" A walk along Buen Retiro Park " , " The beauty of El Parque Retiro "

RETIRO PARK

★ ENTRANCE: FREE

★ HOW TO GET THERE:

take the Metro :
alight at RETIRO / IBIZA station



We had an early walk to Retiro park that wintry day.
The sun was up and shining,
It was neither hot nor cold, just the perfect weather to go out for a stroll.

Going to new places, we make sure we set a day to visit local parks.
Sometimes, museums and mainstream sights can be overwhelming.

As soon as you alight at Retiro metro exit.
When you see these very creative and colorful tiles, then you know you're on the right track.
They are extremely eye catching don't you think ?!





And with a bit of Googling, it lead me to Mingote, a well-known prolific artist and cartoonist: [ MINGOTE info here ]





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The impressive Puerta de Alcalà * The Alcala entrance *, is a ceremonial arch and what used to be the
gateway to the city of Aragon.
It was designed by an Italian architect named Francisco Sabatini.
It's strategically placed in the middle of Plaza de la Independencia and now stands as one of the busiest thoroughfare.



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There are several entryways to PARQUE DEL RETIRO.





We chose the Puerta de la Independencia entrance.

[ A bit of a story here:
The park was once part of the gardens, palaces, and dwellings mainly for Royal use only. ]

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Once inside,
the park is lined with trees, trees and more trees!
If it were spring /summer, I'm sure it's filled with lush greens and blooming fleurs.





... and seemingly quiet paths among trees, where you can easily forget you're in the heart of the metropolis...








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There are a handful of fountains, all beautifully detailed.









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And just as you're about to walk further,
You'll find THE ESTANQUE DEL RETIRO , where the monument of Alfonso XII stands proudly in the centre.



Can you imagine what it must've been like centuries ago?
when this was used as a favorite spot for Royal diversions,
water pageants
and dramatic plays.

On a clear day, you can rent canoes and paddling boats.
There are a few lake lovers as you can see in this picture and
I was at one point so tempted to try, but didn't get the chance to do so.

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Random things spotted:

These kids were so animated by this hand puppet show.


I haven't really tried the food here, so not much to tell, except for the sign: Local Con Calefaccíon [with heating]


Restrooms for Men and Women.


Instead of lunch, we had quick snacks so we can have more time to stroll.
We bought these 1 euro aka Super-Cheap-treats.^ɷ^

Me and Palomitas...
They sure tasted too bland and err.. tasteless.
it's like eating white paper.
... but Beggars can't be choosers. ^ɷ^

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Inside the park, there are two vital structures you need to visit:
#1 - PALACIO DE VELÁZQUEZ

This was built at the end of 19th century.
These red bricked walls were designed by Velazquez Bosco.





There was a temporary exhibition for Helmo Zobernig,
one of the many art pieces.



Insert: This art piece: made from Loo rolls. cool eh?!

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#2 - PALACIO DE CRISTAL - The Crystal Palace

This second structure was also built by Velásquez Bosco and was inspired by the London's Crystal Palace.
It was surprising to know that back in 1887, This palace was designed for the Philippine Exposition.



It was purely made from Iron and Glass works.







You might have noticed intertwined ropes , as if barricading the area.
It was also puzzling at first, till we realized that there was another temporary exhibition.

This one was from a Czech artist: Jiri Kovanda called "Two Golden Rings " [ Dos Anillos Dorados ]

"Cheap and simple things can sometimes turn out to be important and extraordinary, while expensive
objects can be invisible... " by Jiri Kovanda.

"Two Golden Rings is an intervention created specifically for the Palacio de Cristal [ Crystal Palace ] .
They are placed at two different spots in the Palacio, establishing a kind of dialogue between visible and invisible.
, the valuable and the functional."








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Almost at the south end of the Park is the monument of the Fallen Angel - [ Angel Caído ] built by Ricardo Bellver.

