Madrid - Palacio Real

Our first evening in Madrid we walked around and ended up near the Palacio Real. We couldn't go in, but noticed that it was very nice architecture with golden accents (obviously). We put taking a tour on our list of possibilities for our few days there.





Before we left Madrid we did indeed go on said palace tour. It was very interesting, especially because we decided to wander the palace instead of being in a tour group. This meant that we could go at our own pace, and usually ended up around a tour guide speaking a language we at least marginally understood so we could find out more if we wanted to.





As one might expect we weren't allowed to go everywhere in the palace, but we saw many different rooms including the throne room, dining room, sitting room, and a spare bedroom. The decorations were always extravagant but still beautiful.









Many of ceilings were painted with different scenes, usually related to gods or angels (And yes, in the second photo that is indeed a security camera). It was very nice to have a decent camera with me, especially when trying to zoom in on ceiling details. Even the larger rooms like the throne room had the ceiling covered in a continuous painting. Unfortunately none of the pictures in the throne room turned out well since we weren't allowed to use a flash and it was very dimly lit. Many of the people in there used a flash anyway and nothing happened except that they got yelled at, but we decided not to further increase the damage to the old items in the room. Those hooligans.





Across the courtyard from the inside rooms that we were allowed to visit was the armory. The top floor showed all of the horse armor from the many centuries, and the lower floor showed the human armor and weapons. There were some very interesting swords, and even armor for small children. It felt very much as though I had stepped onto the set of Bednobs and Broomsticks, only it was just not quite the right nationality.

Madrid - old meets new

During our Spain trip in March we also visited Madrid. I found that it was much colder there than it had been in Barcelona, that people were less likely to speak to you in English (fine by me), and that the general feeling was a little less fun and a lot more rushed.



Walking around Madrid did give me a great sense of the country's history and it's current state. It was interesting to see old buildings next to busy roads, and plazas in the middle of streets and every intersection. In the middle of the day as well as in the evening there were plenty of people bustling around.



There were many statues throughout the city. The ones above were lining a pathway in a garden outside of the Palacio Real (the Royal Palace). Other statues were in parks, plazas, outside of museums, and outside buildings. It felt like the whole city was alive in art. I really enjoyed that aspect of the city.




There were also many parks in the city, but one particularly nice one. This park was quite expansive, with gardens, fountains, benches, statues, even a very old tree. It also had a lake area where people boated. This area of the park seemed very popular as there were many people walking, running, and generally enjoying themselves. Of course what would a Spanish park be without the obligatory statue? Although I was quite chilly by this point, we still spend a little while here just generally relaxing and enjoying ourselves.



When we were walking over to the Palacio Real from a park, we crossed a bridge that had glass walls along the walkway. It's rather windy, so I definitely felt safer. But it did seem that one of the main reasons the walls were there was to help deter jumpers. I was however immediately amused by the prospect of a photo with the Madrid crest hovering in the middle on it without any editing required. Too bad I was too cold to try to take a really good one.



I really love the pictures from parks and old buildings, so I will end this post with just a series of them. One of the best parts of Madrid was the scenery, especially how parks could just randomly appear (same as statues). I could comment on all of them, but would you want that? No, I'm fairly sure you'd rather just see the pictures!







And that's the end of the short version of around the city Madrid pictures!

Life of the City

One of the greatest part of Barcelona is the city's pulse. Whether it's day or night, there are lots of people, interesting landmarks, and delicious food. One of my favorite parts of the city was Las Ramblas, despite the many tourist trap areas. It was just plain fun to walk along. One of the many reasons it was fun were the performers dressed as statues. I've seen this done in the states in many cities, but here they were all lined along the street, sometimes only a few feet apart. My favorite was the seaman, so I took a picture and gave him a few euros. He rung his little bell in thanks. It was awesome.

At the opposite end of Las Ramblas from Plaza Catalunya was the water. Walking over a bridge took you to a shopping mall, which was highly unexpected! Our first day there we walked across in the evening, and outside the mall was a band on stage. I have no idea who they were or what they were singing about, and we didn't stay long. But we did get to look back across as see the city lit by the moon.



Throughout the city were many statues, plazas (with statues and fountains), and old buildings. One of my favorite statues was a very high one in a plaza just before the water of Christopher Columbus. Luckily I have a 12X zoom and could get a clear shot of him.



There were also murals, and mosaics, many of which were older than our entire country. Perhaps that's why the city seemed to have a life of it's own, because the buildings belonged there. Even in the newer developments there was a sense of belonging.



