One of the earliest cultural boulevards of Europe - Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences 1618; Mediterranean diet 00884
What and Why
The Paseo del Prado is the main north-south axis of Madrid, and is characterised by a densely tree-lined boulevard. The boulevard is the main tourist landmark for the city residents with a few world-class museums along the way: the Prado Museum (Spanish: Museo Nacional del Prado), the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum (Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza) and the Reina Sofia Museum (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía), in addition to the Buen Retiro Park (Parque del Buen Retiro) and other important landmarks.
These beautiful public parks were opened to the public at the end of the 18th century CE by King Charles III (Carlos III, né Carlos Sebastián de Borbón y Farnesio), integrating the Buen Retiro into the general renovation of the city. At the same time as a new vision of urban planning was associated with this renewal development, with the emphasis of science. A number of science buildings and facilities were incorporated into the urban plans and thus the boulevard acquired became a cultural space for scientific discussions, apart from arts and culture. This project became very important to the dissemination and popularisation of science during the heydays of Spain (España), and also to other Spanish colonies, like Latin America.
Toponymy
While there is no conclusion on the exact etymology, the more accepted origin of the name 'Madrid' comes from the Arabic word 'مجريػ (mayrit)', meaning 'water fountains'. After all the city as it is now actually started during the 9th century CE under the Arab rule.
See
We start from the north.
Plaza de Cibeles
One of the main landmarks of Madrid, this is considered one of the most photographed spots in the city and the symbol of the city. The fountain, known as Fountain of Cybele (Fuente de Cibeles) features Cybele (Phrygian: Kubileya), the goddess of nature sitting on a lion-drawn chariot. In front of it is the Palacio de Cibeles, which is now the city hall.
Puerta de Alcalá
The ceremonial triumphant gateway is one of the monuments erected by Charles III and used to mark the eastern-most boundary of Madrid.
Paseo del Prado
Paseo del Prado, literally meaning the meadow passage, is where Bourbon Spain took shape. The tree-lined boulevard is a fashionable but cultural place to stroll around and is concentrated with tourist landmarks.
Buen Retiro Park (Parque del Buen Retiro)
Literally meaning the park of good retreat, the Buen Retiro Park is Madrid's premier attraction and is the main congregation space for Madrid citizens. It is one of the largest parks in Madrid. The park took its name from King Philip IV's (Felipe IV, né Felipe de la Cruz de Austria y Austria) royal retreat palace inside the park precinct, although very little remains here. Along the stretch outside the park, there are quite a number of gypsies, fortune-tellers, painters and hawkers.
The main feature of the park is the Alfonso XII (né Alfonso de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo) monument in front of the Retiro Pond (Estanque del Retiro), as picture above.
Prado Museum (Museo Nacional del Prado)
The Prado Museum is the world's greatest assembly of Spanish paintings. The most famous of the artists is probably Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. It houses a similar impressive collection of European's art, reflecting Spanish might during its heydays in the 17th century CE and is widely considered as one of the premier museum of the world.
Reina Sofia Museum (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía)
While the Prado Museum focusses on classical paintings, the Reina Sofia Museum's highlights are more on cubism, surrealism, post-modernism and contemporary art.
The single-most famous work of the gallery is probably Pablo Ruiz Picasso's Guernica, the powerful anti-war cubist painting against the Spanish Civil War (Guerra Civil Española). It is considered the most important anti-war paintings in history.
The other highlights of the museum include excellent collections of the other Spanish master Salvador Dalí i Domènech. While it is considered 'slightly' less renowned than the Prado Museum, it actually tops Prado in the most-visited museum in the world.
Sun Gate (Puerta del Sol)
From the Paseo del Prado we walk back to the hotel and along the way we passed by a few important landmarks and squares. The Sun Gate (Puerta del Sol) is officially the real centre of Madrid where all roads radiates outwards, in fact technically all roads of Spain radiates from here. The sign below, called Km.0, shows this landmark, and hence the square is a popular meeting places amongst locals and tourists.
However the square is not very well maintained and its boundary is not very distinct, and is now shaped more like a small crescent space than a square. I have to comment that the square does not look very good and aside from reputation, there is nothing fancy about this. By the way the symbol of Madrid of a bear reaching for the fruit of a strawberry tree (madroño) is prominently seen at one of the corners.
Plaza Mayor
While the Sun Gate is where it all started, it is now dwarfed in terms of elegance, grandeur and importance to Plaza Mayor. The Plaza Mayor classical theatrical architecture witnessed all sorts of historic drama: from the Inquisition (Latin: Inquisitio) to bullfights to pageants to public gatherings.
