The Iberian Jet Set (Part 7): Madrid - The Royal Spendor

- November 27-28, 2016, Sunday to Monday.

- I took an early morning flight from Lisbon to Madrid, also via TAP Portugal. I was quite relieved that I was on my way to my last leg of my Iberian Peninsula adventures, which meant that I don't have to lug my "pregnant" baggage until the day I leave Madrid and come home to the Philippines. However, a part of my was also giddy with excitement because I knew that my "real" adventure was just about to start. In my schedule my Madrid trip was the longest compared to my stay in Barcelona or Portugal, but I decided to insert three special day trips within the week that I stayed in Madrid.

- Upon arriving in Madrid I was also thankful to see flat ground again, since it's easier to walk on flat ground than the tiled, cobblestoned, and sloped roads I encountered in Portugal (though Portugal's roads are artworks by themselves.) I also had to adjust myself to speaking in Spanish again, since I might accidentally speak Portugese in Spain. On the way to the city, I also observed that Madrid seemed more modern than Barcelona; it is not to say that Barcelona is old-fashioned or left-behind, but rather I meant that in terms of the general ambiance of the city.

- I bought the 7-day tourist pass in Madrid, which is a small easy-to-lose ticket that gives access to unlimited metro and bus rides for 7 days. Since I was going to stay for a longer time in Madrid, the 7-day pass was just right for me. This, however, is not eligible for discounts in museums, unlike Lisbon's Lisboa Card (click here to read about the Lisboa Card.) Apart from the 7-day pass, one can avail the 1-day, 2-day, 3-day, or 5-day pass. There is also an option for either Zone A or Zone T. Choose Zone A only since this is the main center of Madrid where all the tourist spots are. Zone T is for the farther areas of Madrid.

- I eventually found my hostel, Hostal Acapulco, which is along Calle de la Salud in Plaza del Carmen. It is a mere 2-5 minute walk from the Gran Via metro station. Hostal Acapulco is in a quiet area between two main tourist centers: Gran Via (sort of like Madrid's version of Singapore's Orchard Road) and the Puerta del Sol (one of the historic plazas). As for the hostel itself, which by the way is located at the 4th floor of a building (and another hostel occupies the lower floors,) is way more than what I expected. It was a hostel, but the rooms, hotel-like. My favorite part was the bathroom, because it had a bathtub!! It was the first hostel that I encountered that had a bathtub (though I soon found out that I could not fit in the tub because I was too "long" for the tub.)

My room in Hostal Acapulco, featuring my pregnant luggage and my former-school-bag-turned-travel-backpack.

- After checking in and leaving my luggage (and after letting it sink in that my bathroom had a bathtub,) I went on to explore the Spanish capital. I had lunch while getting lost in one of the jolly small streets of Madrid. It was already around 2 in the afternoon and the rain also decided to rain on my parade. I never liked the rain when traveling because the rain slows me down in all ways (difficulty walking, roads with traffic, one hand occupied with holding the umbrella, etc.)

- My first agenda was to visit Puerta del Sol, the "kilometer zero" of Madrid (i.e. the very center of Madrid.) The plaza was called as such because the historic gate of Puerta del Sol, facing east, would be one of the first things to greet the sun in the morning. The historic landmark has been around since the 12th century. Madrid's symbol, the "bear and the tree" can also be found there, but for some reason I forgot to take a photo of/with it. (I eventually did, don't worry.)

Christmasy and rainy Puerta del Sol.

Main fountain.

House of the Post Office (Real Casa de Correos; post office of Madrid's President.)

King Charles III.

- Puerta del Sol is a good starting point for anyone who wants to explore Madrid. Apart from being kilometer zero, it's also because the street inf ront of it, Calle Mayor, is a handy no-brainer street to see the main attractions of Madrid. Just walk west from Puerta del Sol and following the street, you will see landmarks located close to each other like Plaza Mayor (main plaza in the 1500s,) the Mercado de San Miguel or the San Miguel Market (market from the 1900s, now a hub for good Spanish food; expect big crowds in the market.)  and Plaza de la Villa (17th century plaza outside the town hall.) Walking along Calle Mayor in the middle of the day is also not a chore, because I'm sure that those who do will be distracted with the souvenir stores, restaurants and snack stalls, and the specialty stores (i.e. ham stores, marzapan stores, leather stores, etc.) along that lively street.

Philip II (with a pile of garbages in front) and the Casa de la Panaderia (Bakery House.)

Casa de la Panaderia.

Tempted to put my head on the matador.

Mercado del San Miguel (hurray for the orange car at the left.)

Inside the market.

Plaza de la Villa.

