Second Day in Madrid

Thursday, January 10, 2008

Wow, only two days left in Madrid...the time is going by so quickly, especially today because I spent most of the morning writing. It was dreary and raining oustide, so this seemed the best idea. Only hunger drove me out about 11:30 am to ferret something to eat...

Along the way, I captured some photographs of my route....starting with the haunted elevator (exterior and interior) in the place where I am staying...

then to the corridor that leads outside (looking back into the interior hallway)...

To the exterior of the building where the doorway is almost hidden...It's by the Pension Carrera sign, but recessed.

... quite a contrast from the Astoria Hotel (Hotel Asturias - photo to the right)

I sauntered down a side street and came across at least fifteen or more cafés and restaurants, many of which didn't open until 1:00 or 1:30 pm....I'll never get used to the times of openings of things in this country. It changes from city to city and business to business and days of the week in each place.

I eventually did find one that was open: Raciones, where I ordered ensalada mixta and hamburgesa. I suddenly had a hankering for some North American food, but alas, it was not the traditional kind of salad and hamburger that I was expecting, but very tasty none-the-less. The salad had a lovely mixture of greens, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs and tuna with a balsamic vinegar dressing - no heavy olive oil! The portions were big, though I managed most of the salad and the vegetables. The vegies were delicous and unusual: artichoke hearts, asparagus, broad beans, cauliflower carrots, and peas.

The only drawback of this place was that I was seated directly facing a huge chunk of pork (ham leg) with the hoof pointing in my direction. At least it was 'dressed!'

I meant to return to writing as it was going so well, but I again became intrigued by the architecture and ambled along the streets taking plenty more photographs, this time trying to capture the details.

The buildings range from medieval times to 19th and 20th century. The photos don't do them justice, at least not on the blog, though I'm including them here anyway.

I finally went back to writing and about four hours later, decided that
I needed another break and a little snack to tide me over until supper time at 8:00 pm.

I dashed out to the Italian restaurant (Pizza Nortes) where I'd had supper the night before, passing a pastry shop next door on the way.

The waiter at the Italian restuarant remembered me and they had fresh Tiramisu and of course I had my agua (water.) I loved their food presentation..simple yet elegant.

I did a little research today, as I particularly wanted to know about the magnificient building I'd seen yesterday. I found some better photos on the Internet and at last a description of how it came to be. It's called the Palacio de Comunicaciones or Communications Palace.

It is the most prominent of the buildings at the Plaza de Cibeles and the most famous it seems, as there were pictures of it everywhere on the net in conjunction with Madrid. What suprised me most was the date of its construction.

"The cathedral-like landmark was built between 1905 and 1917 by Antonio Palacios as the headquarters of the post office. Inside the impressive building is the Postal and Telegraphic Museum, which displays the history of the postal system, from the 18th century postal pigeons to the modern communication satellites."

http://www.arup.com/spain/project.cfm?pageid=7988



At the centre of the Plaza de Cibeles is the Fuente de la Cibeles. This fountain, named after Cibele (or Ceres), roman goddess of nature, is seen as one of Madrid's most important symbols. The Cibeles fountain depicts the goddess in a chariot pulled by two lions. The fountain was built between 1777 and 1782 by Ventura Rodriguez. Whenever the local football team Real Madrid wins a cup, fans flock around the fountain to celebrate.

Madrid is of course famous for many things, including it's bullfights. There is a specatular bullring in the city, though I'm not going to walk there...it's quite a ways and I'm not that keen on the sport. (Vera also had a beautiful one that was built in about 1879.)

Madrid is is the capital and largest city of Spain . The entire population of the Madrid urban area and suburbs is calculated to be 5.84 million. The city spans a total of 607 km² (234 sq miles). Located on a plateau in the Castilian planes Madrid enjoys a dry and temperate climate. It has been the capital of Spain since 1562, is located on the geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. These web sites will provide more info about Madrid http://www.travellady.com/Issues/September07/4436Madrid.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madrid.

Tomorrow I will set out early to see the famous park, art galleries and the Palace Real. Or at lesat attempt to see of them...each gallery has thousands of pieces of art, so I could spend a week or more in each....well mroe like a month of more, but I'll have to capture the highlights only.