Tag: madrid

Majestic Madrid – a grand building on the Gran Via

Coming out of Madrid Atocha train station, I found that there was a strange and quite steep, rolling travelator to go upstairs to get to the station exit. It was not just inconvenient with luggage, but actually hazardous. The middle-aged man on the travelator behind me saw me trying to keep my big suitcase from falling and looked slightly alarmed (probably concerned for himself as it would have likely slid and landed on him if it fell). Somehow, I managed to keep it upright by literally draping my entire bodyweight over it (this was necessary since I´m not exactly big). I must have looked a sight, but then I thought, who cares, this has to be better than letting my heavy suitcase tip over and slide downhill, knocking us both to the ground.

I had nowhere booked to stay for the night, so heading out of the station, I saw some brightly lit hotel signs in the distance and decided to walk towards them. It was already quite dark as it was around 8 pm. The weather was cool and dry, and similar to how it was in Barcelona. On the way, I saw the Ministry of Agriculture, a ornate and very regal-looking building, which is beautifully lit up at night.

Palacio de Fomento (Ministry of Agriculture)

image credit: Tripadvisor

I went into the NH hotel, but they had only one room left for close to 300 euros! The man at the reception said that it was because the demand was so high. I hadn´t realized, but demand in Madrid increases in winter as people tend to go to the seaside places when there is good weather and then head inland to Madrid when it gets cooler and to see the Christmas lights etc.

If you go there in summer thinking you´ll save because prices are a bit lower than in winter, you´re still going to pay in one way or another, because you can´t really be out during the day anyway, as it will be around 40°C. Basically, what you have to do if you want to pay a reasonable price, is to book rooms way in advance (months in advance) at a hotel that is not in the center of Madrid, but some distance outside (around 20 km), and then take a bus into the center (or ofcourse the usual, stay with family or friends if you have any in the area.

Tip: I really don´t recommend staying with friends or family because inevitably, your friends and/or family will disappoint you by behaving in ways you wouldn´t expect, and the relations between you will never be the same again.

The man at the reception of the NH suggested trying a two star place, located just yards away. I thought, well I might as well try, so I walked there, passing a McDonalds that is open 24hrs. The girl at the reception had a deep voice that did not match her appearance. She reminded me of someone and so felt strangely familiar to me, but to this day, I can´t figure out who that is.

Anyway, she said there was just one room left and it was a single room available only because someone had cancelled last minute. ´We are fully booked, but I would be happy to give it to you for 150 euros´, she said in the tone of a generous benefactor. I´ll take it, I said, given that I had very few options as it was already night and I didn´t think I should be wandering around the city alone with my big suitcase searching for a hotel, though ofcourse I didn´t actually want to pay 150 euros for an absolutely tiny room in a 2 star hotel. The elevator in the hotel was so small that when the doors opened, I recoiled in horror and said, I´m not going in there. The girl made no reaction, then nodded sagely and said, yes, it´s a bit small. She suggested that as my room was only on the first floor, I could take the stairs and send my suitcase up via the elevator, which I did.

The intricate glass facade of Madrid´s train station, Estacion de Atocha is beautifully lit up in blue and purple at night

image credit: http://www.madrid45.net

The room was clean, but absolutely tiny and reminded me of spartan student accommodation, with a narrow single bed and miniscule desk. The mattress was extremely uncomfortable and the bathroom was tiny, but clean. I woke up with terrible back pain and thankful in many ways, that the hotel had no availability that night, so I would have to leave and find another hotel.

I had to check out by noon and so I started to pack my things and to search online for a new hotel. However, at that moment, the wi-fi went on the fritz and the connection was not improving. I called the reception and mentioned this and asked if they could try resetting the router. They said they would look into it and I said, okay, thanks, but I have to check out soon anyway. At five minutes to 12, there was suddenly a loud thumping on my door and man shouting in a deep and booming voice, ´Five minutes! Five minutes!´ Shocked, I shouted through the door, What? Who is it? What do you want?