I am a confirmed tv buff and I love watching series, so it got me a bit intrigued after watching "Angel o Demonio" [ which was a Spanish series ] , and one of the settings was in this park.



Truth be told, there was nothing really interesting to see.
Not much info to share either, which I wish there would be.

In fact, we sort of got lost and asked a local abuela, who was sitting on the bench for directions.
I was surprised that she didn't even know where it's located and
It was her daughter instead who showed us the way.


this is the closer look of the monument.

We would've liked to visit the Real Jardin Botanico, but I guess, our feet were tired from all the walking. ^=^


and this is what we do when we desperately need a tripod... we improvised. ^=^
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* If I were to compare Retiro Park in Madrid vs. Ciutadella Park in Barcelona.
It would be without a doubt, this park in Madrid.
I had a great time here, and felt safe, even if, we were warned by the locals about petty thefts.
Nonetheless,
It was a nice and relaxing walk, and believe me when I say, because I'd rather be shopping than walking on parks, not really my thing. ^=^
But this is one of the parks I would definitely love to visit again.

Linking this to: Budget traveler's sandbox
Sundays in my City

" My love ♥ for books and Agatha Christie "

It's no secret when I tell you that next to traveling, I love to read, but who doesn't right?
I'd rather spend my weekend afternoon with a good book, a cup of Jasmine and sit on my favorite spot.
There... I'm sold.

Although lately, I have been neglecting this habit and instead, have been watching
back-to-back Italian/Spanish tv series instead. *another love of mine.^-^

Still, finding a great read and can't put it down novel can be challenging.
If the book's just plain inane and boring.
The next thing you know, you're either putting the book aside or placing it back on the shelf.

Among my favorite writers that I never get tired of reading was Agatha Christie's.
I think I have collected all of the books that she's written and watched all of the ITV series as well.
Between Ms. Marple and Hercule Poirot though, I chose the latter.
The little grey cells and his moustache never ceases to amaze me, ~ n'est-ce pas?


David Suchet as Hercule Poirot
courtesy of Pinterest

But this post isn't about a book review.
I'm getting to the point, I promise.

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While most of us keeps magnets or figurines as souvenirs from our trips.
Me, I collect books and magazines.
I like the crunchy smell of a paperback or a newly printed magazine,
or sometimes even the musky smell of an old book. *addict-much*

I am always drawn inside quaint book shops and news stands.
I could spend quite sometime leafing a few pages and browsing each section, even if language is a barrier.
And so my baggage allowance is always an issue, expect to find more than two mags and
a handful of books inside my luggage. ^-^


PARIS

Livres are in french as Books are in english.
Spotted along the 5th arrondissement.


Gibert Jeune and Gibert Joseph bookstores seems to be everywhere in Paris.
You shouldn't miss it if you're a book aficionado.



Right outside the store of Gibert Joseph, I noticed a crowd gathering, where I first thought was a small Christmas Market of some sort.
To my surprise, It was anything but books! Paperback novels to be exact and a few coffee table books, Manga comics and travel books as well.
That immediately brought a smile to my face, luckily we were still early, because when we went back there during the evening, the place was packed.

Paperbacks for as low as .50 cents euro and with a wide range of good titles.



Some of the books that we bought and I haven't even shown you the other half yet. ^0^
and mind you, I was already in my "tipid" (thrift) mode and worried as to how am I going to fit them all inside my luggage.



Now this one was from another bookstore, also near the Latin Quarter area, I forgot the name of it and can't seem to find them on my file.
This particular bookshop only sells BD (: Bande dessinée ) comics and was so happy when I finally found Penelope Jolicoeur's books.
I stumbled her blog some years ago and have been following her until recently.
I love her drama, the sketches, the sort of sex-and-the-city inspired dialogues, and her wandering adventures.
- Here's the link - if you like quirky and funny comic strips.






