It has always been in my heart of hearts to visit Madrid
and we finally did last winter, despite the cold.
Next to Paris,
I am sans doute in love with Spain's language and culture,
can't explain why, blame it for watching much of Almodovar's films and relying on subtitles or poor dubbing.
I even studied Spanish many moons ago,(okay, not so long ago) though I hardly used it at all.
Good thing all those conjugations and verbs are still intact, as it became useful for us
despite my err... broken and choppy Spanish phrases. ^0^
In a nutshell, Madrid is a city that never sleeps, almost the exact equivalent of NYC.
It's chaotic, boisterous and bursting with life.
There's a story in every structure, a mixed of old and new.
A haven for shopaholics and
The city's thriving foodie scene will make you crave for more.
But it has its 'highs' and 'lows', on one hand, the pretty scenarios are all lined up in a row.
you have the majestic Metropolis along Gran Via, the stunning Plaza de Oriente where Palacio Real is located,
and the idyllic Retiro Park just to name a few.
Retiro Park
Metropolis
Palacio Real
the debod temple
on the other, the back streets can be a bit sketchy at night,
beggars abound, a handful of prostitutes and "carteristas" (pickpockets) stay close around the area.
In fact, we're warned more than once by local Madrileños to be wary of our belongings esp.our cameras. ^0^
But it's generally safe in this city, so nothing to worry about.
Our hotel is in the Callao area, near Gran Via.
- A 15-20 minute walk to "El Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza", or The Debod temple.
- A minute to get into the Metro ( Sto. Domingo station or Callao station ).
- A stroll to the famous Puerta del Sol and El Corte Ingles.
- Tons of comida rapida (fast food) chains, high-end restos, cool tapas and bars.
During the day,
the street is quiet,
shops are still closed,
delivery trucks are parked,
and maybe, just maybe,
you'd be lucky to stumble a reporter from a news channel in RTVE.
I don't know her name but I'm sure she's one of the reporters from Comando Actualidad.
It's one of the best informative / documentary series that I look forward to if you want to learn more about Spain.
The iconic Cines Callao should be your topic marker,
also there's a nice Schweppes edifice opposite to it.
I'm not sure of its name, so I wish they will not change this ad-sign for awhile.
We seriously wished we had more days to spend,
surely, I miss Madrid in a heartbeat.
note: this post has been in my draft list for awhile now and every time I would start a paragraph,
I couldn't move on to the next.
That's how it is when you stop blogging,
my mind isn't cooperating...tsk,tsk.. :(