Again he banged the door, and shouted, ´Five minutes! Five minutes!´At this point, my blood began to boil.

I thought, what? Are you kidding me. I have paid 150 euros for a tiny room with a very uncomfortable bed, checking in only around 9 pm the night before, and now you are banging on the door to tell me that I have be out in five minutes!!! I again said, ´What do you want? What do you want?´(Yes, I said it twice. So you can just imagine how stressed I was getting by this point).The man again shouted in his booming voice, ´Five minutes!´. I shouted, Go Away! and did not open the door.

After about 3 minutes of silence, suddenly I hear a knock on the door and a young girl from reception (a different one to the one who was there when I arrived) saying, Hello, we are here. Please open the door. I thought, what? OMG, is this really happening? They´ve come up as a group to force me out of my room on the dot of noon?

I opened the door and the girl from reception was standing there smiling, with a large, expressionless, pale, middle aged man wearing a very long and very black T-shirt standing next to her. WHAT is going on? I said. She told me that the man was their IT person and had come up to try to sort out the wifi issue. I was very confused as I had already said I was about to check out and no one had told me that they were sending anyone to my room for any reason! I said, Why on earth was he banging loudly on my door and shouting Five Minutes!

Now, I don´t mean to generalize, but have you ever noticed that people who work in IT (most of whom are men) often wear very black T-shirts and have a rather pallid and unhealthy complexion? I guess it makes sense, I mean they spend most of their hours staring a screen at work, and many of them, it seems, choose to spend their evenings playing computer games, so there´s really not much chance for sunlight to hit their faces. Anyway, I digress….

I crossed the street and ended up near a side entrance to the Prado. Looking ahead, I could see a small street with a restaurant called El Botanico on the corner, and decided to head there. Unfortunately, the road was a bit steep and the paving around the Prado made it very difficult to get across with my suitcase. Once at the entrance of the restaurant, I discovered that to actually get down into it, I would have to go down a small set of stairs. Nightmare. I suppose I could have sat at one of their tables outside, but I was really looking for somewhere inside with wifi where I could search for a hotel.

Immediately after getting down the stairs and taking a seat (high stool actually) at a very small, round, tall table, I encountered two ladies in their 50s sitting near me. One was American and from California, and the other was her friend, her friend since highschool, a lady from Madrid who lived in A Coruna. The American lady was very pretty and I thought she looked like a model, so found it very amusing when she told me her name, which is indeed the same as that one of the 90s supermodels, who is also from California! Her friend was plainer, but very kind and friendly and gave me suggestions of hotels a bit outside of Madrid that might be more affordable.

The American lady asked me if I was okay and I said that I´d had a crazy morning and ended up telling her about the bizarre altercation at the 2 star hotel. She told me she was travelling in Spain on her own too and suggested seeing some sights together in Madrid and quickly wrote down her number on a small piece of paper and handed it to me. At that moment, I got the distinct feeling that, for whatever reason, I was indeed supposed to meet this American lady at exactly this moment in time. I wrote down my name and number on some notepaper from the Vincci hotel in Barcelona and said, here, let me give you mine as well. The ladies had to head off as her friend had to get back to A Coruña and it was then that I realized that I had only met them by chance as they had only stayed in the restaurant for about five or ten minutes to chat with me and had actually been about to leave when I arrived.

I ordered some vegetables, which were advertised on the menu as being a casserole or similar. In fact, they were just steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower in a bit of butter/olive oil). Apparently, this is quite a typical dish in Spain and is not considered to be a side, but is an actual dish on its own. Intrigued, but hungry, I asked whether I could have some chicken as well and luckily they provided me with some grilled chicken to go with it. The lack of carbohydrates on the menu was striking and something that I have noticed at other cafes and restaurants in Spain. Is everyone in Spain on a diet, I wondered. Feeling slightly irritable at this point, I thought, I need my carbs! Where are the potatoes? Where is the rice? I need bread! (You know the thing is, and this is something I´ve been told by Spanish friends, many women in Spain are actually on a diet and smoke to suppress their hunger and to keep their weight down).

