Madrid was wonderful. It’s a great place for galleries, shopping, sightseeing, eating, nightlife and a wee sherry or two. Elaine booked us into Hotel Alicia, on the corner of Plaza de Santa Ana, which was handy for all of the above.
As is now our habit, we took the city bus tour on the first day, just to get the lie of the land. It took us firstly up to Bernabeu Stadium, so we got off there to pay a visit. Waaw! It’s big. I hope all that silverware is well insured.
The old station, Estacion de Atocha, has been revamped as a giant greenhouse with tropical plants and trees, providing an excellent (and quiet) place to chill out and enjoy some tapas and coffee or something stronger.
It’s just across the road from the art gallery, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, where you’ll see Picasso’s Guernica – very worth seeing – and a very large selection of his work. You can’t miss the gallery itself – it’s the one with the massive Roy Lichtenstein brushstroke sculpture outside.
Two minutes further up the road, on the main drag, Passeo del Prado, you’ll find another gallery with a plant sculpture on its exterior! Across the road, you’ll find the magnificent Prado. There were huge queues for this, so we kept walking – maybe next time! Earlier in the week, though, we’d spent several hours in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and it was magnificent, unmissable. Regarded by many as the most important privately assembled art collection in the world, I couldn’t disagree.
There’s just so much to see in Madrid and it’s all within reasonable walking distance within the centre. The 16th and 17th century architecture sits alongside modern structures, while the park, with its Crystal Palace, is a very enjoyable walk. There are also many traditional eating and drinking places throughout the centre, and we found several excellent places for our evening meals.
Our favourite was Ginger, in Plaza del Angel, just up from our hotel. It looked posh outside and in, but the food was excellent and very reasonably priced, as was the wine, and the service by Philipinne staff was first class.