Madrid
is not mentioned along with the great spectacular capitals of Europe.
It does not capture images like other European
capitals with their great squares, baroque domes or monumental avenues. Yet
Madrid has all these and they are not the smothered in tourists like the rest
of Europe. Above all Madrid is a great place to live. Its renaissance plaza's
and narrow streets are inhabited by Madrilenos instead of the rich and
fashionable or international backpackers. This is what makes it a great city
and a very rewarding one to explore.
And
the best place to see this is at the western part of the centre. The Madrid
created by the Spanish arm of the Habsburg family with its royal palace and the
throbbing heart of Castile The
best place to start is the Puerto Del Sol. This is the geographical centre of
Spain and all distances are measured from it. It has heaps of atmospheres like
all great squares should have, and is surrounded by renaissance 17th houses and
overlooked by the famous 'Tio Pepe' advertisement. The plaza is thronged with
tourists, pigeons, newsstands, lottery-sellers, fountains and an equestrian
statue of Felipe III.
If you head west
you enter the Madrid built by the Spanish Habsburgs and a quick step to the
south brings you to the Plaza Mayor. But if you head west along the narrow
Calle Mayor you will eventually hit the Palacio Real (Royal palace). Calle
Mayor is fascinating with its fishmongers, tapas bars, nightclubs, fastfood
joints and the famous Museo de Jamon - with its forest of hanging hams.
Not far away,
past the Teatro Real, is the magnificent Palacio Real. The royal palace of the
Spanish Bourbons is enormous and built of white Colemar stone. On a sunny day
(pretty frequent in Madrid) the effect of the sol on the stone can be so
dazzling that your eyes water. The Spanish Bourbons built the palacio in 1764.
Their desire was to make Madrid as elegant as other European capitals and to
make themselves secure as they had only recently rested the throne from the
Spanish Habsburgs who had inbred themselves to extinction. The current
monarchs, Juan Carlos and Reine Sofia, only use its 3,000 rooms for state
occasions preferring to live somewhere more modest.
The palacio
itself has a setting on the edge of a cliff and from the elegant Jardins de
Sabatini you can see the green/brown Campo de Moro (field of the Moor) stretching
into the distance. Once you enter there is the great stone expanse of the Plaza
Almeria, two baroque wings of the palace enfold this massive area and there is
a columned balcony overlooking the Campo de Moro. Inside you can take a tour or
wander around on your own viewing the Hall of Halberdiers or the Hall of
Columns. The Throne room is very impressive with glittering chandeliers, brown
and gold decor and brown marble lions guarding the two thrones. The dining room
was the most impressive with giant chandeliers hanging so low they almost
touched the dining table.
Once you leave
the best place to head is back to the Gran Via for something to eat and drink.
Here, the possibilities are endless with its restaurants, bars, cinemas, car
showrooms, banks and department stores. It is the capitals showpiece avenida
and stretches to the Paseo del Prado to the east to the Plaza Espanya in the
west. This plaza is magnificent with the towering monolithic gothic of the
Edificio Espanya looming over all.
In the centre is
a monument to Cervantes with his famous creation Don Quioxte. But I made a real
discovery in this area. If you take the subway in the southwest corner it will
take you to the Parc Oreste. This peaceful park contains the 4th century BC
Egyptian Temple of Debod. But if you pass this there is a fence giving a
magnificent view of the Campo de Moro. Here is a vista of the rear of the
Palacio Real, with its domes and the scrub and trees of the Campo de Moro.
Spain is very lucky to have such an amazing view in the centre of its capital.
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