Posts Tagged ‘Madrid’
Photo Friday: Architecture In Madrid
Friday, December 4th, 2009Pop Art At The Almudena Cathedral
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Catedral de Nuestra Senior de al Almundena
While we were on our way to the Catedral de Nuestra Senior de la Almudena (what a mouthful!), we saw the same Chinese migrant workers next to a beautiful European building. They resettled to sell their fans on the street. I walked over and bought a red and orange fan for 2 Euros. It had a black bull and the word “Espana” spray painted on it. It was the only thing I could do to make their day a little better. We spoke to them in Mandarin and their faces became more relaxed. I think the familiarity made a big difference for them in their daily struggle. It was a little piece of home.
The Catedral de Nuestra Senior de al Almundena, also known as the Almudena Cathedral, is one of Madrid’s modern cathedrals. It stands direction across from the Palacio Real. When Spain’s capital moved from Toledo to Madrid, the new capital did not have a cathedral. What’s interesting about this cathedral is that instead of the usual forms for artwork you see in most cathedrals, this one is filled with pop art.
The cathedral, dedication to the Virgin of Almudena, was built on the site of Madrid’s first mosque. Construction didn’t begin until 1879 because of political disputes with the archdioceses of Toledo.
JC accidentally slipped and said bad word inside the cathedral. He apologized profusely but was smitted as soon as we walked outside. He wanted to see what was behind the cathedral so JC climbed on a stone bench and banged up his knee when he slipped. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Wanting to save his legs from further smitting, we decided to end the monkeying around and took a coffee break at Juan Valdez Cafe. Ordering coffee in Spanish was no problem. Asking for the bathroom was another story.
JC: Donde esta al bano?
Barista: A la vuelta a su derecho.
JC turns to me and has this behooved look on his face that said, “What?!” I translate and he goes “Oooh.” He turns to the barista and says, “Thanks man!”
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Chinese Migrant Workers At The Plaza de Oriente
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Plaza de Oriente
JC and I walked non-stop these past two days. It was either restless leg syndrome or the excitement we had being in Madrid. I thought we would take it a little slower on the third day but, nope. Not when traveling with JC. He only knows one speed – and it’s just go, go, go, go, go!
We began the day with a trip to Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid. JC had me take a picture of him with his middle fingers to the stadium. (He’s a Barca fan.) He commented that the stadium has the same colors as the Yankees Stadium. “…And that’s why the Yankees suck!” (He’s a Mets fan.) We circled the stadium and came across a bright yellow swastika symbol spray painted at an abandoned gas station. A little friendly reminder that racism still exists.
Then we set out for a walking tour of Old Madrid. First stop, the Plaza de Oriente. The capital’s two most important buildings are located here, the Palacio Real and the Teatro Real. As I entered the plaza, I noticed a few Chinese migrant workers on the side of the steps selling fans with symbols of Spain. My heart always goes out to migrant workers, whether their Chinese or not. It’s not easy starting with nothing in a foreign country. We realized that there were quite a number of immigrants in Madrid. We met a few of them last night.
JC and I walked toward the Palacio Real and sat in front of the equestrian statue of King Felipe V. The sun was beaming and the sky was bright blue and cloudless. The foreground of the white marble palace made it picture perfect. It reminded me a little of Greece. A little while later, we saw the Chinese migrant workers coming down the steps in a single file. The man in the front peaked from behind the bushes. Then they scurried like mice in front of me from left to right. What were they doing? They were running from the police. It made my heart feel heavy. It’s hard to explain but it breaks my heart to see my people living this way. I guess it’s because it hits closer to home.
Their world is different than mine but also the same. JC and I moved from one white stoned bench to another. We wanted to see every angle of the gorgeous Plaza de Oriente. We soaked up the sun, watched the people walk by and enjoyed the ambiance. From where I was sitting, I was surrounded by marble statues of Spain’s past 20 kings. It’s a stark comparison between the way migrant workers live and the way I live.
Next stop, the Catedral de Nuestra Senior de la Almudena.
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Photo Friday: Building Art In Madrid
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Building Art In Madrid
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A Day Trip To Toledo
Thursday, November 26th, 2009
Atocha Train Station
We scrambled out of bed at 9:50 AM to catch a 10:50 AM train to Toledo. I had set my alarm to 8:30 AM last night but it never rang. JC and I ran around the room like Speedy Gonzalez and in 20 minutes we were out the door. My eyes were barely opened but my adrenaline rush was up the roof. At 10:11AM we sprinted to our Metro stop, Alfonso Martinez, to catch a train at Atocha Station.