FLORENCE

The minute our train landed at Santa Maria Novella Station.
I was already looking at the nearest Newspaper stand.
Books like Idelfonso Falcones, Breakfast at Tiffany, Jeffrey Deaver, Stephen King and more are quickly translated.
In stark contrast to what we have here, where only a few mainstream newspapers and a few tabloids are available.
In other countries, books and magazine stands have a wide, wide, wide range of choices, I meant to emphasize the word "wide".



and yes, we bought a few mimeograph comics as well. I think they were between 3-5 euros.


National Geographic with a compliment 12 month calendar for only 4 euros.


But this cart stand got my attention. It was silently parked in front of the church, along with the souvenir stands.
It would've been easily snob by any passerby except for me. ^0^



The book vendor was so lazy to even tell me how much these comics were.
I think if I stole a book from his stand he wouldn't even notice!
They were One euro each by the way, The old Linus edition comics.




MADRID

Madrid was my magazine hubbub, to say that I hoarded their December editions was an understatement.
It was a feast browsing through any magazine stand because the glitzy and girly mags have lots of freebies. ^0^

This is Casa del Libro - one of the major bookstores in the market.



And a movie poster calendar featuring Federico Fellini's - La Dolce Vita plus a free DVD western dubbed films.
Both of my dad's favorite as he likes collecting them.


and here's what we bought.: ^0^
The Tricot Facile that teaches one the basics of knitting. It was on sale for only 1 one euro!
It was also where my sister first learned how to knit and up to now still does, thanks to this.
Sadly, when we tried to contact them, their main market was in Spain only.



and because I love Poirot, I couldn't pass this magazine without buying the free re-printed edition of Agatha.
For only 3.95 euros.
I chose Lord Edgware dies, one of my fave books.


But this unique store got my attention.
It's called : A different life bookstore along the Chueca area in Madrid.
Why, you might ask?

This poster said: los libros infantiles sobre sexual e igualidad = children's books about sexual and equality



Well, Because, it is literally different!
It is a bookstore where you can find inspired Gay and Lesbian theme novels, magz, dvd's and such.
What a great alternative!
But we didn't went inside though,
And here I am thinking, if that bookstore were to open a branch here, exactly of the same kind.
I doubt it if the Catholic heads won't react to that. ^-^



ROMA

And here we were at the heart of Rome, already too beat to walk back to our hotel,
our stomachs were already rumbling and then out of the blue, we saw a small flea market stand, almost oblivious again to passerby.

along Piazza Benedetto Cairoli : ROMA


But my eyes were already glinting when I saw these hard cover Agatha Christie's edition and in Italiano!
Oh my freakin! I was silently shouting Hallelujah inside, and If only I could buy them all... I really would.
They were 10 euros each, a collection of stories from these detectives.
Based from the smell, it was already dated and probably a bit moist from the changing weather.
I don't mind though, and I still regret why I wasn't that impulsive.



I did promise myself that *if ever* I have the chance to visit any Italian country again.
I am SURE to buy at least one home. definitely! ^0^




TURIN

On my recent trip to Turin,
with no exact whereabouts and destination,
We found ourselves right along this alleyway and this bookstore called : L'asino d'oro - Libri scolastici
As usual, I was casually looking at the window display and this one caught my eye!
This time, I know I had to ask the owner inside, with my crappy Italian phrase and please Signor.
The owner charged me for 5 euros.
Yup, It was a bit pricey for an old 2nd hand book.
But how can you argue with The Mystery in the Blue Train?! ^0^



Here were some of the hefty books as well... find anything you like?


Raconti di Padre Brown - Father Brown series from GK Chesterton.
The owner checked a few pages front and back, I guess to check the book's condition.
It was 15 euros, and again, my dilemma with the suitcase thingy.
Thanks to BBC detective dramas, I'm learning a lot. ^0^


and more from Pier Pasolini's Autobiography...


So there you go, just one super long post about my love for books. ^0^
till my next post...