Memories of Madrid

(In the Parque Bueno Retiro in Madrid)

Taking a red eye flight into Europe from New York City means arriving early in the morning and taking a nap and rest as soon as we check into our hotel. In Madrid, ours was Hotel Marlasca, situated right in the heart of the busy Puerta del Sol, Madrid’s Times Square, and boasting, to our delight, French windows that led out to our own little private wrought-iron grilled balcony. .

When we did set out to explore Old Madrid, an hour later, on foot, armed with our trusted Eyewitness Travel Guide, we found ourselves warming instantly to a city that is a fascinating combination of ancient and modern elements. Tio Pepe’s huge billboard advertising Spain’s famous sherry looked down upon the bustling Sol square where shops and offices intersected narrow streets and historic buildings stood steeped in memories of its Bourbon past.

Calle de Postas took us down a winding route to the massive Plaza Mayor (left), Madrid’s best-known public square that has seen bull-fights, parades, inquisitions and executions within its four impressive walls. The equestrian statue of Felipe III is central to the square among whose buildings the Casa de la Panaderia (Bakery) was most striking for its allegorical painted frescoes. Plaza Provincia led us to the tiny, narrow alleyways of the inner city where we were continually struck by their charming quaintness. Strolling past the Arc of Cuchilleros, we felt as if we were back in medieval times and when we reached Plaza de la Villa with its brick buildings, central sculpture, arched bridge connecting two official buildings and beds of cheery primroses, we were certain we had strayed into the pages of history.

Then, suddenly, unexpectedly, Calle Mayor ended where the imposing domes and spires of the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Almudena (left) began. Right opposite, just beyond the massive Plaza de la Armeria, the regal façade of the Palacio Real (below left), Madrid’s Royal Palace, hinted tantalizingly of the treasures stored within.

Not surprisingly, we decided to take the audio guided tour of this magnificent monument to Spain’s monarchical history (Euros 8 plus 2 Euros each for the audio guide) and spent the next couple of hours wandering at will through rooms resplendent with the wealth and artistry of the ages. From the very first climb up the royal stairway, decorated with a stunning Rococco ceiling fresco by Giaquinto to the end, when we visited the Royal Pharmacy, chocful of Talavera pottery storage jars, glass bottles, urns and containers, herb drawers, etc. that told stories of royal ailments and their cures, we were fascinated.

Each room was more breathtaking than the next and as we ventured through them and listened to the commentary, we realized how wealthy this imperial power once was and how proud it became of its global significance. Indeed the sun never set on the Spanish empire and evidence of its glory was all over the walls, ceilings, furniture, mirrors, clocks, paintings and tapestries that adorned the royal lodgings. My favorite rooms were the Porcelain Room covered entirely in faiancé made in the Buen Retiro porcelain factory and the Gasparini Rooms named after its Neopolitan designer who decorated it with elaborate chinoiserie. Back out on the plaza’s balconies, we enjoyed distant views of El Escorial, another royal palace located an hour away from the city.

But it was time to rest our weary feet and we paused in the gardens of the Plaza de Oriente, decorated with innumerable marble sculptures, while listening to a stirring rendition of Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca played by a street side accordionist. Then strolling past the Teatro Real (Royal Theater), we arrived on Calle de Arenal, known for its Chocolateria San Gines, an old establishment that still serves the best version of Spain’s fast-disappearing national snack—chocolate and churros. We plonked down at old-fashioned marble topped tables to enjoy the treat (a steal at 3 Euros) and dunked our churros (deep-fried sticks of dough) fondue-style into the sauce-like hot chocolate as we saw the local Madrillenos do.

Our evening ended with a visit to Madrid’s Museum of Modern Art (more about that later) which left us deeply moved but quite exhausted. Fortunately, the Museum was open till 9 pm that evening, leaving us ample time to browse through its highlights at our leisure. By this time, having covered more than we expected on our first day in Madrid, we made our way back to our hotel, pausing only for dinner at La Truscha Restaurant near Plaza Santa Ana for wonderful grilled trout stuffed with Serrano ham and Chicken grilled with Garlic after consuming deliciously simple tapas—smoked ham and pickled manzilla olives. I opted also for the house wine, a white Valdapenas, that was surprisingly good and surprisingly cheap—wine is often cheaper than soft drinks in Spanish restaurants.

