Madrid

It’s fairly reasonable to say that Catalonia is not “typically” Spanish. Of course, a lot of people around here would contest that it isn’t even Spanish at all. So it was interesting to go to Madrid, a place which certainly can be considered culturally Spanish. It has all the typical food and drink, it has the bullfighting, it has many monuments of the most famous cultural and historical figures of Spain, and Castilian reigns uncontested as the main language. It was certainly interesting to see the differences between Madrid and Barcelona, the former being the centre of Spain (both geographically and politically) and the latter being the cultural and political centre of Catalonia (both as a comunidad autónoma within Spain and as a potential country of its own).

I left the school in Prats this Thursday and went to Manresa and from there to Barcelona to catch my night train. I’ve travelled on such trains before, but this time it seemed even worse than I had remembered them being. I had to share a cramped compartment with seven other people with hardly any leg room and a fairly uncomfortable seat. The result was that I got hardly any sleep, and arrived at Madrid at 7:30am in the morning without feeling well-rested at all. Alas, this lack of sleep was to continue over the entire weekend due to some horrendous snoring by a group of Puerto Ricans in my hostel room and another uncomfortable night train back to Catalonia on the Sunday.



Despite this, I had a very enjoyable weekend in the city. After checking in to the hostel I was staying at (which was very reasonably priced and well-located), I headed for the Puerta del Sol (“Gate of the Sun”), perhaps the most famous part of the city. It is a bustling square with quite a few different notable monuments, including the building that houses the President of Madrid and the local government of the city, a statue of King Carlos III, the (apparently famous) Tio Pepe sign, a statue of a bear with a tree (the heraldic symbol of Madrid), and a plaque marking the centre (kilómetro cero) of the Spanish network of roads.





I had wanted to take a day out of my time in Madrid and visit Toledo, but there were so many things to do in the capital that I decided not to. Plus, I’d like to visit Toledo properly and book accommodation there rather than trying to squeeze everything into a day trip from Madrid. The city has many pleasant parks (the Parque del Retiro being the most noteworthy) and a plethora of interesting plazas and monuments. There is also a large number of impressive museums, such as the art museums of El Prado (with works by artists such as El Greco, Rafael and Botticelli) and the Reina Sofia (with more modern artists such as Dali and Picasso, which I found more interesting), and an impressive archaeological museum as well. The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) was also definitely worth a visit, as was the ancient Egyptian temple that has somehow ended up in Spain. I saw many other sights, but there really are too many things to list.





I also made sure I sampled some of the local cuisine. As well as taking the opportunity to enjoy a bit of sangria, I tried “churros” for the first time, with some melted chocolate to dip them in. Very tasty indeed!



As I said, I enjoyed my time in Madrid. It’s a place with many interesting things to see and do, and it is also a very enjoyable place to just walk around, whether it be through the parks or the vibrant main commercial street that runs through the city (the Gran Via). Nonetheless, the city seemed to lack a certain something which I can’t quite put my finger on. One of the problems is that although it has many great sights, it doesn’t really have a monument that stands out from the rest in terms of reputation and impact, such as, for example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Alhambra in Granada. And it just seems to lack the atmosphere and character of Barcelona. I think part of the reason is that Madrid was picked as the capital city of Spain in the 16th century by the Spanish monarchy and it was then expanded and developed very quickly, so lacks the character that you might get from a more historical city which developed in a more “organic” way. Instead, many areas of the city are filled with grand and ornate buildings whose charms are somewhat artificial.

Nonetheless, I intend to return sometime next year. There are still a few things in the city that I didn’t get a chance to see, and as I mentioned I’d love to travel to Toledo, which is only about half an hour away. And although I’ve visited more impressive European capitals (and would say Barcelona, which very much feels like a capital city itself, is a nicer place), it’s certainly worth a visit.