- Later on, I walked past the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) as I was saving it for the next day, and immediately went up north of the palace to see a peculiar and seemingly out-of-place landmark: the Templo de Debod (Temple of Debod.) This Egyptian temple dedicated to Isis from 2nd century BC was originally built in Egypt, but given to Spain as a gift by Egypt in the 1960s as a way of thanking Spain for the help it gave in the preservation of a set of temples that a dam almost threatened to destroy. Apparently, this isn't the only time that Egypt gave a whole temple as a gift to another country. The Temple of Dendur inside New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (click here to see) is also a gift from Egypt to the United States of America for the same reason it gave the Temple of Debod to Spain. Entrance to the museum is free, but because the temple is quite small, only a few people are allowed inside the museum at a time. I had to fall in line under the rain. Boo.

It's a whole temple transferred piece by piece to Spain!!

These carvings....from 2nd century BC!!

Interpretation.

Outside the temple. (The person at the far left was the first guy in line when the photo was taken. There was a long line of people behind that person.)

- After visiting the Templo de Debod, I headed to Plaza de Espana (the "n" of Espana should have the squiggle on top, making it pronounced as "Espanya,") which is almost across the park where the Templo de Debod is situated. In the plaza, there is a big monument in honor of Miguel de Cervantes, master poet of Spain mostly known for writing Don Quixote. The plaza and the monument were built in the early to mid1900s.

Plaza de Espana 

Don Quixote and Sancho.

Miguel de Cervantes.

With the celebrated poet.

With Don Quixote and Sancho.

- On the way back home, I made a stopover at Puerta del Sol once more to take a photo with MAdrid's symbol, the bear and the strawberry tree. To summarize, the bear and the tree symbol symbolizes Madrid's strength. The bear has been in Madrid's coat of arms since the 13th century. (Of course there is a more detailed explanation of the history of the bear as a Madrileno symbol, as well as other things/symbols associated with the bear.)

Back in Puerta del Sol, here's the bear with the strawberry tree.

- I had a quick dinner and took it easy that night. Actually Madrid has some nice places to see, but most of them are close to each other, and I had allotted more than ample time to spend in Madrid. Even the next morning, I had a slightly later breakfast before heading off to Plaza de Oriente, the 19th century plaza of the Palacio Real (Royal Palace of Madrid.)

Plaza de Oriente.

King Philip IV.

- The Royal Palace, however, had a much older history. The original "alcazar" (i.e. "Moorish castle/fortress") was built some time in the 9th century. It was later renovated and converted into the Spanish royal palace. Today, the royal family of Spain does not live in this palace but in a palace outside Madrid, however the Palacio Real is still used for some royal functions. By the way, the Palacio Real is the largest European palace by land area.

At the palace grounds, with my vaquero shirt (though more commonly worn in Latin America.) The vaquero or "cowboy" culture was one of the cultural aspects that Spain shared with its Latin-American colonies. The vaqueros inspired USA's cowboy culture.

See the flag of Spain on top.

The only hall where photographs are allowed.

The Spanish emblem.

 One thing about this palace is that photography is not allowed in the exhibition rooms, but I can assure you that I effortlessly said "wow" in each of the well decorated rooms. Another thing that made me happy was that entrance was free for teachers (regardless of country.) Residents and students usually get more discounts in museums and landmarks, and once in a while, it's either free or discounted for teachers. Good thing I had my school ID with me; the main requirement is any ID or proof that you're eligible for the discount or gratis.

From the second floor. I was able to take this photo since I was outside one of the rooms.

- As with most palaces, the main church or temple of the city is located near the palace. In this case, the Almudena Cathdral was directly in front of the palace. Even though the seat of power was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in the 1500s, the Almudena Cathedral was only builti n the 1800s, since the Spanish government had to allot more of their funds for expansions in the colonies.

The church, facnig the palace.

View of the palace from the church; you can see the church's shadow.

Madrid.

Saint.

More saints.

Pope Benedict XVI (the bust.)

Inside the church.

I like the play with colors.

Special altar at the side.

Carved door.

- The church also has a crpyt, bus it can be accessed from a different door. The crypt itself is quite peaceful, but creepy at the same time (knowing that there are plenty of people buried there.) I was just glad that I wasn't alone when I visited the crpyt.

Almudena Cathedral from the side.

With the statue of Pope John Paul II.

Inside the crpyt.

It was quite creepy. They were also playing a recording of some chant, which added more to the ambiance.

It looked better from afar; this was right after I left the cathedral.

- From the church I walked along Calle Mayor, and then walked down Calle Cuchilleros, which is the street beside Mercado de San Miguel. Somewhere in that small street is a restaurant called Sobrino de Botin. This restaurant is the oldest still-operating restaurant in the world, starting business in 1725. It is famous for its cochillo, or suckling pig. Since a lot of tourists and locals dine here, it was best for me to reserve my slot through the restaurant website (but you order and pay when you're already there in the restaurant.) The restaurant looks small, but it actually has four floors. The receptionist placed me at the basement level of the restaurant.

