A Short Visit to Historic and Vibrant Madrid

 

We went to Madrid last month. The weather was warm and sunny but not too hot just as we like it. A light cotton jacket in early mornings and late evenings was all that was needed. The big anorak and the wind-cheater I look with me remained hanging in the wardrobe. As the weather here in UK was cold and we went to the airport in the morning, I had no option but to carry them. There was also one more but very important factor; lately, the weather has become much more volatile making any meteorological prediction unreliable even for a week.

When one is at home the appropriate clothing is not a problem. On a holiday, one has limited options. You cannot take more than a few clothes unless you pay through nose. The luggage allowance has slowly gone smaller and costlier particularly for short haul flights. One must pay for even a cabin-bag, the size and weight of which shouldn’t be more than a crisp bag!

We chose Madrid not just for the weather but also because it ticked almost all the boxes for a good city break. Its rich historical heritage and vibrant culture is evident all over the city, particularly in the architecture of famous buildings, well curated museums, large gardens, and other landmarks. Also, I always wanted to see classic Spanish opera and authentic flamenco dance.  

The public transport system was another big influence in our decision; the trains, buses, trams, and metro are all well interlinked and comprehensive, The fare is low. I could not believe it that there were frequent and regular electric buses on many routes which were completely free!

Wherever we go we like to see all the things that a place is known for, Madrid was no exception, we made a big list of  famous palaces, museums, churches, plazas, parks, sculptures, shops, restaurants, and a flamenco theatre.

As both, Bibha and I don’t have a passion for football or bullfighting, we did not plan to visit Real Madrid stadium or the Las Ventas the bullfighting ring. Some go to Madrid just for these. Horses for courses.

We stayed in Madrid for Five days; we walked so much in first two days that on the 3^rd day we had to take it easy, we stayed mostly in and around our hotel which was right in the city centre on Gran Via near plaza opera and plaza sol. We had to cancel our day trip to Toledo which we had scheduled for the day.  But we did not regret it. We leisurely passed the day eating, drinking (mostly coffee and fruit juice), people watching and window shopping. This gave us a good feel of the hustle and bustle of the city, the local cuisines, shops, and the people.

Of course, one cannot do justice by visiting a city like Madrid just for a few days. We did not manage to see even all that was on our itinerary. But with what we did see, we got a good glimpse of the heart of city. We found the followings most interesting and amusing. We walked to some of these which were near our hotel (Hotel Atlantico) in the city centre. For the rest we used the local buses and Metro which I think are best in Europe. I am not describing the places in detail as one can easily look them up on the google.

v  Royal place,

v  CentroCentro in Cibeles Palace

v  Prado museum

v  Sofia Raina museum

v  Plazas: Sol, Mayer, Espana and Cibeles and the sculptural fountains of Cibeles, Apollo and Neptune

v  Shops: El Corte Inglés, Zara,

v  Food Court: Mercado de San Miguel.

v  Flamenco dance show:   one we saw was excellent at Torres Bermejas

v  Al Reteiro park which also includes Casa De Vacas, Crystal Palace, Palacio De Velázquez,  

We would have really liked to stay longer but our flight back was booked. Leaving Madrid felt sad and premature as we flew back to wet and cold London. The memory of the warm and energetic Madrid kept us smiling.