A trip to Madrid! May I share it with you?
My wife and I have just returned from Madrid. I would like to share some of our experiences with you. Should you someday travel to Madrid, perhaps something of this thread will be of help.
We arrived in Madrid at 6:30 a.m., and headed by cab to the hotel. The cab ride turned out to be emblematic of our trip, too fast, very scenic and just a little chaotic. Our ride took us into central Madrid, the section known as “de las letras, or “de los letrados.” The hotel was of the same name which refers to the fact this neighborhood was the home to the writer Lope De Vega, Quevedó and others as well as several theaters of the arts. We were right on the Gran Via, within walking distance of virtually all the iconic spots in Madrid
Unfortunately, we couldn’t register in the hotel until 3 p.m., so we walked around a bit, and jumped on a tour bus, and familiarized ourselves with Madrid! At three, we were so exhausted from the plane trip etc., that we went to bed for a few hours. We had an eight o’clock caberet to catch on La Calle Atocha. At 6 p.m., we arose and started getting ready. We quickly noticed an odd noise coming from outside. We went out on the balcony and, well, as you can see from the photos, the Gran Via had been taken over for a demonstration by the “indignados.” We got dressed, and went down and jumped in to the demonstration, following the crowds to their destination, "La Puerta Del Sol."
The first photo is the intersection of the Gran Via with Calle Acalá, The Metropolis Building with it's iconic statue, and to the right what is referred to as the "watch," building, for its many jewlelers and high end clocks and watches.
Second photo. Our first view of the Gran Via from our balcony!
Third photo, The atmosphere in the Puerta del Sol as reflected in the banners. Walking with the "indignados!" We were swept up in the crowd and could not move. There was no way we could get out of the Puerta del Sol in time to catch the caberet! Two very expensive tickets wasted! I'll post more about our trip with photos on this thread tomorrow.
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One of the disappointments I encountered when booking the hotel was that it advertised an English speaking staff. Well, when registering I was dealing with a young lady who started to speak to me in broken English, assuming since my passport said I was from the States, that I was “language challenged.” I immediately replied to her questions in Spanish and her face lit up and she started speaking Spanish and the registration went well. When we were leaving the desk, a male employee said to her in Spanish, ¿todo bien? And I heard her say to him, “Si, el caballero, habla español!” Boy did that make me feel good. Much later that same young lady drew my wife and I a very detailed map of her home town, “Aranjuez,” a town south of Madrid about thirty miles distant, and she told us how to get there using the “Renfre,” the very efficient train system of Spain. We went to Aranjuez(I tell you about that later). Meanwhile we headed out on foot to see Madrid. Here are a few photos.
1st. In the Puerta del Sol, “Kilometer 0,” The point from which all roads are measured in Spain.
2nd Also the Puerta del Sol, The “Bear and the Madroño,” the municipal symbol of Madrid, and the common meeting place for friends coming in on the metro from places near and far.
3rd A plaque dedicated to the citizens of Madrid who helped during the attacks of 11 March 2004, and to the victims themselves. It is located on the “Casa de Correos, Puerta Del Sol.
4th El Rastro, the Sunday flea market of Madrid. We had a blast bartering with merchants(In Spanish).
Traveling the calle Alcalá we encounter the Plaza Cibeles were the victorious soccer teams of Madrid gather around the Godess Cibeles, surround by their fans. On the other end of Alcalá is the iconic, “Puerta de Alcalá,” the point of entry into old Madrid principally from France and Catalunya.
We found Madrid to be breathtakingly beautiful, with attention to detail everywhere. All the buildings were covered with some form of ornate design. Here one has to seek out modernity. Buildings are restored and preserved not replaced. You must look up or you may miss a beautiful sculptured artwork.
The music of Joaquín Sabina contains many references to Marid, and it’s famous places. We went to a musical on the Gran Via which featured many of the his songs.
1st photo/ Goddess Cibeles 2nd photo/ Puerta de Alcalá 3rd photo/ example of the art above Madrid 4th/ Marquee of Mas de Cien Mentiras
To me, "malcontents" sounds about the same as "the indignant." I got the now familiar confused face showing that I had used the wrong word.
The distinction bears a slight resemblance to the notion of "political correctness" (that is so popular in the U.S.) Since Hedita would never forgive me if I were to suggest that the notions of political had infected/corrupted Spain, I should explain that an important difference exists. The political correctness advocates seem, in the main, content to ignore the history/traditions of the language. They are quite willing to coin entirely new phrases because of some imagined/imputed slight in the traditional expressions.
"malcontents" (like "malefactors") has as its root the Latin "mal" (with exactly the same meaning as the Spanish "mal"/"malo(a)" i.e. "bad"/"evil". The word carries (and has done so for centuries) the sense that they are "troublemakers" (another negative term).
The term "indignatos" is most often reflected in English in the phrase "righteous indignation', which, obviously, puts a positive spin on it (but a "spin" with a long history).
I was in Madrid a couple of weeks ago and specifically went to Sol looking for "los indignados." I was so disappointed. There was one guy in the middle set up with his tent and signs. I concluded that the whole thing was had run its course. Sort of like arriving at college in the 1970's after the peace demonstrations were over.
Then, when we recounted our disappointment to our friends who live in Madrid, I made the mistake of calling them "malcontentos." To me, "malcontents" sounds about the same as "the indignant." I got the now familiar confused face showing that I had used the wrong word.
They may seem malcontent, but they are "los indignados." And, they're back!
Que bonito es mi Madrid en todos sus aspectos jaja
Madrid lo es...en todos los aspectos, en fin, no quiero robarle el hilo a Joe.
Gracias Joe por compartir, ¿tuviste mucha oportunidad de hablar español? ¿Qué te pareció la gente?
I think we are the best of the best
, HOSPITALITY is written in caps in Madrid
I hope you had the this impression, Joe
Que bonito es mi Madrid en todos sus aspectos jaja
thats nice info!
Thanks so much for sharing Joe. The pics are great. I love hearing about the travels of others. I'm sure you're familiar with the notion that most people squirm and run for the hills when visiting a friend or family member who says "Do you want to see our vacation pictures?"
Well, I'm just the opposite. I have always loved hearing and seeing the world through the eyes of others. I know I won't be able to visit every great place in the world, but I love experiencing some of my travels vicariously.
Please tell us more about your experiences in Madrid and definitely share more photos. I'm glad you and your wife had this experience!
What a treat for us! I hope you can write some more about your adventures.
Thank you for sharing your story with us! I came back from London two weeks ago, and I was surprised at seeing "indignados" (sorry, I'm not familiar with the English translation) outside St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the main buildings and tourist attractions of the city.
