Our visit to the wonderful city of Madrid was in February of 2010 and coincided with Valentines Day. During our brief stay we experienced every conceivable weather condition, starting with clear blue skies and sunshine, followed by rain, then snow, we never knew quite what to wear! But I guess that’s all part of the fun of travelling, you never know just what is around the next corner.
Choosing to arrive at our destinations late evening or after dark, we never see any, or much of the city until the following morning. Wherever possible public transport is used to get to our hotel, in Madrid this was the clean, very cheap and super efficient Metro. Madrid itself is quite small and eminently walkable although the cobbled streets can get tiring so hopping on to the nearest Metro is a good alternative.
To gain a good perspective of Madrid we took a ride on the Teleferico de Madrid cable car which whisked us to the top of Casa de Campo, overlooking the whole of Madrid. Very picturesque and a fun way to see the city. Returning to walk around the city we were struck by the gentile atmosphere, elderly couples in their Sunday finery (vegetarians don’t be offended by the abundance of fur coats!) strolling hand in hand through the parks and cuddled on park benches. With rumbling tummies we accidentally strolled into the Mercado San Miguel, a renovated indoor market now selling upmarket food and wines. Tapas at 1 Euro, hand mixed Sangria at 2 Euros and local Rioja at 2.50 Euros we left with rosy cheeks and full stomachs. Being full of locals we reasoned it had to be good value and quality. Mercado San Miguel was our evening out for the rest of our stay.
Culture was the order of the day on Monday, but with some venues closing during the week we had to see what we could when things were open. Queuing forever in the rain to get into the Prado Museum through a ridiculous ticketing system, the huge crowds made viewing anything of note very difficult. Being swept from room to room like a herd of sheep our visit to the Prado was not an enjoyable experience. Entering the Prado is free after 18:00 hours Monday to Saturday and after 17:00 hours on a Sunday. If the huge crowds who paid to get in are anything to judge by then visiting the museum during the free entry hours would be total chaos.
Leaving the Prado more than a little disappointed we then managed to gain free entry into the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia as it was by then after 19:00 hours. The Reina Sofia was a gem. Wonderfully and thoughtfully laid out with some enchanting modern exhibits it literally blew our socks off. Neither of us being fans of modern art we were pleasantly surprised by everything we saw. Art. Sculpture. Architecture. Even the building itself was truly amazing.
Leaving the gallery, full to the brim with culture we bumped in to the architecturally amazing Atocha Station. Akin to a miniature Kew Gardens with its huge steel arched structure, built originally in the 19th century, and now lovingly and wonderfully restored. Awkward to actually get in to unless disembarking from a train, once inside the massive tropical plantings, cafes and restaurants were a sight to behold.
Through gently falling snow we traversed the beautiful Parque de Retiro where it appeared to be business as usual for the locals who were still taking their daily walks in the park and walking their dogs. Peace and tranquilly in abundance in the middle of busy Madrid city.
Tuesday saw us indulge in our passion for chocolate with a visit to Chocolateria de San Gines, the oldest chocolate shop in Spain, open all day, every day, their churros and chocolate are to die for. Dipping your churro in to the hot thick dark cup of chocolate was pure heaven.
Wednesdays is free entry to the Palacio Real and hearing/reading it usually attracted big queues because of this, we arrived early to be pretty much at the front of the queue. Dingy, damp and very unloved this uninhabited palace is soulless and incredibly dull. Officially the home of Juan Carlos and the Royal family, now only used for business and tourism, it’s only point worthy of note is it’s cafeteria and seeing the building illuminated after dark.
As tourists, we did all of the ‘touristy’ things you would expect, but it was the non-touristy side of Madrid that won our hearts. Old fashioned. Very traditional and still passionately Spanish. We loved that the city still upheld the traditional siesta, the fact the locals still dressed for the opera and to eat out at the Tapas bars. Personally we think Madrid quite enjoys the fact that everyone goes to Barcelona, leaving it to keep it’s unique identity and old fashioned charm.
mrandmrsyoung 