Walking the Art Trail:

The hot chocolate and churros had whetted our appetites for more sightseeing the previous evening.  Regenerated, we found our second wind and hopping on to the subway at Sol tube station, we tunneled our way to Atocha, Madrid’s busy railway hub, in order to walk towards the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid’s Museum of Modern Art, which has two rather incongruous glass elevators plying along its exterior in the same way as Paris’ Centre Georges Pompidour does. Since it is possible to purchase a discounted ticket (12 Euros) that gives the visitor entry into three of Madrid’s main museums (the Reina Sofia, the Prado and the Collection Thyssen-Bornemisza), all conveniently located within a short walk of each other on the Paseo del Prado, we bought our tickets upon entering this Museum of Modern Art.

Picasso’s Guernica, the twentieth century’s most famous single work, is the biggest attraction in this museum and we headed straight for it, never expecting that this stark black and white canvas would have such a moving impact upon us. As we stared at the horrors of war depicted so eloquently by the Father of Modern Art, we were stunned into silence. This painting, a protest against the Spanish Civil War, was completed in 1937. Picasso found his inspiration in the 1936 mass destruction of the border Basque town of Guernika-Lumo by German pilots flying for the Nationalist air force led by General Franco who went on to hold Spain under a dictatorial regime until 1975. Picasso stipulated in his will that the painting should not be returned to Spain until the country became democratic. It arrived in Madrid’s Prado Museum in 1981 and was moved to its present location in 1992.In this work, men and animals, caught by the surprise attack, raise their eyes heavenwards as if seeking a reason for the madness. Horses rear upon their hooves, a bull bellows in agony, women with babes in arms stare upwards emptily, their arms akimbo. I have waited at least twenty-five years to see this painting, having first heard of it as an undergraduate in college, and I was deeply moved by its deafening silence. Having seen this work, we moved on to the Surrealist canvases of Salvador Dali that are also plentifully available here and to the abstract artistry of Joan Miro.

The next day saw us continue to walk the Art Trail, for Madrid is superbly endowed with fine art museums. We strolled down Calle des Huertas, past the Neo-Classical façade of the Teatro Espagnol, Madrid’s public theater, that has been home to such literary giants as Lope de Vega and Garcia Lorca. The sidewalk was littered with embedded quotations from the work of Spain’s best-known writers such as Cervantes who lived just around the corner, and as we slowly read their lines, we arrived at the Paseo del Prado and saw the museum standing solidly before us.

(Outside the Prado is a large sculpture of Goya)

A rather unassuming building, the Prado contains one of the world’s most enviable art collections procured through the marriages of the Spanish monarchs with some of Europe’s most eligible princesses, most of whom brought fine art into the country as part of their dowries. Towering sculptures of Goya and Velasquez, two of Spain’s most celebrated artists, decorate the two opposite entrances of the museum. I was so happy to be in the Prado, having waited for this moment for so many years, that my excitement was palpable. Stuffed to the rafters with Old Masters, the Prado’s nooks and crannies seem to conceal the ghosts of these artists who haunt it at every awesome turn.

Velasquez’s Las Meninas  (left) is the biggest draw and art lovers from all over the world congregate with reverence in front of this canvas that inspired so many artists through the ages and was an obsession for Picasso. Featuring the visit of the Infanta Margherita to Velasquez’s studio while her parents, the king and queen, were being painted by him, this canvas features multiple portraits in tightly composed groups. Indeed, the canvas also contains a self-portrait of the artist and is an amazing play of light, shadows and scale.

The Prado boasts many other works by Velasquez and the court painter Goya who followed him a century later. Goya’s famous The Third of May (seen at left, which is said to have influenced Picasso’s Guernica) is a major attraction as are his Nude Maya and Clothed Maya and his many portraits of royalty. The third artist whose work features prominently in the Prado is Domenikos Theotocopoulos, simply “The Greek” or “El Greco” to the Spaniards among whom he made his home in Toledo, just a short way from Madrid. El Greco specialized in religious paintings and there are a number of deeply stirring ones in the Prado, featuring his stylized dark, brooding, elongated faces and limited color palate. We were so taken by all these treasures that we could barely bring ourselves to stop for lunch. When compelled to do so, simply because our feet were killing us, we settled for a cafeteria meal of Beef Ragout and a hearty Spinach Soup with Chickpeas, both very satisfying indeed and very well priced.

