One of Doug's good rowing buddy's, Danny, is working on his PhD and doing research in Madrid so we decided to go for a visit. This was Erynn's first time to Madrid, and the last trip she was able to take while pregnant. We went in early May and she gave birth to our daughter, Greta, in late June.
Danny is fluent in Spanish and had already spent many months in Madrid so he proved to be an amazing tour guide. We spent a couple days walking around over the weekend, and even though the weather didn't cooperate we had a great time. Thanks Danny!
For full resolution photos from the trip to Madrid click here.
Our hotel was near the Atoche Train Station and Danny picked us up there to start our walking tour of Madrid. Some people may remember the train station from the 2004 terrorist attack there, but I particularly like the quasi-rain forest inside. The trees were dense and made the place very muggy. Trains and crazy heat and humidity... my favorite things... ahem.
As it was obviously raining, we tried to find activities inside. This was Erynn's first trip to Spain, but on previous trips to other parts of the country she had developed a craving for churros con chocolat so Danny had scoped out a famous place for the desired dessert. The yummy pastry shop is located in the Puerta del Sol. The square has a huge statue of Charles III, and it is the 0 km point for the country where all distances are measured from.
After indulging in some awesome deep fried dough and chocolate, we thought going indoors to an art museum would be a good idea. Therefore, we headed to the Prado Museum, but as you can see everyone else had the same brilliant idea...
...so we went a couple blocks away to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum. It was filled with very nice art. Go look at the web site if you're interested. Like most art museums you can't take photos inside. This museum was interesting in that you couldn't even take photos in the lobby before security. I took this photo of Erynn and Danny in front of the king and queen of Spain and still got the finger wag from a security guard.
After leaving the art museum the weather improved dramatically and we enjoyed some time just walking around before lunch. Above left you can see the Madrid city hall. Then we walked up a short portion of the Calle de Alcalá, which is actually the longest street in Madrid.
We were heading back in the direction we came and ended up back in the Puerta del Sol, but since it wasn't raining we were able to take a couple photos in front of the famous El Oso y el Madroño (The Bear and the Strawberry tree).
A couple more random photos from our walking tour... On the left is the Iglesia de San Ginés where Danny sang every Sunday. His mother would be proud. On the right is the Teatro Real (Royal Theatre).
We stopped for lunch at one of Danny's favorite places -- Casa Mingo. The place is famous for roasted chicken and cider. It was delicious!
After lunch we continued our stroll around the city center. We passed through the Plaza de Oriente and onto the Royal Palace. These photos are from the side of the palace facing the large gardens.
On opposite side of the palace from the gardens is a huge square (left photo) and opposite the palace is the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena de Madrid (Almudena Cathedral).
Who needs another helping of churros!?! These tourists! We hit the chocolateria right behind Danny's church for another helping of fried dough and chocolate. Now if they could just improve their napkins, life would be perfect.
The Puerta del Sol may be the center of the city, but I guess the Plaza Mayor is the heart of the city. The square looks like a big box surrounded by buildings, and the only way to enter is through a number of arches. The walkways under the arches contain a bunch of street vendors selling anything you might need. Or not.
The last stop for our first day was the Parque del Buen Retiro. In the park is a relatively small lagoon with a Monument to Alfonso XII (left photo). More importantly (and amazingly) there is a rowing club on this lagoon! Real rowing, not the paddle boats you see here. The total length was about 500m so it was improbable that a club would exist, but Danny assured me so. I believe they taught novices there and the more experienced folks rowed on a reservoir outside of town.
Another highlight of the park is certainly the Crystal Palace. The building is used for different purposes and exhibitions throughout the year, but it was empty when we were there. Still impressive.
After a good night sleep Danny picked us up again the next morning, and we were able to get into the Prado without much wait. No pictures inside...
After a couple hours in the Prado it was time for lunch and then we had to head to the airport. Bocadillos de Calamares (Calamari sandwiches) are outstanding. In case you were wondering...
© 2011-2012 Doug Rathburn