Madrid is big - not so much in terms of land area, but definitely in terms of humanity. About 3 million inhabitants. It is a fairly modern city, the result of 19th and 20th century development, and thus is full of high-rise apartment buildings. When we were there in March of 2001, we stayed in a newer hotel in the suburbs which provided us with a quiet residential neighborhood (except for the garbage truck that arrived every morning at 7:20 - but with all those people, everyday trash collection appeared to be a necessity). We used the extremely efficient metro to get us where we wanted to be and at 750 ptas for a 10-ride ticket, it was a bargain.

One of our first stops was the Prado, a must-see when in Madrid. It is quite extensive and will take you many hours if you want to see everything. There are rooms dedicated to Spain’s greatest: Velasquez, Goya and El Greco, as well as representative samples of other European artists. Although the paintings are certainly magnificent, what truly captured our fancy were the inlaid-marble tables. These were exquisitely made and the detail on them was unbelievable. The scenes on the tops included still-lives as well as detailed landscapes and the peripheries often depicted books, rulers, drawing instruments and other items normally found on tabletops. We have found in the past that the museums often have the best restaurants (at reasonable prices) in them. So we tried the Prado’s as well. It was more of a cafeteria-style affair, but the food was decent and reasonably priced. Best of all, they separated the smokers from the nonsmokers!

After the Prado, we headed for the Plaza Mayor built in the 17th century. It is a huge open square surrounded by shops, restaurants and cafes. Evidently stamp and coin collecting is popular in Madrid as they were several of these shops in the vicinity. There is also a stamp and coin “flea market” every Sunday at the Plaza Mayor (coincides with The Rastro, see below). We also stopped in the Gato Negro, a huge yarn and needlework shop in one corner. This shop had a huge collection of any kind of yarn you could possibly imagine, should you be in need of supplies for a project. There were also many hat shops and knife/gadget shops. If it is a nice day (which it wasn’t), most of the restaurants have outside seating, away from the busy streets.

Just a few block east of the Plaza Mayor is the Puerta del Sol, the geographic center of Madrid (or close to it). There is a small plaque in the sidewalk marking Km 0, the point from where roads leading from Madrid are measured. This is a busy, popular place with several El Cortes Ingles stores and a couple of pedestrianized shopping areas leading out of it. There is also the famous statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, the favorite meeting place of Madrilenos (and yes, every time we went by, there was always a crowd of people milling about). 

On Saturday, we met up with Karyn, the daughter of a friend of Verna’s folks. Karyn lives just north of Madrid but offered to take us on a day trip to El Escorial, outside of Madrid. El Escorial is a palace/monastery built in the 16th century by Felipe II, as thanks for a decisive victory against the French in the battle of San Quentin. Guided tours are offered for 100 ptas more than the unguided tours, but are, unfortunately, only given in Spanish. However, the unguided tour is still worth it. We started in the basement where they have preserved the plans and models of the buildings as well as many of the tools used during its construction. From there, we proceeded upstairs to the painting galleries, then on to the apartments, still furnished with some of the original furniture. Up a flight of stairs is a long hall, painted along both sides with murals of battles, ranging from early hand-to-hand foot combat, through calvery battles and finally to battles employing gunpowder. It is an interesting sequence, showing the differences in how the men were positioned, camped, and fought.

After the apartments, you head down to the Panteon de los Reyes, where almost all of Spain’s monarch’s since Carlos I lie interred with their spouses. This is the most exquisite of interments as the royal corpses lie in their gilded marble coffins. But there appears to be space for only 1 or more. After this, there are many more rooms of vaults, but of much less importance and grandeur. We then visited the cathedral, but could not enter as there was a wedding in progress. Close by is the library with about 40,000 precious books lining its walls. The library is decorated with a ceiling mural depicting the sciences and at one end is a model of the universe according to Ptolomy, reflecting his belief that the Earth was the center of the universe.

After El Escorial, we headed further into the mountains to visit Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen), supposedly built to commemorate those who died in the civil war. However, it is more a tribute to Franco - an austere, huge building of granite built into the mountain. The room is almost a 1/4 mile long and virtually empty, until you get to the alter where Franco is buried. We were told that some who come here do one of two things - kneel down and kiss Franco’s grave or, step on it. We passed on both. Also buried here is Jose Antonio, a martyr for the Nationalists.

Interestingly enough, the guard wouldn’t let us in without sending the digital camera through the x-ray. We tried to get around it, but to no avail. Turns out that this is a favorite target for ETA terrorists and security is higher here than anywhere else we have been.

We then headed out to a small village for lunch and what a lunch we had - it was so much easier with Karyn ordering just what we wanted, as well as knowing what was good. When we arrived at the table, there was a plate of blue cheese and another with crisply-fried pork fat (like bacon bits) to start us off. Then we had the clams in marinara sauce (a bit different than what we think of as marinara sauce, but great none-the less), followed by fired calamare, grilled asparagus (sprinkled with rock salt - um!), and mixed salads. For desert, Mom finally got to try tocino de cielo (literally translated, heavenly bacon) which is essentially a flan, but the caramel sauce is more caramelized, almost burnt. The result is rich, creamy and a deep caramel flavor. Exquisite!

There are about 6 tourist bus lines taking tourists around town in the usual hop-on, hop-off style. It is a great way to get around and see the city and the major tourist sites in a relaxed style. Most appeared to be fitted with prerecorded tour descriptions in most any language you desire and provide throwaway earplugs with your ticket. The one we rode provided tickets valid for 48 hours, giving you plenty of time to view, shop, and visit. 

Of course, if you are in Madrid on a Sunday, a visit to the Rastro, the local flea market, is a must. Even if you don’t need anything, it is worth a walk through. The Rastro covers many city streets closed to traffic and booths line both sides of the road, plus more on the sidewalks. Many of the shops in the area are also open, to take advantage of the mass amount of foot traffic. In the area there are many antique shops, sporting goods stores, and furniture shops. The booths themselves are full of clothing, jewelry, and leatherwork. Jim found himself a good leather belt and Verna was able to find a vest with lots of pockets for carrying personal items while traveling.

One of our last stops in Madrid was the Palacio Real or royal palace, built by Felipe V in the 18th century. In 1734 the Alcazar built down and Felipe took advantage of the situation to build a palace that would dwarf all its European counterparts. He didn’t live to see it completed, but it certainly is grand - some 2800 rooms exquisitely decorated. Fortunately, only about 50 are open for visits. Of the rooms visited, the throne room (left) was certainly sumptuous with its red velvet-lined walls and gilded thrones and lions, but the next room (below) was over-the-top with the walls, floors and ceiling elaborately decorated. The intricately-swirled marble floor blended well with the patterned walls and ceiling, but overall the effect was a little too dizzying for us.

Soon after, is the porcelain room with the walls literally lined with porcelain - so exquisitely crafted that the seams are totally hidden with the leafy patterns (see below). We were especially impressed with the music room - not for its decorations, but for the 3 Stradivarius violins and 2 Stradivarius cellos, all in perfect condition with inlaid wood borders.

In the far corner of the palace is the royal armory with an extensive collection of complete suits of armor - for both men and horses. We felt really sorry for the horses that had to bear all that weight!

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