Calle Cuchilleros.

Sobrino de Botin is so old that it made its way to some literary outputs, like novels (ex. "Fortunata y Jacinta.")

Waiting for the restaurant to open for lunch. I'M HUNGRY WHERE'S MY COCHINILLO. (But I look calm in the photo.)

At the basement.

- Spain has its tradition of having a menu del dia or plato del dia, which is a full course meal (appetizer, first plate, second plate, dessert, with drinks,) and more often than not, the menu del dia changes daily. Fortunately, and I won't be surprised if the restaurant didn't change its menu del dia, the menu del dia had cochinillo as its main course. To go with my cochinillo, I had sangia. However, I didn't know until latero n that instead of a glass of sangria, I was given a half-pitcher of sangria (at least it made the price I paid for more reasonable.) Since I don't really drink a lot, I was a bit tipsy throughout lunch, and for maybe until an hour later, I was walking around Madrid tipsy. (Please don't do this, and I never want to experience this again.)

My cochinillo with potatoes, and my glass (and pitcher) of sangria.

This heavenly but sinful lunch. Cochinillo is life (or not, since you know, cholesterol.)

- After my (sinful) lunch, I walked back to Puerta del Sol to see the bear and tree again during the day, and continued to walk up north to walk along the Gran Via, which is the main avenue near my hostel.

Peppa Pig!! What brings you to Spain?? Are you looking for George??

Bear and tree (and I am still slightly tipsy in this photo.)

- Along the Gran Via, as mentioned above, there are many branded stores, but there are some important landmarks too, like the main headquarters of the Instituto Cervantes. Instituto Cervantes is a cultural arm of the Spanish government, and in other non-Spanish speaking countries, the cultural arm of the Spanish embassies. In Manila, there is the Instituto Cervantes de Manila, and several years ago I did my internship there for a summer. Needless to say, seeing the Instituto Cervantes headquarters was a special and meaningful moment for me.

Oh Instituto Cervantes. Hola.

- Walking further west the Gran Via, one can reach the Plaza de Cibelles, with the nearby Cibeles Palace (a cultural center) and formerly the Palace of Communications (Palacio de Comunicaciones;) the building was built in the early 1900s. Walking further on, one will reach the Puerta de Alcala, an 18th century gate that can be considered as one of the earliest European triumph arches (i.e. it's older than Paris' Arc de Triomphe.)

Palacio de Cibeles/Palacio de Comunicaciones

Puerta de Alcala.

- Turning right at the Puerta de Alcala, one will see the big Retiro Park. It was a park that, I think, in some ways resembled the Park de la Ciutadella in Barcelona (click here) and New York's Cenrtal Park (click here.) The Retiro Park has been around since the 1500s, but since that time until the 1800s, it was a property of the royal family, until it became a public park after 1868. Today, the park is home to a few significant landmarks like the Bosque del Recuerdo (a memorial to the 2004 Madrid train bombings,) the Palacio de Velasquez (and 1800s exhibition gallery and now an art gallery) and the Crystal Palace (also from the 1800s, it used to be a place to exhibit animals and plants from the Philippines; it's now an art gallery.) The park is so huge that it's easy to get lost in the winding paths that eventually look alike. The park was also so huge that I couldn't visit all the interesting spots in the park; I decided to only visit the important ones.

Monument for Alfonso XII.

Old man's probably not lonely for all we know. Maybe he was just resting his legs. Heehee.

Bosque del Recuerdo (Forest of Remembrance.)

Fat cats.

Palacio de Velasquez.

This is the gallery inside.

Latin American motifs.

Crystal Palace (Palacio de Cristal.)

Black swans.

- After visiting the park, I rode the train to the northern part of the city to Plaza Castilla. It is a more contemporary plaza where one can see the Puerta de Europa (Gate of Europe Towers) which are twin towers that serve as the office buildings ot the Kuwait Investment Office (KIO.) In the middle is the Caja Madrid Obelisk, built from 2002-2009, in commemoration of the 300th anniversary of Caja Madrid. Caja Madrid is the oldest Spanish bank.

Gran Via in the late afternoon.

Plaza de Castilla. The slanted towers are the Puerta de Europa towers, and the obelisk is in the middle.

- I went home that night and had a good night's rest for my first day trip away from Madrid the next day. It was the first of three consecurive day trips that I had from Madrid. My destination the next way was probably one of the highlights of my Iberian Peninsula trip because it was one of the places that I longed to see - Cordoba!! (Please don't forget to read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, Part 4 here, Part 5, here Part 6 here, Part 8 here, Part 9 here, Part 10 here, and Part 11 here!!)