After wolfing down the chicken and the vegetables (minus the cauliflower as I lack the ability to digest cauliflower), I searched online for a hotel and eventually found one. It was horribly expensive, but was located just off the Gran Via, so I decided to try it. I won´t name it as it was a huge disappointment, but at least the location was good. I took a taxi to the hotel, marvelling at the amazing architecture of Madrid along the way. Once checked in, I discovered that the whole area around the floor of the shower was covered in black mold! Apparently, when the tiles and floor are black, this means that you don´t have to clean them as no one will notice? Disgusting.

And this, at a four star, absolutely extortionate hotel off the Gran Via. It was disappointing to say the least. I called reception to complain and a cleaner came up. She had to spend a good 20-30 minutes getting the shower and bathroom properly clean! As usual, there was no window or exhaust fan in the bathroom. I unpacked and tried to rest in the tiny room which overlooked some rooftops. I received a message from the American lady, suggesting we could meet for dinner. However, her hotel was located quite far away from mine, so we decided to meet the next day instead, at the royal palace.

In the evening, I decided to go out for a walk. The sun had nearly set and suddenly, I felt the energy on the Gran Via changing and the whole place coming alive. People were even moving differently and there was a kind of energy in the air as they headed into restaurants, shops, cinemas, and emerged from taxis, dressed up to go to the theatre. A pretty, smiling, young African American lady, in a stylish dress, who was clearly on vacation, dashed across an intersection, calling out to her partner (who was still on the pavement), while hailing a taxi. Though the taxis were white, not yellow, for a moment, I felt like I was in New York!

The Schweppes building on the Gran Via, Madrid at dusk

Gran Via at night

Gran Via at night

The buildings were grand and the lighting made them look even grander. The UNIQLO store (a Japanese brand) had a beautiful chandelier at its entrance, hanging from an ornate white ceiling. The entrance was a surprise as it was quite a contrast to the interior of the store with its simple, functional, and minimalist clothing. (Indeed, I have a simple, long, black dress from UNIQLO that I bought in Montpellier in May this year, that has been very useful on my travels. Importantly, it dries fast after being handwashed, AND has pockets! I also got a black, drawstring, washable, crossbody bag, that has served me very well on my journey and beyond. Both items were quite well-priced).

The Airism dress from UNIQLO

Entrance of UNIQLO on Gran Via

I did very little actual shopping for myself on my travels, apart from for my niece and nephew, given how much I had to spend on hotels and trains, but at KIKO Milano (a good quality and reasonably priced makeup store that I really like), I splurged on a KIKO Bridgerton lipstick from their new collection, after being advised by a man wearing a full face of immaculately applied makeup, in shades that suited him perfectly (sort of in an Adam Lambert style if you know what I mean). I particularly liked the pinky red lipstick he had on, but he told me, No, for you I would definitely get this pink neutral one. So I did.

The lipstick I got: KIKO MILANO x Bridgerton Ballroom Beauty Satin Shine Lipstick in Ballgown Blush

Heading back towards my hotel, I passed a few theatres located directly on the Gran Via. I found this very cool and interesting as I was comparing the Gran Via to London´s Oxford Street, which has no big theatres directly on it (as far as I´m aware).

Teatro Capitol on the Gran Via, where the musical, El Libro was playing

I walked back to the Gran Via and had dinner at a Chinese buffet place called Wok Garden. It was 20 euros (all you can eat) including a drink and desserts. I can highly recommend this place because pretty much everything I tried tasted really good.

The next day, around 1 pm, I decided to walk to Plaza Espanya from my hotel as it was only supposed to take about ten minutes. On the way, I stopped at a Chinese restaurant that I thought looked good. Oh what a mistake! The menu was very limited and the food was bland and seemed to have been adapted to European tastes. What a disappointment. At least I was not hungry, I thought, paying the bill, and feeling relieved to be leaving the restaurant.

