…
so I choose Thai–but at least the wine is Spanish!
May I say that two years of college Spanish taken in the last century is only useful for getting drunk (una más cerveza) and paying for getting drunk (la cuenta, por favor)? I find out quickly that English is not the most favored language in Madrid, and I love it! Any exercise in using my corroded Spanish while getting lost around the city is going to be fun. This could only lead to trouble. ¡Ay, caramba!
After dessert my full belly and I begin our promenade…
and on some streets I have a feeling I could actually be anywhere in a big city in the US. In fact, some streets near my hotel look a lot like NYC–at least until you start looking at street signs and see these lovely signs instead:
Near here,
I find the last days of a Christmas market:
I walk a bit more, and just behind me, something amazing is about to reveal itself…
Stay tuned.
Tags: Atocha train station, Buen Retiro Park, Christmas market, Madrid, Paseo de Prado
It’s a new day and another continent! My original plan was to chase down Budapest and Vienna, but with my fat fingers syndrome (FFS) still raging since the New Year’s Eve dinner in Belgium, I detour to warmer climates in the hopes that the inflammation will subside if I can avoid the really cold parts of Europe. So Madrid it is.
Barajas International Airport is not sparkling new like the one in Barcelona, but it is just as efficient. In fact, as I will come to realize in the next few days, Spain’s public transportation is quite fabulous. Especially by train.
From the airport I hop a few metro stops then walk a couple of blocks to my hotel, a large business hotel located by the famed Retiro Park:
The sun is out, and it is definitely warmer than Belgium. I’m going to see if I can grab a bocadillo somewhere for a quick late lunch, and then let’s go check out Madrid!