The afternoon passed swiftly before us as we drank in the phenomenal talents of Rubens and Tintoretto, Caravaggion and Fra Angelico, Jose de Ribera and Albrecht Durer. Two of my all-time favorite paintings are in the Prado: The Immaculate Conception by Murillo which I have seen in ‘holy pictures’ since I was a little girl and The Deposition of Christ (c. 1430) by Rogier van der Weyden whose use of perspective is so astonishing that the viewer is fooled into thinking the canvas is three-dimensional. Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthy Delights which inspired most Surrealist artists at one time or another is also at the Prado. I was just thrilled to be in the presence of all these world-famous works, but we decided to take a break after spending almost the entire day in this museum.

Sundaes in colossal coupes blended for us the pleasures of coffee, chocolate and vanilla ice-creams with amaretto liqueur at VIPS, a chain of fast food eateries in Spain, where we cooled our heels and our palates and found the enthusiasm to visit the Parque del Bueno Retiro, located just behind the Prado (below).

This expanse, Madrid’s Central Park, enticed us with its sprawling green lawns, towering topiaries and marble statuary. It was too early for flowers but some spring plantings were already in evidence. We found a quiet parapet on the periphery of the pleasure lake where rowboats were plying just across from the half-moon colonnade in front of which an equestrian statue of Alfonso XII is mounted. Because Llew and I always look for some madcap thing to do to make our travels overseas memorable, we spied the perfect opportunity on a tall pedestal in the park that was, astonishingly, devoid of a sculpture. With Llew’s help, I mounted the pedestal, then giggling, half-concealed myself in the fluffy branches of a “brocolli-shaped” tree and posed while Llew took my picture. It is crazy spontaneous moments like these that bring levity to our travel memories and we grab them whenever we can.

But Madrid’s third museum of fine art, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, still remained unexplored and having rested sufficiently in Madrid’s largest park, we walked to the museum’s entrance, making use of the third stub on our joint ticket. Though we were left with very little time to explore this magnificent private collection of 800 paintings, the acquisition of two men—Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza and his son Hans Heinrich–we managed to see its highlights. Picasso’s early work, Harlequin with Mirror (1923) was a far cry indeed from his Guernica of 1937. Far more realistic than his later abstract work, the painting was a good example of his Blue Period. Edward Hopper’s Hotel Room (1931) was a very poignant portrayal of 20^th century isolation while Francisco de Zurbaran’s portrait of St. Casilda was astounding in the detail to be found on her splendid robe.

Madrid’s museums are a treat for the eye and the soul. The art-lover in me was fully enthralled on this trip and though we were often tired, our appetites were never completely sated. We could have spent days devoring these art works alone, but we’re grateful that careful planning and research allowed us to see most of the world’s greatest works of art as held in Madrid in just two days. It would have been a shame indeed to have made it to Madrid and to have missed Titian’s work on St. Jerome in the Wilderness, or Goya’s Saturn Devoring his Son or Rubens’ The Three Graces. Most visitors talk about feeling saturated after only a few hours in an art museum. Fortunately, Llew and I can go on for days and not feel sated.

Despite sightseeing fatigue, Llew and I decided to end our day by going out in search of a restaurant named La Sirena Verde on the Gran Via, the main artery that meanders its way through Madrid’s busy commercial area. This restaurant, we were assured by a professor we met on the flight into Spain, served the best Paella in Madrid and was worth searching out. Well, let’s just say we were not disappointed. While the lower level of the restaurant leaves one unimpressed, you climb the stairs and enter a very formal space indeed decorated in nautical blue. A very attentive wait staff supplied multi-lingual menus and opting for the Paella del Marisco (the Seafood Paella, 24 Euros for two persons), we enjoyed Spain’s national contribution to global gastronomy. Our meal was accompanied by a bottle of white Rioja (Cune semi-dry) which was cold and very refreshing and made a sparkling counterpoint to a meal that was just superbly flavored with saffron and spice. As night fell, we returned to Hotel Marlasca vowing to wake up early for what would be a long drive south into the heart of Moorish Spain in fascinating Anadalucia.

To follow us on the next leg of our journey through Spain, please click Gateway to Granada.

Bueno Viajes!