Viaje a la Capital

WoW! This week ended just as quickly as it began. Sorry for the delay, but after my amazing weekend of travel, I had to hit the ground running on Monday. Yes, I had the great opportunity to visit Madrid, the capital of Spain. Our trip was great because we really did see a little bit of EVERYTHING in Madrid. From beautiful parks to a palace, congress to churros, and art museums to artists on the streets, we saw it ALL. Furthermore, I want to revisit it all so get comfy. This will be a long, interesting read!

Friday morning, I packed my bags and left to meet the group to go to the airport. It was the eight of us and Antonia. We caught the very crowded bus to the airport, checked-in, and made it to the gate in plenty of time. It was all so smooth. "Great start," I thought to myself. The flight was quick too, maybe 60 minutes. When we arrived, no one needed to go to baggage claim because we all brought carry-ons. What an efficient way to travel. I had never done this before, guess its because I never pack light enough. And, I did pretty well though. I had everything I needed for our very busy weekend. Sometimes I surprise myself.

From the airport to the metro we went. The station was in the same building! I wish I could have seen this place from the outside because it must be massive. The airport has several terminals, and the metro systems has 12 different lines. We had to take 3 lines just to get to our hotel. Some of the stations have escalators, and other do not. Trekking around with all our luggage, up one set of stairs, down another set, hopping on and off different trains, it was a production. But, once we finally saw the light of day, coming up out of the metro station in central Madrid, I realized that I had made it! "We're in Madrid!" I yelled. I was so relived to finally see it, cars zooming by, real sidewalks, and grand architecture all around.

We went straight to the hotel. I was eager to see our room and really happy to be able to lighten my load. The room was a little disappointing for my taste, but we weren't there for long. When we exited the metro station, I saw a little piece of home right across the street, Starbucks! Before I could go on with the rest of the day, I NEEDED a café Americano. The first sip was amazing. I downed that grandé in record time. After that jolt of espresso, I was ready for anything. Even better, it was time for lunch! We walked and walked all around and had a picnic lunch in Los Jardines Sabatini. It was gorgeous. This is the garden of the kings. It had all these cool statues of former kings of Spain. It is located next to El Palacio Real or the Royal Palace. Next, we took a tour of the palace. More walking, but it was fascinating to see. I just love how extravagant kings and queens lived. I could get used to that. We only saw about 25 rooms, but there are over 2,800 very different rooms in the entire palace! I couldn't take photos, but check out the link to see pictures and read all about this lavish national treasure. When the tour concluded, the guide suggested that we visit the armory as well, and we did. It was so amazing to see the actual attire that real Spanish knights once wore.

After walking through all that royal history, we had "tiempo libre," free time to recharge and get ready for the evening. Antonia arranged for us to meet and have dinner with a student from Madrid, who she knew very well. It was really nice to have like a tour guide for night life in Madrid. He and his friends took us to some very popular cafés and clubs, and we all had a great time together, conversing in 'Spanglish' and enjoying the same music. It wasn't a long night though. We all knew that Saturday was going to be a very long day with even more walking. We said goodnight, and returned to our rooms for some much needed rest.

Saturday morning quickly came, and it was crucial that we did not oversleep because it was Antonia's birthday! We got her a big card and some chocolate. She was so surprised and happy to spend her birthday with us. On to breakfast, and of course I was starving. Don't get me wrong, I really do like that food here, but there just isn't enough variety. When you hear, "This is a Spanish breakfast," that applies to EVERY part of the country. Nevertheless, its great because when I order, I know what to expect. I had a Spanish tortilla, which is more like a frittata with egg and potatoes, and un bocadillo atún, a tuna sandwich on really crusty bread. At this particular café, both dishes were really good. I was satisfied and ready for the day.

First, we took a guided tour of El Congreso del Los Diputados. This tour made me feel at home, touring the capital building and all. Usually, I take these kind of opportunities for granted. However, when we entered el Salón de Sesiones, I realized the importance of this space. This is where hundreds of the country's leaders convene and vote on policies for the advancement of Spain. Moreover, the history in the room was overwhelming. All along the ceiling, there are beautiful paintings and statues honoring the past of the royal government. The tour was quick and straight to the point. We were off to our next appointment, but not before a pit stop at Starbucks! With my Americano, I was all set and ready to see some art.

