I recently got back from a fantastic trip to Spain. We went to Barcelona and Madrid. In my previous few posts, I shared my journal of our time in Barcelona. Next I would like to share with you my time in Madrid.
May 6, 2009
Today we took a train from Barcelona to Madrid. Our train was scheduled to depart at 3:30. We were able to extend our check out at the hotel until 1:30. We got to the train station at about 2 pm. We had something to eat and then proceeded to the waiting lounge for our train.
At 3 pm, we were able to board the train. I got preferred seats (as opposed to Tourist Class). The only slight hassle we had is that they had to change trains after we had gotten settled in. I am not sure what the reason was, but I think there was a mechanical problem with the first train.
The train we were on is called the Ave. It is a high speed train that takes you from Barcelona to Madrid in 2½ hours. We were going nearly 200 miles per hour. I love riding the trains in Europe. I have traveled from London to Dublin (including a ferry), Paris to Brussels and Amsterdam, Budapest to Vienna and Vienna to Prague via train. Especially with all of the security on a plane these days, it is so much better of a way to travel. I wish we were able to do more of that in the US. But the vast distances back home make it hard to really travel by train (except in the Northeast, where riding a train is a very good experience and, in my opinion, a much better option than going by plane).
The countryside we are passing is absolutely gorgeous. Rolling hills and small mountains; vineyards; small picturesque towns, etc. It almost makes me want to do this drive by car. Some of the towns we are seeing are definitely older towns too.
Atocha Train Station
We arrived at the Puerta Atocha train station in Madrid at just after 6 pm. We hopped into a taxi to get to our hotel. We are staying at a place through our time share and I am not really sure what we will be getting. Once we get there, though, we find that the place is really fantastic and the location is even better. We actually could have walked from the train station, if we had known our way around (though dragging your luggage through crowded streets is not my idea of fun). It was called the Apartamentos Turisticos and is located on Calle Principe, right in the middle of Old Madrid.
After resting for a while, we walk around our part of the city. We are staying just off the square called Puerta del Sol. There are gorgeous buildings everywhere. Looking at the map, I see that we are basically mid way between the Prado area and the Palace area. About half of the things that I have looked into doing here in Madrid are near the Prado Museum and the Paseo del Prado. Pretty much the rest of the stuff is around the Palace. So, as I mentioned before, the location of our apartment is fantastic.
Plaza Mayor
We are about 3 blocks from the Plaza Mayor (one of the best known squares in the city). There are a ton of tourists here. This section is considered Old Madrid and has a concentration of the major sites of the city. I am looking forward to getting some good sleep tonight and then starting to explore Madrid tomorrow.
May 7, 2009
Today we walked down the Calle Mayor. This takes us past the Plaza Mayor, and then the Plaza de la Villa (which is the location of Madrid’s Town Hall). Continuing through the area behind the Town Hall, we saw a little church with a sign about it being dedicated to Spain’s Armed Forces. The exterior is pretty, but it doesn’t compare to the absolutely gorgeous interior. There is an incredible dome in the center of the church and the altars around the sides of the church are also quite beautiful.
Almudena Cathedral
After leaving this church, we started making our way to the Royal Palace area. Next to the Royal Palace is the Catedral de Almudena. It looks like it was built a long time ago, but it turns out that it was not finished until the 1990’s. One of the guide books that I brought actually describes this Cathedral as being very plain and boring. I could not disagree more strongly. I found the Cathedral to be just stunning. It is built in the Gothic style with all of the common Gothic arches and cruciform pattern to the church. The huge columns that go down the “spokes” of the cross have flat panel screens and Bose speakers attached to them (in the classic 14th Century Gothic style). They were piping in Gregorian style chanting and it just added so much to the atmosphere of visiting the cathedral. I was absolutely in love with this place (the beautiful churches started to become quite a theme in Madrid. We went into every one that we passed and they were all striking and beautiful – but more on each one later). We spent about 30 minutes inside the Cathedral.
Royal Palace
After that, we walked across the way to the Royal Palace (Palacio Real). This palace is bigger than any palace that I have ever seen (and I have been to a few in France, England, Italy and Ireland). In reading about the construction, it turns out that the Bourbon monarchy specifically set out to build the biggest palace in Europe. I think they achieved that. The buildings are just magnificent. We got to do a miniature self-guided tour of the palace for €3.50. This included about 6 rooms of the Palace, the Spanish Royal Armory and the Royal Pharmacy. Much of this dates back to the middle of the 1700’s. I am not sure of the specific dates. The throne room was just over the top. Unfortunately, once again, photography was not permitted. Maybe the reason is to avoid the annoyance of having to wait for people to take their pictures. I am quick though, and try my best to never bother someone else. Oh well, I will just have to go by my memories.
In some of the areas of the Palace that were more exposed to the outside (like a courtyard), I did sneak a few photos, but there were just too many security people around to do it in the throne room.
The Armory was another very interesting thing. I usually do not get excited by seeing a bunch of weapons and such. But this was actually done in a very interesting manner and it was pretty cool to see the suits of armor that the Spanish armies wore in battle. They also had the shields and such that were designed for the royals. These, again, were just over the top and unbelievable. The decoration was incredible. Every detail include, such as the hair and the beard on the helmet. Or mythological scenes on a shield. Just incredible displays of art. I would totally use some of these in a decorative way.
The Pharmacy dates back to the 18th century as well. It is filled with vials and pots for the various herbs and such used in healing and treatment of the Royal family. I was expecting maybe a few dozen of such vials. There were actually hundreds and hundreds. There was a distillery as well. Again, considering that I did not expect much, I was truly surprised and really enjoyed this part of the Palace.
Finally, there was a special exhibit of the collection of Carlos IV. This included paintings, tapestries, furniture and a few other items that were collected by Carlos IV. Yet another thing in the Palace that I really enjoyed. All in all, the Palace was one of my favorite things that I did in Madrid.
At this point, we were getting pretty tired, so we got something to eat and then went back to the apartment to get some rest.
To be continued.
To see some of my photos from Madrid, click here.
