|
Spain
Travelogues
HOME
Madrid
Like usual, we escaped
at
the beginning of the fall, this year, too, and looked for a sunny destination in
the south of Europe. This time it was a 4 days trip in the Spanish capital
Madrid, the residence of the Spanish king and seat of the Spanish government.
Here beats the heart of
Spain. But we were less interested for politics than for the sights and ambience
of the city. Unfortunately or fortunately the weather was so good that we
dispensed from visiting the famous museums like Prado and Thyssen-Bornemisza,
instead, we have explored almost every corner of this beautiful city. Our Hotel
was near the Opera and the Royal Palace and it was no problem to walk or take
the Metro to the other famous attractions.
Immediately after our
arrival in the late afternoon we took a walk to the Royal Palace. It was a huge
impressive building with a beautiful park on the forecourt and all kinds of
artists and life entertainment in it. It was very nice and we were happy to see
a normal life here, without exclusion zone and prohibitions.
( Click for
large image !)
Madrid is generally
known for its many beautiful places. At the end of the pedestrian zone of the
Puerta Sol, there is the symbol of Madrid, “the bear on the strawberry tree.” It
is a very lively and noisy place with much traffic and crowds. From here you can
go straight into the old town and the famous shopping streets. Much quieter then
is the Plaza Oriente, at the other end of the pedestrian zone where you can find
the Royal Opera House. Here is also the best place to have a very nice view of
the facade of the Royal Palace.
Like in all Spanish
cities, there is also here in Madrid a “Plaza Mayor”. It is a very busy place
with restaurants, small shops and galleries, ideal for us to watch the people.
Much more quietly, was then our visit to the crypt under the Cathedral de
Nuestra Senora de la Almudena, next to the Royal Palace. The wonderful
colonnades, the private chapels and especially the wonderful silence impressed
us very much.
You can have a very nice
overview of the city and its surroundings from the cable car at the end of the
royal gardens.
On our way there we
passed the Plaza de Espana with the famous statue of Miguel de Cervantes, the
father of Don Quichotte. Very close you can find also the Egyptian “Templo de
Debold".
Again and again we were
fascinated from the magnificent facades of the Belle Époque buildings which are
not only situated on the “Bank boulevard” you can find them everywhere in the
city. Madrid is really a royal city.
You can see this also in
the many well cultivated parks. The most famous and most popular park is “El
Retiro”, the city park of Madrid. It is the green living room of the
Madrilenians we have seen this during our long walk through the beautiful area.
But we didn’t reach every
place in the city by foot.
By bus we drove from the Plaza de la Cibles, the most famous road junction at
the Paseso de Prado, overlooking the famous museum “the Prado”, along the wide
boulevards of the 9 lane roads to the north. Near the Puerta de Europa, with its
two futuristic skyscraper towers we got out and went back, because our
destination was the famous Santiago Bernabeu football stadium, where the German
football stars Breitner and Netzer played long time ago. It was a must see for
us. But we could not go inside because there was no guided tour offered. So we
could only take a look from outside.
All over in the city you
can find something worth seeing, whether new or old, historic and quaint,
traditional, artistic, cultural or otherwise peculiar or unique, we had often
been surprised at our tours.
Even the railway station
here is an attraction, too. The palm garden with its pond of turtles is not only
a pastime for waiting passengers but rather a really showplace. Next to the
railway station is the memorial place of the victims from the terror-attacks of
11. March. We were very impressed of it.
Sunday is the absolute
main day in Madrid, the whole town is on the road. The main destination is one
of the most famous flea markets of the world, the “Rastro” with over 3000
stalls, a great bazaar atmosphere! We rushed into the hurly-burly, hard to
believe what it’s all offered here, we enjoyed ourselves so much over some of
the many bizarre things that we got to see here.
Simply wonderful! It was a great conclusion to our trip.
We liked it very well
here, especially the generosity of the city. Despite of the traffic chaos, you
can always find a quiet, beautiful place. Madrid is really a royal city with its
wonderful buildings, the calm and dignified atmosphere, but even so lively and
typically Spanish.
Culture and art, culinary as well are in Madrid an absolute highlight.
The quantity of pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes is indescribable; here has the
day really 24 hours.
Unfortunately, our 4 days here passed much too quickly, but may be we can pick
one or the other by a later visit.
Adios Madrid!
Internet
addresses:
Hotel Room Mate Laura
Links about travel,
personal
collection
Spain
Travelogues
HOME
Legal
Notice Privacy
Policy
|
