Stopover in Madrid

1900 words - about 6 minutes to read

Until now, we only knew Madrid as a transfer airport, as a stopover on the way from A to B.

For us, it was nothing more than an air-conditioned place of waiting or haste.

Today we are taking our time to explore the capital of Spain.

We want to gather impressions on a walk through the city centre - loosely based on Goethe's quote:
‘Only where you have been on foot have you really been’.

First surprise: Príncipe Pío

After landing in Madrid, we simply unload our luggage at our hotel in the suburb of Barajas and then immediately descend into the underworld.

This of course means the tube, which is called the metro here.

At the Príncipe Pío metro station, we come back out into the daylight and find ourselves in the heart of the city.

It doesn't seem appropriate to call this place a metro station. In fact, the city's historic northern railway station surprises us here. Long-distance trains from France used to arrive here from 1879 on.

For a long time, the railway station was a forgotten site and not open to the public as it was a ruin. After its restoration, the splendour and former importance of this building can once again be sensed. Today it is a transfer station for local transport, but first an foremost the former northern railway station is now a stylish shopping centre and fashionable food court.

Palacio Real - the royal palace

Our next point of interest is the Campo del Moro park. It's just a stone's throw away from the railway station.
This green space is criss-crossed by an impressive visual axis and presents the Palacio Real at the other end. This royal palace with its more than 3,000 rooms is astonishing in size and is said to dwarf all other royal palaces in Europe. From our position, the building complex is elevated on a hill and is more reminiscent of a fortress than a castle.

In fact, there used to be a fortification here when the Moors still ruled the area. The fortress was built against the advancing Christians. At that time, Madrid was still called Magerit in Arabic, which should also explain the origin of the town's name.

Plaza de la Armería

We need some time to climb the fortress hill and walk round the huge city palace. Our destination is the Plaza de la Armería.  Here we stand in front of the main entrance to the royal residence. As the king's family no longer actually lives here, the palace can be entered and visited by the common people for a fee.

It's no surprise that this is now a tourist hotspot. People from all continents and many street artists bustle in front of the entrance gate to the palace.

We seek shade on the steps leading up to the neighbouring Cathedral of Santa María. We sit there, slightly elevated as if on a grandstand, and take in the scenery.

A violinist elicits baroque sounds by Johann Sebastian Bach from his bow instrument. This creates a beautiful, albeit unexpected, atmosphere in this place.

Who would expect Protestant church music in this arch-Catholic neighbourhood? But somehow it fits.

The numerous tourists from overseas are probably not bothered by such nuances. The main thing is that it sounds somehow classical and therefore European.

Tapas - a must-try

We decide on a meal that could be a late lunch or an early dinner.

Nearby, we find a suitable tapas bar in Calle de la Almudena.

We enjoy our appetisers and drinks in the shade of the awning while watching the scenery around us.

Opposite the bar is a public drinking fountain, as can be found everywhere in the city. In view of the late summer heat, these fountains are very popular with locals and tourists alike. It is customary to refill containers and bottles you have brought with you - free of charge. Small children are cooled down directly at the tap by their caring parents.

Mercado San Miguel - a temple of flavors

Our next goal is the famous Plaza Mayor. On the way there, we stroll along Calle Mayor and take in many impressions.

Here we discover the Mercado de San Miguel market hall, whose beauty we can only guess because it is currently a building site as well as a gourmet palace. We suspect a beautiful historic façade behind the covered scaffolding.

The market continues to operate during the construction work and we marvel at the food on offer at the numerous market stalls.

After visiting the former market hall, we both agree:

If we ever come to Madrid again, we will dine here properly.

This place is a temple for connoisseurs!

Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor is impressive, but also looks a little artificial as it seems to be enclosed by a single building.

It looks monotonous, even if it is somehow historic.

We like more organically grown squares with a variety of buildings.

But still: you should have seen this square. Many other tourists think the same way, immortalising themselves or each other on their smartphones or simply sitting around a little overwhelmed.

Puerta del Sol

It's not far to the official centre of Madrid and the whole country. This is a place that every local calls El Sol for short, which emphasises its importance: the sun, around which everything revolves.

And indeed: since the 1950s, the country's motorways have started here at kilometre zero and radiate in all directions - like the sun.

Today, we no longer notice much of its importance as the square has long been traffic-calmed and belongs to pedestrians.

Here on the Puerta del Sol we find the famous Tío Pepe billboard. And this is also where the bell tower is located, which forces all Spaniards to perform a strange, supposedly lucky ritual on New Year's Eve: just before midnight, a grape is swallowed for every chime of the bell. Television broadcasts this New Year's tinkling nationwide - unfortunately, this ritual always comes an hour too early for the Canary Islands due to the different time zone. Will it still bring us luck?