We met up with a professor of Spanish art history, and he was our tour guide for the day. The first museum we went to was the Museo Nacional del Prado. Simply amazing. It's funny how I'm not the type to visit an art museum on my own, but when I do visit any art museum or exhibit, I want to stay and learn about every piece of work in the building. Luckily, I was in good hands. The professor gave us every bit of information that he knew about the most famous paintings in the building. We viewed the works of several famous artists including, El Bosco, El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya. My favorite paintings were created by Velázquez. I appreciated his work so much because if you look closely, you can see the lines where he decided to erase and repaint, simply because he changed his mind. Something didn't look right in one spot, and it looked better two inches to the right. I loved this audacity. He didn't see mistakes. He just took a moment to rethink his work, and kept going, creating thought-provoking art. We also observed the first and last works of El Greco in Spain. The stark contrasts are so interesting. His first work, La Trinidad, is filled with bright light and color, while La Adoración de los Pastores, his last creation in Spain, is extremely dark and gloomy. Everyone speculates about the reasons for the different perspectives, but there isn't a clear answer. Another aspect I found interesting about all the famous painters was how they would randomly include a self-portrait in the their paintings. I thought this was odd at first, but now that I think about it, I would do the same. The Prado was a great experience, and the gift shop was cool too. Yes, I got a couple of souvenirs for some very special people.

After the Prado, one can probably guess what came next, lunch! We went to a café and restaurant called El Brillante. Particularly, this place is known for serving the best bocadillos de calamares, a customary lunch in Madrid. I ordered one with the group. I like calamari, but not really in a sandwich. But of course, I was glad that I tried it. For dessert, I tried this flan dish, and one bite was enough. Along with tasting new dishes, I was happy to sit and enjoy the environment. We lunched for about ninety minutes. That's Spain!

Once everyone was finished and ready, we were on the move again to our second museum. We toured the contemporary art museum of Spain, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. The building includes four floors of art by hundreds of different artists. Yet, I have to admit that I'm just not a fan of contemporary art. Most of the art just didn't grab my attention like the classics. There was one piece that I was glad to see in person, Guernica by Pablo Picasso. It is the most famous painting created about La Guerra Civil in 1937. Last week, in my Politics and Society course, we discussed this painting and all of its many symbols and intricate detail. There's nothing like seeing this historic treasure in person.

After observing most of Spain's famous art, we had tiempo libre. A few us visited the Madrid train station. It was interesting to see because inside the station, there is vegetation growing tall everywhere and includes a turtle pond. Next, we took the metro back to the hotel. We relaxed a little and prepared for the night. After all that walking, all of us just wanted a good, filling dinner. Collectively, the ladies were determined to find some authentic paella. As recommended by our "night life tour guide," we dined at a restaurant called La Barraca, which has been serving delicious menus since 1935. We enjoyed a mouth-watering seafood paella. It was made to order and slow cooked just for us. It was so relaxing to be in good company with great food. I was absolutely content. Afterwards, we returned to the hotel. Some of us planned to nap, get a café, and spend another night out. Me on the other hand, I wanted a little gelato, but even more, I wanted that bed. Needless to say, it was a DEEP night's sleep.

Sunday morning startled me because I slept so hard. Yet, I felt energized and ready for our last day in Madrid. For breakfast this morning, we went to San Ginés, the best café in Madrid for Chocolate con Churros. As you may know, I'm that odd kid with a food allergy to chocolate. I tried my churro con un café, but sadly, it is NOT the same. Imagine eating a warm buttery pancake without syrup and just a plain, hot cup of coffee. Its not even worth the carbs and calories. Interestingly though, mis compadres only seemed to enjoy one or two. it was that rich with the chocolate. Antonia was surprised by this response too. Though they don't eat churros daily, most Spaniards and tourists drink the chocolate after they finish all the churros. Yikes!

Being that we had a plane to catch, we had to keep to the schedule. Next we went to one of the most anticipated events on the whole itinerary, El Rastro, the most famous open air market in Spain. It was nice to walk around and see all the vendors. I took it all in and bought a few more gifts. The best thing I saw here were the artists on the streets. This is a very poplar custom all around Europe and especially in Madrid, street performances. Check out this video of a quartet of violinist. I love how it is absolutely ok for people to stop and enjoy the music, for hours if they want.



Leaving el Rastro, we grabbed lunch en FresCo, a restaurant buffet. Its specialty is salads. Antonia said that she chose this place in my honor. We had OPTIONS among all kinds of vegetables and toppings! I was so happy. We enjoyed another long, relaxing lunch, then it was time for more walking. We headed to a second major park in Madrid, el Parque del Retiro. We walked around and enjoyed the atmosphere. Among the tranquility, I saw some of the biggest ducks ever. They are really well fed. There is a pond where one could rent a romantic row boat. I loved seeing the ROW boats. Also, we took in some more entertainment. Check this out.



Our trip was coming to an end, and it was time to go back to the hotel, get out bags, and find our way back to the airport. But first, I had to make one more trip to Starbucks. I just got a tall soy Chai. I wanted to rest on the airplane. We managed to get ourselves and all our stuff on the plane and back to Palma. I was happy to return 'home' for a hot shower, but what a trip. I had such a great time in Madrid. However, now I get it. Once you see one, you MUST see the other, Barcelona. That's the ongoing debate/rivalry in Spain. Which city is better Madrid or Barcelona? Guess I will just have to investigate for myself. Thanks for reading and recollecting with me!