What a difference a day makes. Whereas it was pouring yesterday, the sun is brilliant this morning as I walk to the Atocha train station to catch my ride to Toledo:
You can buy tickets online well ahead of time as some routes do sell out quickly, especially during high season and if you do not get a pre-assigned seat, but at this moment the station is only mildly busy…
because most people have already caught the earlier trains. Me? This is as early as I can get there after a late night…
You could very easily take the bus to Toledo from Madrid, but depending on traffic that might take up to 1.5 hours. If you don’t get motion sickness, sometimes a bus ride is the best way to see a new city. On the incredibly efficient, highspeed AVE (Alta Velocidad Española) train system, which is RENFE’s (Red Nacional de los Ferrocarriles Españoles) new network connecting Madrid to Seville and now Barcelona, however, you will get there in 30 minutes. The train, even in coach class, is extremely clean and comfortable. It costs at least twice as much to travel by train than bus but convenience always comes with a price.
Before I can finish deciphering an article in the local Spanish paper about fashion for the upcoming award season (I find it funny that I can’t escape Hollywood even here in Madrid), Toledo is already in sight:
I’ve wanted to visit Toledo for a very long time, for 3 reasons: El Greco, Don Quixote, and la convivencia. Well, OK, maybe 4 reasons: marzipan. More about food in another entry.
La convivencia refers to the co-existence of the Catholics, Jews, and Muslims in certain towns of Spain where religous tolerance yields to multicultural exchanges. Toledo, in its golden age when it was once the capital of Spain, epitomized this philosophy of acceptance, and its remaining beautiful architecture is a historical manifestation of such interplay of religions and cultures. This magical city high on a steep hill is truly one built for the ages.
As the passengers disembark, the Toledo Train Station–a stunning Neomudejar-style building–greets us in all its Moorish splendor. The tourists, myself included, are in a tizzy. Holy Toledo, Batman! This place is gorgeous!
But it’s the historic city center that I’m here to see, and it’s up the hill. There are doubledecker tourist buses that wait outside as the trains arrive but I’ve just missed them because I’m too busy taking pictures. But no worries, there are about 3 other city buses that I can take. Let’s meet there tomorrow:
Tags: Atocha train station, AVE, Don Quixote, El Greco, la convivencia, Madrid, Moorish, neomudejar, RENFE, Spain, Toledo, Toledo Train Station
Remember the Belgian churro I had at the Christmas market in Bruges? It was more like a sweet snack. In Spain, however, the churro is a bland pastry to be dunked in your breakfast hot chocolate, like what he’s doing here…you might say it’s a Spanish dunkin’ donut.
On my first full morning in Madrid I have to go find a train ticket for the next day’s side trip. The weather has soured from sunny/cold to bone-chilling rain. So much for my decision to go to Madrid for its milder winter! Anyway, on the way to the Atocha train station, which btw seems to have a rain forest growing in the middle of its courtyard,
I spy tons of locals darting into their neighborhood cafes for a quick bite and drink–and by quick I mean they are all standing around the bar area for a hit of that expresso, white wine (why not!), or zumo (orange juice) and a small piece of toast or pastry before blowing out of there to go to work. I decide on a large pastelería with a busy bar in the back. I elbow my way to a small spot at the bar and am tempted by the goodies…
but when in Spain…
The fresh-squeezed OJ is quite wonderful actually. BTW that’s my favorite Chanel 05A cardigan over a Tory Burch shirt. I always wish for the four seasons in LA so I could wear winter clothes but the truth is, when it’s below freezing outside I can sortof understand why so many snuggies have been sold. OK I don’t, but I could use one right now. It’s hard to look cute in sleet. But where were we? Oh yes, the place is packed so I also rush out of there like those who hurried before me. It’s raining harder now and I really want to get to the train station, but I have to pop into this church for a looksie–plus it’s warm inside:
It’s now well past 11 am and there’s no train station in sight. But I do get to make another pit stop at the Panteón de Hombres Ilustres, a Neo-Byzantine style building
with some of the most amazing marble sculptures I’ve ever seen. They commemorate the lives and deaths of Spanish political powerhouses, most of whom were assassinated for their beliefs.
As I leave this beautiful pantheon it is snowing! Definitely a rarity for Madrid. It’s not quite cold enough for the snow to stick to the ground but the flakes are huge. Flurries give way to pouring rain by the time I reach the train station. My soaked map now looks like this but at least I have the train ticket I wanted:
From Atocha I wander toward the Reina Sofia Museum, which I plan on visiting later...but I definitely have to stop for a shot of the huge Lichtenstein in the courtyard:
I mean it is HUGE:
It’s probably 2pm by the time I reach this gate,
and I no longer care for the four seasons. Sunny LA sounds pretty good right about now, but this very moment is the best time to be in Spain. Because the mediodía (after 1 and till 4ish) means it’s time to eat! The mid-day meal is typically the biggest of the day for the Spanish, followed by a more haphazard, lighter dinner (tapas hopping, for instance). Everywhere you go you can find a solid 3-course meal for around 10 euros. Madrid is also full of wonderful, upscale restaurants should you wish to splurge on your taste buds. I just want to find a place to dry out right now and this restaurant is right across from the gate which I can’t identify for the moment. My waiter doesn’t speak English but he’s patient enough with my Spanish to sort out an all seafood meal for me, including seafood soup, gambas paella, and a local fish dish as my entree–he offers a tart as dessert but I only want the clementines to cleanse my palate:
I think I’ve eaten enough for five people but I’m going to need the calories for the day I’ve yet to finish on my feet. Tags: Atocha train station, Chanel, churro, Lichtenstein, Madrid, paella, Panteón de Hombres Ilustres, Reina Sofia Museum, Spain, Tory Burch, zumo
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