When we got off the Metro, it was quite a walk to the platform where our train was departing. We got lost looking for the entrance to the platform. JC led the way while I remained a few yards behind. I was nauseous and light headed. It was not a good morning. We passed by a tropical garden in the middle of Atocha Station. Unfortunately, we did not get to appreciate it. We ran around in a frenzy trying to catch the train to Toledo. We probably looked like chickens scrambling to get away from being someone’s dinner.
Luckily, we boarded the train to Toledo with 5 minutes to spare. The train was full so JC and I sat separately. I ended up being cornered by three old French ladies who couldn’t stop talking. All I wanted was some peace and quiet. The seats were spacious and I was hoping to catch some sleep so that the nauseousness would subside. I curled up into a ball the entire time. The three French ladies probably thought I was extremely hungover. I could see it in there eyes. They snootily said, “Hmph…Americans.”
Toledo
It was about a half an hour train ride to Toledo on Renfe. As soon as we got off the train, I headed straight to the bathroom. I was ready to hurl but instead I released a loud, unladylike burp and felt surprisingly better. That was my cue to begin our 10 minute walk to Toledo from the train station.
Iglesia De Los Jesuitas
We arrived at the city’s market place which used to be an Arabic meat market. It’s now surrounded by cafes, bakeries, souvenir shops and a McDonald’s. We had breakfast at a small cafe. We ordered a tuna salad croissant, a ham and egg croissant, a lemon juice and 2 shots of espresso coffee for about 7 Euros. It was the cheapest and tastiest meal we had in Madrid.
After breakfast, we visited the Iglesia De Los Jesuitas for a panoramic view of Toledo. We didn’t have a map with us so we figured it would be a good way of approximating the direction where things might be. From above, you can see the small town’s charm of cobblestone streets and narrow alleyways. The church itself has a few beautiful altarpieces but it didn’t compare to what was inside the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada.
Cathedral of Toledo
Also known as the Cathedral of Toledo, the Santa Iglesia Catedral Primada, is the most popular attraction in Toledo. It is also one of the most intricately detailed cathedrals I have ever seen. The architecture is magnificent inside and out. No pictures are allowed inside in an effect to preserve the cathedral. The guards had a very keen sense when it came to the presence of electronics. Also, speaker announcements were made every 10 minutes just in case you forgot. Big Brother was watching.
Retable of the Cathedral
The cathedral is extremely impressive and grand in size but the most astonishing piece of work is the Retable of the Cathedral. It’s made of wood and almost completely gilded in gold and barred off from the public. There were so many amazing pieces of work inside the cathedral. It’s hard to understand it’s importance without a tour guide.
We did a lot of walking around Toledo. We walked through the main streets and zigzagged through the smaller cobble stone streets. I’ve gained a new found appreciation for pavement. Sure, cobblestone streets might be charming but they are not pretty on the feet. Towards the end of the day, every step was a shot of pain.
JC and I burned so much energy walking the last two days that we were constantly hungry. We had dinner when we got back from Toledo but we were hungry again around midnight. We decided to explore the neighborhood where our hotel was and found a kebab place. The owner was a Bangladeshi who immigrated to Spain 10 years ago. He speaks Spanish and English fluently. Impressive right? Well, he also speaks Bangladeshi, Urdi and Hindu. While he was preparing our midnight snack, he turned up the volume of his TV when a Pussycat Dolls music video came on – “Jai Ho.”
After our food was ready, we stopped by a 24-hour grocery store for water. It was owned by a Chinese family. We asked the woman at the register if she liked it here. She said, “I just came here not to long ago so no, not really.” We wished her a good night and left wondered how hard it must be and how much courage it must take to come to a new country and start a new life. We have much respect for people who are brave enough to do so.
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Parque de Retiro, Museo del Prado & Museo Reina Sofia
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
Parque del Retiro
After inhaling our burger and fries at Burger King JC and I took a long stroll through Parque del Retiro. It was built by King Philip IV for the royal family. This enormous park is the most popular park in Madrid. It’s dotted with beautiful fountains and filled with lush green gardens. It even has an artificial lake and street performers for the children. The lake is called the Estanque del Retiro. Rowboats can be rented during the weekends.
