the Travel Enthusiast
- 26 Feb
Adam in Amazing Places | NO COMMENTSThe Beauty of Madrid.
Coincidence is the best tourist guide of Madrid.
There are many things to see in Madrid, so many that every plan to visit a place fails. The best way to see Madrid is by going with the flow, letting fate guide you by walking the streets, relaxing at the cafes or tapas bars.
The Cosmopolitan characteristics of the city is visible from the moment you arrive to the airport. The roads are high and long avenues cross big squares with heavy traffic being circled by flowers.
You can admire a post office which looks like a Wedding cake, arcs of triumph, banks being decorated like some Renaissance palaces or big post modern skyscrapers like the twin towers, intentionally inclined to one another, being established at Puerta Europa in 1996.
The history of Madrid starts from the western part of the old town, the place where the impressive royal palace lies. Here, on the banks of the river Manzanares, the Moorish conqueror Mohammed I built a fortress in 852 (Alcazar) and named it Mayrit.
After the expulsion of the Moors, Christian kings used the palace as a hunting residence, and its name Mayrit was given to a little community nearby the palace, which in 1561, became the capital of Spain.
Plaza Mayor ©Rick Ligthelm
The Fled King Through the Windows
The Alcazar served as the residence of Spanish kings and rulers for 2 centuries onward until it was burned down 1734, being replaced by the actual royal palace, a monumental construction ten times bigger then the Buckingham Palace of London. The multitude of the frescos, golden sculptures, massive candelabras gives you an infinite feeling. The last resident of the palace was King Alfonso the XIII, who escaped from the furious republican sympathizer crowd by jumping from a window and went to exile. At the actual moment, the king uses the Palace only for official ceremonies.
- Flights
- Hotels
- Packages
- Cars
- Cruises
travel search by Travelgrove (get this widget)The portraits made by painters show historical figures. A more realistic vision appears in the pictures of Prado. Velasquez expresses one of the week Habsburgs. Titian shoes Charles V, at the age of 27, like a suffering old king. A group portrait of Carol IV’s family, an opera of Goya,is situated at hall 32 is more shocking rather than idealized.
From the windows of the royal palace the rulers and servants watched the executions, the corridors which were situated at Plaza Mayor, the most beautiful among the big squares of Madrid, filled and covered with aristocratic structures. This square is the most favored place for walking, people watching for the citizens of Madrid, who can stay at a cafe or an aperitif, reading the news, enjoying their time with friends or just watching the crowd and the city .
A little bit from every style
Leaving Plaza Mayor, no matter where you go, you’ll meet many interesting things: commercial streets, passages, stairs, other little squares in the old town. Many houses have facades from the Habsburg era, similar to those of Vienna and Salzburg, an example being Palacio Santa Cruz, once a prison, now being the headquarters of the minister of external affairs.
Technically speaking, Madrid is an outdoor muzeum of architecture. Capilla del Obispo, a superb portal of an azil, now a museum of history of the city. The El Teatro Espanol at Plaza Santa Ana, The Bank of Spain at Plaza de Cibeles, the big cinematography Palacio de la Musica which lies at Gran Via, or the building of the Association of Motor Sports that can be also visited.
Everyone who makes the usual expedition of Madrid needs some rest. Fortunately enough there are bars or restaurants at every corner, where they can find all kinds of drinks or little aperitif like Tapas. These can contain little pieces of tortilla, cheese, meat, olives, or delicatessen from the house. This aperitif, however is only served after 22:00 a clock.
You might also like
- 10000
© Copyright 2004 - 2024 Travelgrove, Inc.