Other than people and building watching the main attraction is definitely eating. I had the best ham and cheese sandwich of my life multiple times in Barcelona, and I don't particularly like ham. Well, I don't particularly like American deli ham. I am now officially obsessed with bocadillos. Some of our lunches came from the grocery store, whereas others came from the market. El mercado puts our farmer's markets to shame, especially by the frequency of occurrence.



MMMMM....food heaven. Of course, that doesn't even touch on dinner. We had fabulous tapas, as well as late night snacks of tiny sandwiches and wine. The wine is the main focus because when we ate at Taller de Tapas we had a wine called Rey Santos. We split the entire bottle, and I may even have had more than half. If you know me, you know this never happens. But the wine was THAT GOOD. Of course we ate so much food at the same time that it hardly mattered. I was most excited by the fact that I understood most of the menu without looking at the translation, I was able to order in Spanish, and I even finally got to order that wonderous "cafe con leche" we had "ordered" all through high school Spanish class.



Oh, Barcelona, how we miss you. But we'll be back, don't you worry!

Artists and Architects

Much of what we saw in Barcelona was closely tied to either a famous artist or a famous architect. We visited a museum on Picasso, for instance, that had much of his early work. Almost every street you walked down had interesting architecture, but the Modernisme definitely provided the most interesting pieces.

As Wikipedia describes it, "The modernisme movement was centred on the city of Barcelona, and its best-known exponent was the architect Antoni Gaudí." For once, Wikipedia hits the nail right on the head with the first swing. Gaudi was both an interesting character as well as an interesting architect. It would appear that he loathed straight lines. We were lucky enough to have the time to visit two of his creations. One of which was of course Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, or La Sagrada Familia as it's usually referred to.

La Sagrada Familia is a large Catholic basilica, as one with any inkling of Spanish might suspect. It was begun in 1882 and is still under construction. One side of the facade was designed and created by Gaudi (2nd picture), whereas the other side was designed by his successors (1st picture). During the Spanish Civil War both parts of the building and parts of Gaudi's plans were destroyed, but it is still beautiful. Although there are currently 8 towers, Gaudi designed it with 18.




As you can see in the photo, Gaudi's side is much more intricate. I really love this type of design, and am really impressed with how much detail is there despite the size. This is the type of man-made artifact that I could look at for a long time and not be bored. Especially with a high powered camera lens.




The inside is also quite intricate. A lot of construction is still occurring inside, but some of the stained glass windows are already completed. Just imagine what the inside would look like if every window had the colored glass seen in the photo (these windows repeat throughout the large room). Even the ceiling has a sparkling gold design, although in the picture above it has not yet been put on the star-like patterns.




Further North is Parc Guell, another Modernisme design. There are gardens and buildings, including an open area where many kids were playing soccer (ok, "futbol"). We visited right after seeing La Sagrada Familia, and noticed Gaudi's mark immediately.




Of course, he did more than design cathedrals and build parks before being hit by a streetcar in 1926. Unfortunately, we only had but so much time to explore his work. I do recommend seeing both of these sites if you find yourself in Barcelona, even if you don't think you appreciate architecture. Maybe by the time you make it there another tower or two will be up at La Sagrada Familia.




And please don't forget: all images are copyright to the photographer, and if you want to use it you should ask first and cite.

Barcelona - The city of my dreams

I just discovered that I never posted ANYTHING about my fabulous Spain trip in March. Granted we were only there a week, but I still managed to take over 2GB worth of pictures. :)

The main reason I am shocked by this discovery is that Barcelona is one of my new favorite places in the entire world. I loved the vibe of the city, and I especially loved people watching. Everyone seemed to have their own sense of style, and were very determined to show that off to the world. There was hustle and bustle, but yet it was still relaxed. Seeing all of these modern people surrounded by beautiful architecture was heaven.

Granted, Barcelona represents the first European city that I have spent more than an airplane switch in, so as far as Europeans are concerned I don't have much to compare to. I can however say that I enjoyed Barcelona much more than I enjoyed Madrid, and would happily move there. It probably helped that between Tim and I we remembered enough Spanish from high school to get by...although I think I was better at understanding other people, whereas Tim was better at actually speaking. That just means I'll have to bring him along on the next trip! I have a feeling that will work out just fine.

One of the most interesting parts of visiting Spain was to finally see all of the places that came up in Spanish class: Plaza Catalunya, Palacio Real, Museo National del Prado, Sagrada Familia. I really wish the trip had been closer to a month instead of an unsatisfying 7 days. I also wish I'd been practicing my Spanish the past 6 years so that I was actually still close enough to fluent to have a conversation.

Since I want to share photos, there will be many more Spain posts coming soon!