DAY IN MADRID

It takes 3 hours by car from Finca al-manzil  www.finca-al-manzil.com to Madrid. Quite a dramatic contrast, from our wide open spaces, wooded hillsides and pure nature to a huge sprawling city.
Madrid was designated as the capital of Spain in 1561 purely for geographical reasons, it lies right in the middle  but has no other natural distinguishing features, the river Manzanares is more of a ditch than a river of any significance, nowadays with the additon of dams and locks it has become a sort of linear pond with attractive landscaping.
  The older parts of Madrid are only from the end of 16th century and beginning of the 17th century, there is very little left with the notable exception of the Plaza Mayor which is a stately square in the middle of a labyrinth of small streets on the edge of La Latina. The plaza has been rebuilt many times after serious fires but always copying the original early 17th century design.  La Casa de Panaderia dominates the square, it is in fact not a bakery but a municipal building and registry office. The murals are replacements of older versions, very modern, completed in 1992 with designs by Carlos Franco based on mythological figures such as Cybele, Proserpine, Bacchus, and Cupid  as well as others invented by the artist. I find the paintings badly executed and the subjects lacking charm, judge for yourself.........

Just next to the Plaza Mayor is the Mercado de San Miguel, a great place for lunch with its many stalls selling delectable tapas and plenty of bars selling the best of Spanish products; sherry, wine, beer, cider and cava.

Time for coffee in the Plaza de Isabel II in front of the Opera at a charming and original café from the 19th century

An afternoon at the Prado, there's a wonderful Vélasquez exhibition  October 8, 2013
February 09, 2014

Then before driving home a drink at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in the Calle de Alacalá.
http://www.circulobellasartes.com/index.php
This is a cultural association with frequent exhibitions, a library and cinema. Designed by Antonio Palacios and constructed in 1926.

The bar on the ground floor hasn't changed since the 1920s when it was a meeting place for an arty crowd of writers and artists including  students of La Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando further up the Calle de Alcalá where Picasso and Dali studied art, both dropping out preferring the scene in Barcelona. The azotea, roof terrace,  is not to be missed, fabulous views of the Madrid skyline and some gems of early 20th century architecture in nearby buildings.

                          Façade of Círculo das Bellas Artes with Athena on the roof terrace

The atmospheric café of the Bellas Artes with an  iconic sculpture lying in the middle of the floor, it is the work of  Moisés de Huerta y Ayuso from 1910. The title is "El salto de Léucade"  and refers to the legend of the rocks of Leucade where Sappho was supposed to have leapt to her death  after being rejected by a lover. Over centuries the rocks of Leucade have been the chosen means of death by desperate lovers.
The café is know as La Pecera, the fishtank owing to the huge windows overlooking the both streets of the corner, a perfect place to see and be seen. There is a €1 entrance fee
The azotea or roof terrace is a must, it costs €2 to take the lift up to this amazing space, especially spectacular as the sun is going down.

A view from the roof terrace of the Circulo de Bellas Artes towards the chariots on roof of the BBVA

Roof terrace in the evening with the statue of Athena by Juan Luis Vasallo

                                      Amazing views of the roof line of Madrid

A SHORT BREAK IN MADRID

A quick getaway to Madrid before the intensely busy weeks around Easter. Very pleased with our multi- national ensemble of guests for the next 2 weeks; Dutch, Norwegian, German, Welsh, Belgium and Swedish, all here to observe the nature and particularly birds. Although it has been unusually dry the wild flowers are still gorgeous just a little short lived and we have the short toed eagels nesting in the crags for 2nd year.
And so Madrid.  The usual efficient and fast 2 1/2 hour express bus journey from Trujillo, then metro to Lavapies a different world. Lavapies is where my brother lives, since he bought his apartment it has become a very hip place to live and I love the cultural mix. The walk from the metro is through a street of little shops, Moroccan, Indian, Chinese, all selling wonderful fresh produce especially spices and teas, unusual fruits and vegetables, dozens of different rices and pulses. There's also a halal butcher and a patisserie selling freshly baked baklava and other delicious pastries. Another great thing about this area is that the famous Rastro market takes place just down the road every Sunday, there you can find everything you could possibly desire and there are permanent antique/junk shops lining the streets in the same area, look like Madrid has embraced the shabby chic look with enthusiasm and some flair. Maybe the best thing of all is that it takes me 15 minutes walk to Atocha within 2 minutes of the three big art collections; the Prado, Reina Sofia and the Thyssen Bornemisza .  I always make a point of visiting the Goyas at the Prado, find something new every time, the black paintings have been newly lit and still chill and thrill, particularly Pero semihundido, the half drowned dog, a miracle of impressionism, a beautiful golden enigma. I think Goya in the delirium of the black paintings created the first moves towards impressionism, what a relief it must have been for him after all those stiff court paintings.

Visited the Chagall exhibition at the Thyssen, not really that keen on Chagall but seeing so many paintings together one is stunned by the vibrant colour treatments of the farmyard animals, cockerels, violin players, bridal couples all floating above the Russian village which inspired so much of his work.

There is a stunning exhibition at the Caixaforum at the moment,originally from the V&A,  the history of the Ballets Russes with an amazing collection of original costumes, photographs and film. A magical world conjured by Diaghilev and showing his genius of collecting the most talented young artists of the time for creating the scenery and avant garde atmosphere of his ballets     http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/d/diaghilev-and-the-ballets-russes/

Here's a photo of the famous living wall of the Caixaforum, it's astounding!

After all the culture it was time for something to eat so I headed for the revamped Mercado de San Miguel near Plaza Mayor, an original old glass and iron market from the 19th century now transformed into a fabulous showcase of the best of Spanish food products all displayed temptingly on numerous stalls as delicious tapas. You buy your tapas as you wander around, them grab a glass of sherry, wine or beer and settle down with your feast in the central area with table and chairs, such a simple idea, heavenly!

On Saturday we walked to El Retiro, the Hyde Park of Madrid, a huge park with lakes, shady walks and lots of bars with terraces, there's a beautifully preserved glass house. The park was orginally the grounds attached to El Retiro Palace built in the 17th century as a royal retreat.

We had a couple of evenings wandering around the Lavapies streets always ending up at our favourite Indian restaurant, a hole in the wall with the most delicious food and always stopping for a drink at Cafe Barbieri, a creaky old café with a great collection of old mirrors on the walls.

It is in Calle Ave Maria which has so many colourful little bars and restaurants, full of character, cool without being at all pretentious.

Sunday, my last day but just time for a walk through the Rastro market, great fun picking through the shops and stalls, found a shop with wonderful frames, very cheap, more frames? Well yes, one day they will all be inhabited.

So loaded down with various parcels of exotic foods, frames and a few new clothes I hop on the metro to the bus station and arrive back in Trujillo in time for dinner in our favourite restaurant, good to be back home but feel energized by trip to the big city.