The Parque del Retiro isn’t far from the Museo Del Prado and both JC and I were extremely eager to see some of the most famous pieces art in history. These were works of art I’ve only seen in book so to be able to see them in person with my own eyes was so surreal. The Prado Museum was packed with tourists and why wouldn’t it be? It’s the most famous museum in Madrid. In order to avoid the masses and losing time, we strategized our museum visit by mapping out every single piece of work we wanted to see. This way we were able to see where each piece was clusters on the map. Instead of having to scramble all over the museum to beat the crowds, we were able to see the ones that were closest together before moving on to the next section of the museum. The Museum Del Prado currently holds:
- Hieronymus Bosch’s Table of The Seven Deadly Sins
- Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden Of Earthly Delights
- Caravaggio’s David Victorious Over Goliath
- Diego Velazquez’s The Family of Felipe IV (Las Meninas)
- Francisco de Goya’s The 3rd of May 1808
- Francisco de Goya’s Saturn Devouring One of His Sons
The visit was a quick 1-2-3. Mission accomplished. We didn’t linger or stroll around. It wasn’t such a good idea with it being the weekend and all. Plus, we were eager to visit the Museo Reina Sofia
Guernica at the Museo Reina Sophia
The Museo Reina Sofia is located directly across from the Atocha train station. We went to see Pablo Picaso’s most famous piece, Guernica. Even though I was exhausted, jet-lagged and reeked of that stale airplane stench I stood in front of the painting and stared at it for at least half an hour. It is now forever branded in my mind. The mural depicts the bombing of Guernica, an aerial attach by the Germans and Italians during the Spanish Civil War.
Guernica shows the tragedies of war and the suffering it inflicts upon individuals, particularly innocent civilians. This work has gained a monumental status, becoming a perpetual reminder of the tragedies of war, an anti-war symbol, and an embodiment of peace. On completion Guernica was displayed around the world in a brief tour, becoming famous and widely acclaimed. This tour helped bring the Spanish Civil War to the world’s attention. – Wikipedia
At the end of our museum visit, we walked across the street to the Atocha train station, bought round trip tickets for Toledo and called it a day – a very long day. As I was getting ready for bed that night, that last thought that popped into my head before I fell asleep was, “Oh man, this is only day 1. Yes!”
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¡Madrid, Estamos Aquí!
Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Madrid Barajas International Airport - Photo from Tomisimo.org
We landed in Madrid Barajas International Airport at 11:30 AM. My body was at 5:30 AM, New York time but I didn’t need coffee. I didn’t need any 5 hour power shots. I didn’t need sleep. Okay, that’s a lie. I definitely could have slept. But I was running on adrenaline. JC and I hopped onto the Metro and took it to Alfonso Martinez Metro Station to check into our hotel, The Aparthotel Andromeda.
The hotel is located in a more residential part of Madrid. It was extremely convenient for us because it was only two blocks away from the metro station. There were plenty of restaurants and grocery stores nearby and exchanging money was a breeze because the Santander Bank was only a quick 5 minute walk away. Plus, it wasn’t too far of a train ride from the center of Madrid.
First stop, Puerto del Sol. Why? Because Lonely Planet said so. On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d say it sucked. Personally, it was too touristy. If I wanted to rub shoulders, bump elbows and dodge bodies, I would have gone to Times Square. I didn’t get to enjoy the European architecture as much as I wanted to. I was too busy navigating the streets, preventing collisions and eying potential pickpocketers. Paranoid? Perhaps. But better safe than sorry.
Building at Gran Via
The first thing I saw when I got off Sol Metro Station was a huge building complex. My first thought was, “Wow, so European!” But little did I know, buildings like that were one in many and this one, in hindsight, did not compare to others I would be seeing. We walked to the Plaza Cibeles through smaller streets to avoid the voluminous amounts of people.
The Metropolis Building
In one of our detours, we noticed a gray angel on top of a dome. Curiosity led the way and when we arrived at the end of the street, there it was – The Metropolis Building or en espanol, Edificio Metropolis. The building is located at the corner of Gran Via and Calle Alcala. The angle of the sun made the angel look like it hovers above the dome. It was absolutely gorgeous!
We continued our walked down Calle Alcala passing by a Catholic church and the Instituto Cervantes, which was created to promote and teach the Spanish language and to spread Spanish and Latin American culture. Across the street was the Bank of Spain looking all grand and majestic. But the most beautiful piece of architecture in the Plaza Cibeles was Madrid’s main post office – the most regal post office I have ever seen.
We walked the length of Calle Alcala until mid-afternoon. It was a great introduction to Madrid. The European architecture is amazing in comparison