It was a bit chilly and a bit grey and I wondered whether it was going to start raining. Luckily, it didn´t. I walked for a few minutes and found myself in Plaza Espana, which is a very big square, surrounded by very tall and grand buildings, with statues and monuments at one end. I walked past a small park and found my way to the side of the Royal Palace (Palacio Real). Close by, I found a Haagen Daaz cafe which was entirely empty, was very clean, and had comfy seating. This will do, I thought, and ordered a coffee and a single scoop of dulce de leche icecream to erase the memory of the highly inauthentic ´Chinese´ food I had just had.

Santa María la Real de la Almudena (1879-1993) Cathedral located in Madrid, Spain. Neoclassical style (exterior), neogothic (interior), neo-Romanesque (crypt).

Image credit: http://www.pinterest.com

The American lady had just completed her tour of the Palacio Real, so came and met me at the cafe. We had a quick chat and then the lady went to buy a snack at a nearby cafe, while I went to see the huge square in front the palace and panoramic views of Madrid from there. We then queued up to see Almudena Cathedral which is right next to the palace. The interior of the cathedral was very beautiful and had quite a modern and colourful artistic style. After coming out of the cathedral, we headed to the small and quaint square, Plaza de la Villa, which still has buildings from the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. We then did a quick walk around inside the famous market, Mercado San Miguel.

Mercado San Miguel, Madrid

Image credit: http://www.citysecreto.com

Coming out of the Mercado, we were standing on the pavement talking, when I saw a car with the license plate 777 directly across from us. It turned out that this had meaning for the American lady too. If you know, you know 🙂 I´ll tell you more about that another time, but a couple of days later, the American lady sent me some of the photos she had taken while we were doing our little tour, and in amongst them, was one of the car with the 777.

The American lady was suffering from major foot pain just like I was, so I told her about Cinfadol (an over the counter cream which a pharmacist in Alicante had recommened to me for my terrible tendonitis acquired on the cobbled streets of Antibes). We headed to a pharmacy so she could get some. Quite honestly, it was probably the most useful purchase I made on my trip!

By this point, we had managed to see most of the sights that we had planned to, so it was time for me to head to the Prado and for the lady to meet up with her daughter who was studying in Madrid. We took a taxi and the American lady kindly dropped me off at the Prado. As I was quite hungry, I headed into a Mediterranean restaurant called Murillo cafe restaurant, which is situated very close to the Prado and just steps from El Botanico, where I had met the American lady the previous day. I had a cafe con leche and a nice house salad and some bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then headed to the Prado.

Just as I was preparing to leave Cafe Murillo, a primly dressed, slim lady with short, closely cropped, curly, blondish hair, who looked to be in her early to mid sixties, and who was probably Scandinavian, came in to the restaurant. The service was quite slow and no one was coming to her table and she was looking around slightly perturbed. Indeed, I had had to wait ages to even get a menu, let alone order, though I must say the waitresses were polite when they did finally arrive.

Eventually, the waitress came by and asked the lady what she would like to order. The lady said that she only had a few hours in Madrid and really wanted to try Spanish food and perhaps tapas. The waitress said that the restaurant served more Mediterranean food and did not really have anything that was particularly Spanish. The lady asked her if she knew of any restaurants nearby that served Spanish food and tapas. In case you´re wondering why I was listening to their conversation, well I was standing very close by at this point, unplugging my iphone from the wall where I had left it charging. The waitress said to the lady that she did not know of any restaurants nearby that served Spanish food.

Taken aback, I said to the lady, excuse me, sorry I don´t mean to intrude, but I overheard you, are you looking for somewhere to try Spanish food? Yes, she said, and I only have a few hours in Madrid, so I really want to try some typically Spanish food! I looked at the waitress with my head very slightly tilted to the side, and said, in the tone of someone who knows Madrid like the back of her hand (and not someone who just someone who arrived in the city less than 48 hours ago), but what about El Botanico?? The waitress became awkwardly silent.

