September 22
It takes five hours to get to Madrid from Bilbao. In Michigan, I can drive for five hours and still be in Michigan…the terrain, the weather, the overall climate is all the same. Flat, usually cold, but never ugly.
So I watch in amazement as the view outside goes from green and rainy to dry and arid in the span of a few short hours. Madrid, being in the center of the country, has none of the vibrant life that the coast blesses Bilbao with.
Even so, the drive is full of picturesque views. Mountains with towering walls of craggy rock, ancient stone bridges that still stand valiantly, little villages with pastures of cows. It’s Idyllic Spain, the Spain you hear about in the movies and that I doubted existed until it is front of my eyes.
Needless to say, the drive doesn’t feel nearly as long as it is.
Upon arriving in Madrid, our first stop is the hotel to drop off our luggage and grab la comida (i.e. lunch), buffet style.
Then the old center of Madrid, which involves driving through the newer areas. The bus drops us off outside El Palacio Real, which essentially is the castle of the royal family. Nowadays, however, the royal family only uses it for state ceremonies and instead resides closer to the outskirts of Madrid.
Like most museums, they don’t allow photos inside the palace but a few rooms stood out to me. There’s the banquet hall, which can host over one hundred people (and did so when the current King Felipe VI married in 2004) as well as the throne room. There’s a room completely wallpapered in hand-embroidered silk, even.
But nothing trumps one of the last rooms I visit in the palace; the only room in the entire world that can boast of having a complete quartet of Stradivarius instruments. I stay long after the rest of my group has continued on, completely in awe that an actual Stradivarius violin is sitting in front of me. I won’t lie, I got a little emotional thinking about how lucky I am to have been able to see those four beautiful instruments, perfectly preserved.
Outside of the palace, there are two large courtyards. One lies in behind the castle (see below) and the other between the castle and the cathedral, which we visit after the palace.
It’s fairly new, for a European Catholic cathedral, and is the new seat of the Catholic Church in Spain. The old seat, which I will see tomorrow, exists in Toledo.
Catedral de Santa María La Real de La Almudena a.k.a. the Almudena Cathedral was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993. The wedding of King Felipe VI (then Prince Felipe VI) was the first wedding in the past century to happen in Madrid, due to the lack of a cathedral in the capital.
The tour continues through the historical parts of Madrid and ends at La Puerta del Sol. Exhausted from a long day of walking, the entire group elects to take the bus back to the hotel instead of exploring some more.
Dinner is similar to lunch with the same buffet options, but now there’s an additional dish made-to-order. And what do you know, swordfish is one of the options. My opinion is that it’s tougher than most fish and it may be delicious if seasoned right, but I would much rather have salmon.
After dinner is a quiet affair as most go to their rooms to sleep, myself included.
September 23
It’s an early morning today as the shrill wake-up call rings at 7:15. From there, I tiredly go through the motions of getting ready for a day in Toledo. Breakfast is rushed as the bus leaves at 8:30 with or without me.
Prior to this excursion, I was told many times that Madrid is great…but Toledo is better. As I went through Madrid yesterday, I couldn’t help but wonder if this bias was affecting my opinion of the capital since at no point was I overwhelmed. The architecture is impressive but I couldn’t help comparing it to Rome (and thinking that I preferred the Italian capital).
Now, I can truthfully say Toledo is everything that I was told about and more. Approaching the city you can see the ancient fence that encircles the city from medieval times. There’s a mountain river that cuts its way around, not unlike a moat. The cathedral sits at the highest point, a clear beacon.
We take the bus on a mountain road the circles the entire town from a distance, providing panoramic views for twenty jaw-dropping minutes.
From there, we’re dropped off outside the stone fence. In the olden days, knights would have to find a way through the formidable barrier and climb up a mountain to reach the heart of the city. Now, we just take several escalators to the top!
We spend the morning walking around the city, viewing the cathedral and Alcázar mostly. The cathedral, Catedral Primada Santa María de Toledo, was once the seat of the Catholic religion and is still considered to be the greatest example of Spanish Gothic style. I have to admit, it is significantly better than yesterday’s cathedral in Madrid!
Alcázar is the old Roman palace which we only view from the outside. Afterwards, we’re given an hour of free time to do as we please; I tour a few shops but decide to spend my money on a cerveza instead. It’s a typical Spanish afternoon, enjoying a beer in the shade with some friends.
After a hearty lunch, we hop back on the bus to return to Madrid. A friend and I make plans to go see the sights in Madrid but end up staying at the hotel when the public transportation system proves to be too confusing.
The night ends with me purchasing plane tickets to Amsterdam, so it’s a good night.
September 24
Our last day in Madrid starts a little later than yesterday since we only have one event on our docket today. We’re going to go to El Prado, one of the more famous art museums in Madrid. Same song, difference verse; I’m not allowed to take any photos. However, I can honestly say that it is one of the better museums I’ve ever been in. I’m not an art history major, but I enjoy seeing the different Baroque and Impressionist styles by hundreds of artists.
My personal favorite is The Washing of the Feet by Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto. When viewed straight on, it’s not anything special. Walk to the left and it seems to worsen, dead space growing larger and larger. However, if one walks and views it from the right (where the congregation sat when this painting was hung in a church) then everything comes together in a beautiful piece. The diagonal appears clean and crisp, dead space disappears, and Jesus Christ becomes the focal point.
It’s incredible that Tintoretto managed to work such magic with only oil and canvas, back in the 1500’s.
Another highlight is a painting done by Caravaggio, an Italian artist I learned about in Rome and loved. His art is dark and twisted and always contains a sharp edge that most artwork from that time period lacks (Goya excepted). I saw most of Caravaggio’s works in La Galleria Borghese two years ago, but it’s a gem to find another here.
Of course, Spanish painter Goya is in abundance here. His artwork is notable, and I can see why he’s so popular. A few pieces catch my eye, and I grow more appreciative when we reach his later years and his work turns dark in a reflection of his opinion of the Spanish Kingdom.
After the museum, we take the bus back to Bilbao. We stop halfway to have lunch at a little restaurant where I have my first experience with shrimp that has NOT had its head cut off. I gag when I realize that the d*mn thing has two little black eyes staring back at me. Thankfully, my steak is much tamer.
My time in Madrid was very short, and I’m hesitant to want to return. There’s no denying that it is a gorgeous city in its own right and there are many sights that I would have loved to see. However, it reminds me a lot of Rome and why I am not fond of overly large cities. It’s a relief to return to Bilbao, which is perfectly sized for me. Toledo, on the other hand, is a place that I would love to go to for a weekend if it wasn’t six+ hours away.
Overall, Madrid is a place I’ll return to in the future…and part of the allure is the fact that Toledo is in the vicinity!
