Que faire à Madrid ? Incontournables

May 5, 2021

Spain

Madrid Madrid is the capital and the largest city of Spain. Located in the central part of the kingdom, it is home to most of the country's political institutions, including the royal residence, the seat of government and the Parliament.

A global city, it is home to the headquarters of many institutions, including the World Tourism Organization, the Organization of Ibero-American States, the Royal Spanish Academy, and the Cervantes Institute. Considered as one of the main financial centers of southern Europe, it shares the status of the economic heart of Spain with Barcelona.

Buildings of recent architecture stand side by side with neoclassical style constructions, such as the Alcalá Gate, the Piazza de Cybele, or the Almudena Cathedral. City of art, its three main museums, the Prado Museum, the Reina Sofía Museum and the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum are among the most visited in the world. In addition, Madrid is home to two of the biggest football clubs in the world, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid.

Inhabitants

Km²

Capital of Spain

Great arrival with Iberia !

Small plane 3/4 empty. On time. No one in my line, how I like to travel like that. I admit that if it's not cool for the airlines, it is downright cool for me.

COVID

At Madrid airport, we can't say that they panic over it. They just ask you where you are from. Answer Minorca and presto! they let you pass without asking for anything. I'm laughing.

WEATHER

Again and again this good old month of April which does not spoil us this year. Grey, rainy, cool or even cold weather, dare we say it. A little sun from time to time. No problem, I mainly came here to see my girlfriend; it's good to see her again.

To visit

La Plaza de Toros

La Plaza de Toros of Madrid, commonly known as Las Ventas, is the 3rd largest arena in the world behind the Monumental de Mexico and Valencia in Venezuela. Inaugurated in 1931, it can hold more than 23,000 people.

Click on a photo to start the slideshow

Almudena Cathedral

Almudena Cathedral, built opposite the royal palace during xx^th century. It is a church 102 meters in length and 73 meters in height built on the basis of a mixture of different styles: Neoclassical on the outside, Neo-Gothic on the inside and Neo-Romanesque in the crypt. It was consecrated by Jean Paul II during his fourth trip to Spain, on June 15, 1993. It is the only Spanish cathedral consecrated by a pope.

My favorite: a gem. The organ is splendid !

The interior is even more beautiful than the exterior. I photographed this cathedral from all angles. Magnificent !

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La Puerta del Sol

Located in the heart of the capital, the Puerta del Sol is one of the most famous and lively squares in Madrid.

Just in front of the facade of the building, a plaque materializes on the ground the zero kilometer point of Spanish roads, and represents the symbolic center of the country.

The equestrian statue of Charles III, inaugurated in 1994, stands in the center of the square.

At the entrance to Calle d'Alcalá stands the monument of the bear and the strawberry tree (el oso y el madroño). Installed in 1967, it represents the heraldic symbols of the city.

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Retiro Park

The Retiro Park, the most important in Madrid since it was opened to the public in 1868. Puppet shows, musicians, the fortune tellers are some of the distractions that are usually found.

Some points of interest

The Pond: the artificial pond is one of the first images you will see if you enter through the Porte d'Alcala. Possibility to rent rowing boats.
The monument to Alfonso XII: impressive monument located on the other side of the pond. It was inaugurated in 1922.
The Crystal Palace: built in 1887, it hosts many temporary exhibitions. It was originally used as a greenhouse.
The Paseo de la Argentina: (Statues Malecon), this is an alley where various statues dedicated to all the monarchs of Spain have been erected.

Click on a photo to start the slideshow

The Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the King of Spain. The current kings do not reside within it, but rather in the Zarzuela Palace. The royal palace is used for protocol functions.

With an area of 135,000 m² and 3,418 rooms (in surface, almost twice as much as Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Versailles), it is the largest royal palace in Western Europe and one of the largest in the world. It houses a precious historical and artistic heritage (musical instruments, painting, sculpture, upholstery).

The Plaza Mayor

The Plaza Mayor is located in the heart of Madrid, it is one of the essential places of Madrid.

A few meters from

Encounters

Victoria

A longtime friend, Senegalese-Italian. Brilliant woman, speaks 5 languages (French, Senegalese, Italian, English, Spanish), of great humility and always smiling. Mother of Rama, 11 years old. Following a promotion, both came to live in Madrid 6 years ago (already). This is the first time that I come to visit her whereas Vic came twice to see me in England during my expatriation there. No comment ahaha. Too happy to see her again, I love her my little chicky. After all we both went through. Phew!

Bars & Restos

Here are some addresses on which I had a crush

AFRICA FUSION

Senegalese cuisine tasty, generous and really really cheap! (6-7 euros the dish).

A mafé beef to die for. A high-end hibiscus and ginger juice. All this served with a smile and relaxation. An original decoration. They have a terrace outside. To do absolutely !

SHUKRAN CITY

Excellent Lebanese restaurant. Beautiful presentation and cuisine of a very good standard. A downside on the service which lacks fluidity and friendliness. Pity ! Still worth the detour.

CAFETERIA CHURRERIA LIORSAN

The place does not look like much, frequented by the inhabitants of the district, it nevertheless offers very crispy and tasty churros accompanied by tradicional chocolate (rather thick chocolate in which the so-called churros are dipped). Inexpensive and efficient for a good breakfast.

Prefer small churros to large ones which are much greasy and less tasty.

Assessment

What to say about Madrid? It is not a destination that I would have personally chosen. But the opportunity being there, you might as well visit a little: some beautiful buildings, bronze statues all over the city, very good restaurants and tapas bars, a city famous above all for its museums. The weather was not the game, I took advantage of the rainy days to work on my blog project. In the end, I spent beautiful days there enjoying my friend Vic. What a joy to be able to be with her! And Rama has grown so much.

Overall, the city displayed a rather heavy atmosphere due to covid. We feel that the eternal restrictions weigh on the morale of Madrid residents, and I understand them. I imagine that in normal times Madrid is much more cool, lively and entertaining.

In any case, that's it, it's time to say goodbye to my beautiful African girl that I won't see again anytime soon because I'm going to Mexico

Next destination : Cabo San Lucas - Baja California Sur - Mexico

Why Mexico ?
1st reason: I loved this country during a vacation spent on the Mayan Riviera: one of my most beautiful trips.
2nd reason. Take the special Covid world map, see which countries are in green and the choice takes 30 seconds.
3rd reason: no PCR test, a form to fill out online, no visa application.
Easy !

Flight Madrid - Cabo San Lucas with Aeromexico (530 euros)

17 hours of travel spread over 2 flights

1 connexion in Mexico City

No PCR test

An online form to fill out

Pas de visa

Easy !

Why Baja California? I was thinking of visiting the rest of Yucatan (Mérida, Celestun, Progreso…). Then I came across, while researching various articles on the Sea of Cortez. Hmm! tempting! I would even say very tempting. I hesitate greatly with Cancun. Then comes a discussion on the phone with my friend Christian who has traveled extensively. I mention Mexico as the eventual next destination. And off he went to talk to me about Baja California. There it is clear, fate is screaming at me where to go.

Why Cabo San Lucas? I look on Google Maps how the peninsula is divided. It is extremely long, I set my sights on the tip of it because I know myself. I go there initially with the idea of settling down, but I also know that as a good carrier pigeon that I am, there is a good chance that I want to see as much as possible and therefore that I want to migrate. In view of this eventuality, we might as well start from the end of the end.