I said, yes El Botanico! (as if I go there every week). It´s literally around the corner! The lady said, Really? I said, yes, I had lunch there yesterday and it´s typically Spanish and they have tapas and also pintxos at the bar. I can show you as I´m also leaving now and it is literally steps from here. The waitress tried her best to not look annoyed and to keep her face blank, but said nothing.

The lady and I quickly left the restaurant and less than a minute later, were inside El Botanico, where I showed her the pintxos at the bar and explained about how they count the little toothpicks on your plate aftewards to figure out how many you had. I suggested an item on the menu that I had spotted too late and wished I had ordered the day before (a pork and potato casserole that is baked in a terracotta dish). The lady said she might like to try it, so I left her with the waiter, asking him to help her to order as she only had a few hours in Madrid and wanted to try real Spanish food.

As it was about 7 pm, I only had about an hour left before the Prado would close and so, after getting a free ticket (available from 6 pm as I had discovered the day before), I swiftly headed upstairs to the first floor and just managed to see some very impressive and original paintings by famous Spanish artists such as Velazquez and Rubens. Unfortunately, I did not have time to see the Goya paintings and others, but hope that perhaps one day, I will be able to go back there (though I think that if I do, it will be a day trip, perhaps from somewhere like Toledo (also supposed to be a very interesting, though I am told rather hilly, city), in order to avoid staying in a hotel in Madrid.

Gaspar de Guzman, Count-Duke of Olivares, on Horseback. Painted by Diego Velazquez. Museo del Prado, Madrid

Image credit: http://www.theequinest.com

Emerging out of the Prado with everyone else streaming out at closing time, I walked down the large staircase and then searched for an entrance into the enormous Retiro Park which is located just next to the Prado, where I was meant to be attending an event. However, the park was closed and all was dark and all the entrances were locked! I hopped into a taxi and gave the driver the address of the event. He had to drive all the way around the park and dropped me off at an entrance that was open on the other side.

Luckily the venue for the gathering was just inside the entrance. I stayed for just a short time and then walked out into the chilly night. I crossed the street to Starbucks, but it was closing, so went into to a nearby local to get a takeaway ham and cheese toasted sandwich and then took a taxi back to my hotel off the Gran Via which gave me the chance to see some more historic monuments, including the Puerta de Alcala, which was all lit up. Madrid is truly a grand and majestic city.

However, it´s also unbelievably and eye-wateringly expensive, so I decided it was time to leave. I felt I was being called to head South, so I booked a one-way ticket to a city that I had long wanted to visit……Malaga!

The next morning, I took a taxi to Madrid Atocha train station. The taxi driver was rude and aggressive and drove very badly, so I was very glad to get out of the car when we finally arrived.

Unfortunately, to get to the platform, I had to go on one of those steep travelators again – except this time, going down! Somehow, I made it. Next, I had to get my suitcase up three, horrible steps to get into the carriage. It is quite astonishing and disappointing that all these very impressive high-speed trains were not designed to be step-free. If you have mobility issues, beware! Not only that, the carriages really don´t have a lot of space for luggage. After having to shuffle around some of the smaller bags people had placed into the luggage compartment so that I could get my suitcase in, I settled into my seat, which this time, was a window seat (I usually get an aisle seat).

The train carriage was quite packed and there was a man sitting next to me in the aisle seat, who was travelling with some friends who were sitting behind us and all chatting with each other. They looked at me curiously, clearly wondering where I might be from, but never actually asked. The chatting was getting a bit louder and I thought, oh no, is this how it´s going to be the whole way to Malaga….but luckily, once the train departed, several of them, including the man sitting next to me, decided to decamp to the buffet car for at least an hour of the journey, no doubt to enjoy some cold beers and a good chat, and were pretty quiet when they came back.

As we travelled further and further south, it became sunnier and there were some nice views through the window. Just 2 hrs 40 minutes after leaving Madrid, including a very short stop in Cordoba, we were already arriving in Malaga! Getting off the train, I felt glad to be back in warm weather and in a city that I had always been curious to see for myself. I´ll tell you all about my trip to Malaga in my next post!

Merry Christmas everyone, wherever you are! xxx