I’ll miss these meals:
La Taurino
Spanish soup
Rabbit stew
Flan
Even More for the Foodies
Who Designed This Place
I arrived in Madrid on Saturday and found it to be a truly beautiful city and clean. And crowded. And confusing. If the streets were designed to frustrate potential invaders, the city planners did a great job. Streets go every which way and then back around. Wonderful for walking and discovering new things. Sucks when you are actually trying to get somewhere. And the main areas are jam-packed with people. Once the weekend was over, it wasn’t as bad but wow, where did all these people come from and why are they all going to the same place. Good thing is, if you make a turn and there are very few people, chances are you’re going the wrong way.
Arrival at Estacio de Atocha
Heading into a sea of people at the gate to Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor
Heading towards Plaza del Sol. Eventually
Around Madrid
Madrid is definitely a world-class city with gorgeous buildings, art and sculpture everywhere and museums at every turn. One thing it is not. It’s not Barcelona. I definitely liked Madrid a lot but at this point in the trip I would have preferred a smaller city and much less people. I didn’t quite feel the warmth and friendliness in Madrid that I felt in Barcelona. That said, there is plenty to see and do. For example, the Museo del Prado is an awesome art museum that is hard to do in one day. Took me 4 hours to do one floor (using an audio guide, which makes the visit longer). As much as I would have loved to see the rest of the exhibit (and this is just the permanent exhibit and not the special ones like the Renoir exhibition), I am museum-ed out. It’s not as big as the Louvre, but is still impressive in size and scope of collection. I never used the Metro because I bought a two-day hop-on hop-off bus ticket, which stopped at most of the prime locations. Really recommend it for a good way to see the lay of the land.
Street my hotel is located
Metropolis Building
Palacio de Comunicaciones
Cibeles Fountain
Puerta Acala
Torre Colón
Cinema
Tio Pepe – Plaza del Sol
Royal Palace
Palace Garden
Cathedral
Museo del Prado
Barcelona Memories
Some miscellaneous pics:
Hotel Europark Room – nice!
Not quite the Christmas markets of France and Germany
Roman Ruins
They left the damage bombings during the war
Palace Chapel
Walking up to Park Gruëll
Gaudi and Park Gruëll
More Gaudi and Park Gruëll
More For the Foodies
Ah, Spanish Tapas!
Tomato Bread
Cheese Croquets
Paella
Montserrat
Just outside Barcelona is the mountain, Montserrat (not to be confused with the more famous island). A short train ride makes for a great day trip up the mountain. You can choose to go all the way up by either cable car or railway, with the cable car being faster. I chose the cable car and it offered amazing views up the mountain (not for those afraid of heights). A couple of funiculars take you up even higher where you can choose various walking trails. I will freely admit to choosing one of the shorter trails because at this point in the trip, I already know that selecting a more adventurous one is something I will regret. And my shoes are wearing down to the point where traction is at a premium!
Montjuïc
Above the city is Montjuïc, or Hill of the Jews (when Jews were in good standing there, I assume). There is a beautiful park, National Museum, the Poble Espanyol (a Spanish village representing the different buildings of Spain with artists, shops, cafes), the Olympic Stadium (built for the an alternative to the Berlin ’36 Olympics, but not used due to the Spanish Civil War. It was the site of the ’92 Olympics), and more. It overlooks the city and is a great way to spend a day.
Park:
Museum:
Views from Museum:
Olympic Complex:
Poble Espanyol:
Back to Barcelona
Here are some night shots around town:
Where Have I Been?
When a hotel advertises wireless internet in all rooms and throughout the building, don’t they have an obligation to actually provide it? I have gotten about one hour of connection the whole stay at the Hotel Suite Prado, which claims to be 4-star. In their dreams. So, it’s been tough to get online and update the blog. Even Starbucks here limits you to 45 minutes. Like wifi is some precious commodity!
Final Pit Stop Before the USA
More to come on Barcelona. But tomorrow I take the train to the final pit stop before returning to the U.S. On to Madrid.
The Nomadic Writer 