Another curiosity is the statue ‘El oso y el madroño’. A four metre high stone and bronze sculpture depicts a bear tampering with a strawberry tree. This depiction can be found in the town's coat of arms and probably dates back to ancient times, when there were many bears and probably also strawberry trees in the area. El madroño - could the name of the town also have its origins in this word?

Like at the Royal Palace, we are greeted by unexpected sounds here on El Sol. The Ukrainian community is gathering today to commemorate their Independence Day. One can assume that these people are celebrating this occasion with particular intensity and pride in view of the current situation.

Blue and yellow are the dominant colours on the square that day. Sentimental Eastern European singing, accompanied by several accordions, drowns out all the noises of the big city. For a moment, we believe we are not in Madrid but on the Maidan in Kiev.

A memorial that makes you reflect

We continue our walk. At the large Fuente de Cibeles roundabout, we are surprised by a young memorial.

The victims of the COVID pandemic are commemorated here with an eternal flame.

We remember that there were many victims in Spain, especially in Madrid. How quickly we have forgotten! Or have we just repressed?

At this moment, this memorial seems very appropriate.

Which way to Prado?

Our next destination is the Prado, probably the most famous museum in Spain. To get there, we walk in the shade of huge plane trees past the Naval Museum and pass the Fountain of Neptune.

We are on the lookout for a large building complex that could rival the Louvre in Paris. Though the Museo Nacional del Prado is not small, its size does not fulfil our expectations.

Well, at least the museum is big enough that we don't have time to pay it a visit. At least we've stood in front of it before.

We are slowly coming to the conclusion that this will not be the last time we visit this city.

Parque Retiro - green meeting spot for Madrileños

The next stop is another park, this time probably the largest of the many in Madrid: the Parque Retiro. We enter it through the Puerta Felipe IV.

We seem to have found the best part here. This corner of the park is called Jardín del Parterre. The evening light is conjuring up a wonderful atmosphere and we are very impressed by the gardens.

We now realise why this part of the park is nicknamed ‘Parterre’, as we climb a few steps up to the higher area of the Parque Retiro.

On the way to the large water basin of the Estanque Grande, we hear exotic sounds again. On a meadow in the shade of the park trees, several young people perform songs from the South Seas, accompanied by ukuleles. They are not street artists hoping to make money. They are simply singing and playing for fun, presumably out of sheer joie de vivre or because they are homesick for the islands in the South Pacific. Enchanted, we stop for a moment and listen, which is honoured with a grateful smile.

For the third time this day, Madrid surprises us in a way that reminds us that we are in a cosmopolitan city where the whole world is at home; just like Bach from Germany, proud Ukrainians or islanders from the South Seas: they all belong to Madrid, just like world-class football, tapas, Jamón Iberico, Francisco de Goya, the royal family, bolero or, in fact, Andalusian flamenco.

We are now standing in front of one of the city's most famous postcard motifs, the Estanque Grande, an artificial lake large enough for rowing and pedalo boats.

On the opposite shore stands the monument to King Alfonso XII.

Palacio de Velázquez

The sun is about to set. So we hurry to find the Palacio de Velázquez hidden in the park. This crystal palace made of glass and iron was built in 1883 in the neo-Renaissance style and is modelled on the famous Crystal Palace in London. It is beautiful to look at with the reflections of the evening light.

Palacio de Velázquez Parque Retiro Madrid

After-work in Madrid

We have now completed our programme for the day. It gets dark and we take a leisurely stroll through the green spaces.

The Madrileños use the park intensively for their after-work activities, whether for sport or pleasure.
People sit on the park lawns, have picnics or enjoy a drink, they walk, stroll, jog, run, roll or even walk their dogs.

Children play and romp through the park long after the sun has set.

We are part of it all for a while until, with a heavy heart, we leave the Parque Retiro at its north-eastern corner through the Puerta de O'Donnell to dive back into Madrid's underworld at the Principe de Vergara metro station with our many wonderful impressions.

Conclusion of a great day

The first visit will not be the last. We just got an initial overview today and enjoyed the atmosphere. We are looking forward to further trips to this city.

Anyone expecting tourist kitsch here will be disappointed.

What is impressive is the architecture, which seems to have run riot here in the city centre from the second half of the 19th century to the golden 20s of the last century.

The centre of Madrid is much greener and quieter than we expected. The parks are clean and well-kept. The squares and some streets are car-free. As a pedestrian, you feel welcome in the centre of Madrid.

We found the atmosphere to be very relaxed. The hustle and bustle of a big city was missing. Although Madrid is certainly a tourist hotspot, you don't feel crowded or overwhelmed by the masses of people, as it is unfortunately the case in Barcelona or Venice.

Madrid is a pleasant surprise. You take fond memories home with you and exchange them for the prejudices that remain in this beautiful cosmopolitan city.