The central equestrian statue is Philip III (Felipe III, né Felipe de Habsburg), who ordered the construction of the square. The main tourist office of Madrid is located at one of the corners. Along the southwest corners is a flight of staircase where some of the best traditional restaurants are located, including the famed Sobrino de Botín in the blogged San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid)
The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid), is genuinely an underrated monument in Madrid which is frequently ignored. In fact when we visited, there were hardly anyone, as seen in the picture below. It is still the residence of the royal family and was built to impress. So much that it is actually one of the largest in Europe, considering we are comparing against Versailles or Caserta. The palace contains the usual staterooms, armouries, galleries and of course the throne. Photographies expectedly forbidden.
Buy and Do
Market of San Miguel (Mercado de San Miguel)
Do spend some time in the very posh steel-framed Market of San Miguel (Mercado de San Miguel), which rather than a market, it is more like an upscale gourmet food plaza. In fact it is one of the most popular food markets in Madrid, which is right next to Plaza Mayor. They have a great variety of tapas.
Eat and Drink
Tapas
The 'real' food to eat in Spain is tapas. Tapas are actually small snacks that originated in Andalusia (Andalucía) in the 19th century CE, and is mainly to accompany sherry (jerez). It actually came from the practice of using a saucer to cover (tapar) the glass to keep out flies and insects, and eventually progressed to place snacks to accompany the drink. Its variety can range from sweet to salty, hot to cold, meat to vegetables. Due to its history with wines, tapas are usually prepared for a single serving but have evolved to become a dish for three to four people, called ración. Tapas have also become a more sophisticated cuisine and can be combined to make a full meal, although largely tourists would do that.
In fact this particular Spanish cuisine has spread to neighbouring countries and making tapas a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet.
We had our tapas dinner at this legendary institution Café Gijón. This humble-looking cafe is one of the centres of cultural exchanges, especially during the Spanish Civil War, when a group of intellectuals, artists, writers, known as Generation of '36 (Generación del 36) gathered in the cafe to discuss the country's political issues.
The rustic Art-Nouveau decor still oozes this air of literacy and politics! The atmosphere is definitely impeccable, but the food quality may not have lived up to its reputation...
Stay
We stayed in a no-frill hotel, just next to Plaza Mayor and the Market of San Miguel, Petit Palace Plaza Mayor. Very affordable and a stone's throw to Plaza Mayor. What more to ask?
Getting There and Around
Madrid is the capital of Spain and clearly it has more attractions than the list above. It is not the intention to plagiarise an entire guide book for the purpose, but Madrid will easily spend you three to four days just to skimp through the sites. And I have not even touched on Real Madrid...
UNESCO Inscriptions
Located at the urban heart of Madrid, this cultural landscape evolved since the creation of the tree-lined Paseo del Prado avenue, a prototype of the Hispanic alameda, in the 16th century. The avenue features major fountains, notably the Fuente de Apolo and the Fuente de Neptuno, and the Fuente de Cibeles, an iconic symbol of the city, surrounded by prestigious buildings. The site embodies a new idea of urban space and development from the enlightened absolutist period of the 18th century. Buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences join others in the site that are devoted to industry, healthcare and research. Collectively, they illustrate the aspiration for a utopian society during the height of the Spanish Empire, linked to the enlightened idea of democratization of knowledge, and exercised major influence in Latin America. The 120-hectare Jardines del Buen Retiro (Garden of Pleasant Retreat), a remnant of the 17th-century Buen Retiro Palace, constitutes the largest part of the property. The site also houses the terraced Royal Botanical Garden and the largely residential neighbourhood of Barrio Jerónimos with its rich variety of 19th- and 20th-century buildings that include cultural and scientific venues.
The Mediterranean diet involves a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions concerning crops, harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry, conservation, processing, cooking, and particularly the sharing and consumption of food. Eating together is the foundation of the cultural identity and continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. It is a moment of social exchange and communication, an affirmation and renewal of family, group or community identity. The Mediterranean diet emphasizes values of hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, and a way of life guided by respect for diversity. It plays a vital role in cultural spaces, festivals and celebrations, bringing together people of all ages, conditions and social classes. It includes the craftsmanship and production of traditional receptacles for the transport, preservation and consumption of food, including ceramic plates and glasses. Women play an important role in transmitting knowledge of the Mediterranean diet: they safeguard its techniques, respect seasonal rhythms and festive events, and transmit the values of the element to new generations. Markets also play a key role as spaces for cultivating and transmitting the Mediterranean diet during the daily practice of exchange, agreement and mutual respect.
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