Viva la vida... viva Madrid!

Departure

Departure at dawn from Ciampino airport with a Ryan Air flight departing at 6:40. Arrived at Barajas Airport, we're amazed that we only have to wait a few minutes before we can pick up our luggage. Even greater is the surprise when we realize that with a very efficient metro within half an hour we're in the heart of Madrid where we booked our hostel, the Conchita II, located right behind the Teatro Real. Tiredness gets the better of us and so we take a nap to regain a bit of strength and head immediately toward Plaza Mayor, coming across the Royal Palace along the way. We observe the majesty of the palace from outside and, turning around, we see the Almudena cathedral, where we decide to go in. The very particular architecture, the result of the long duration of the works, is striking, and coming out we see the statue of John Paul II placed in memory of the inauguration of the cathedral.

We move toward Plaza Mayor, crossing Plaza de Villa and stopping at a tapas bar for a sandwich with fried calamari. The entrance into Plaza Mayor is spectacular: you find yourself surrounded by this scene that seems fake. As soon as you put your nose down to admire the buildings surrounding the square you immediately get the impression that the square is a bit too touristy: waiters who grab your arm to push you into their place. We decide to move away toward Calle de Cava Baja, coming across numerous places that are much nicer and more characteristic, and we push into alleyways as recommended by the National Geographic Guide. After more than two hours of walking, we find ourselves in the Buen Retiro park where we decide to wait until 5:00 pm when it will be possible to enter the Prado Museum for free.

It must be the tiredness, but also the calm atmosphere that reigns in the park, I fall like a child into a sleep in the most comfortable and dear arms in the world. The Prado has a truly incredible exhibition: Goya's paintings left the greatest mark. We head, I won't say destroyed but almost, toward the hotel...and we stop to eat in a place that is nothing short of spectacular, as is the food: madrilenian lamb and the house soup. The day was truly long and intense and so we finally take the road to bed.

1st real Madrid day

As soon as we get up and have breakfast in the room with the things bought in the afternoon at the Cortes Englais shopping center, we go out in the "early" morning, a little before ten. From what I've understood these days, 10 o'clock is a very early time: in fact we enter the royal palace (on Wednesdays all European Union citizens don't pay) without waiting in line for a single minute and, coming out about two hours later, we find a crazy line that surely would have made us give up on wanting to enter that day. The interiors of the palace are very beautiful, in particular the room used for lunches at official receptions, the throne room and the staircase leading to the upper floors (very similar to the one at the Royal Palace of Caserta).

Once out of the palace we head toward a destination that an exaggerated football fan wouldn't even think of skipping in Madrid: the Santiago Bernabeu, the stage where the greatest talents that the game of football has ever seen have performed. The entrance is a bit expensive (€15) but it's worth it: a guided route takes you onto the stands, into the locker rooms, onto the edge of the pitch, onto the bench: truly unique. It's an experience that makes you reflect on the situation of stadiums in Italy where it's almost unthinkable for a father to take a child to see a football match, you get the impression of entering a place that truly belongs to the fans. Not to mention the organization they have in trying to get you to leave a good amount of money: from the classic souvenir shop, to the stations to take photos with the Champions League cup, with the reproductions of the players....

Once out of the stadium, we head toward one of Madrid's institutions: the San Gines chocolate shop where we refresh ourselves with a cup of chocolate and a portion of churros (similar to elongated donuts to dip in the chocolate), an experience absolutely divine for the palate. Full and satisfied by the wonderful snack, we head for Plaza de Espana dominated by the monument dedicated to Cervantes with the statues of Sancho Panza and Don Quixote literally swarmed by Japanese or Chinese tourists (I still can't tell them apart): we have to fight for about half an hour to manage to climb to the foot of the statue ourselves and take a few photos. We walk along the Gran Via to reach a place specializing in paella (la Reina de la Paella) where we eat a delicious paella that leaves us exiting the place very satisfied and still wanting to walk, also to burn it off.

We take a nighttime stroll in Plaza Mayor and, now exhausted, return to the hostel.

Toledo

We had booked the train tickets to Toledo online already during the trip preparation phase. Arrived at the station, our luggage is passed through the metal detector and we realize that only those with a ticket can approach the trains: a consequence of the attacks that struck the Atocha station itself. What can we say about the train: punctual, clean and extremely comfortable for a journey of just under an hour, at the end of which we reach Toledo at a very evocative Moorish-style station: it feels like having landed in Morocco at the very least. With a convenient bus we reach the city center and equip ourselves to set off to discover the city. Completely different from Madrid: the modern features of the current capital are replaced by the medieval ones of the old capital of Spain.

Here Cervantes with his famous characters dominates together with the cathedral, the bridge over the Tagus, the monastery of Los Reyes, the white synagogue....Exhausted after a long walk from the center of Toledo to the station, we decide on this solution to take shots of the city from below, we stop at a tapas bar for a snack. We wait for the train and after undergoing the same round of checks as on the way there, before dinner we're in Madrid. After a quick shower we go to dinner at Casa Mingo where we eat and drink the house specialty: roast chicken and cider. We had underestimated Toledo: characterized by continuous ups and downs, we are literally destroyed and the bed seems to us the best solution to end the evening.

A May Day to remember

Today we have the visit of the new part of the city awaiting us, and we head decisively toward the new Ministerios, Plaza de Castilla, Paseo Castellana, Paseo Recoletos, Plaza de Colon, Faro de Madrid... Our first stop, though, is at the Plaza de Toros to get tickets for the afternoon's bullfight: prices range from 2 to 200€ and we opt for one at 7€. We spend a few minutes on the ritual photos and then head toward Plaza de Cibeles, where we decide to continue on foot for a stretch along the Paseo Recoletos until we reach Plaza de Colon, where we have breakfast at a Starbucks. By bus we get to Plaza de Castilla, where we spend a few minutes on the ritual photos, and when we get on the bus and are about to pay the fare we realize that a very light hand has found good fortune in one of our bags.

Panicked at the presence of identity documents in the wallet, we stop a police patrol which, very kindly, escorts us to the nearest station to file the report. Now I'd like to know who can "boast" of being escorted by the police on May 1st without having done anything. Let's be clear, we would gladly have done without it, but once it happened... put on a brave face and off we go again! The biggest annoyance is that the day's plans went up in smoke given the time lost filing the report, and so we skip the Faro de Madrid to go to the Parque del Buen Retiro to relax. It's a spectacle: a sea of people invades the avenues and at every corner street artists entertain the crowd. We rent a boat on the little lake and for about an hour we manage to shed the anger over the morning's mishap.

In the Park we wander around, coming across the crystal palace, the rose garden and an endless number of fountains and ponds that create a truly relaxing atmosphere. Before five we head back to the Plaza de Toros, where we attend the bullfight. I'll spend very few words on this "spectacle," which personally I wouldn't recommend to anyone: what's strange is seeing families bringing children to watch these barbaric and demeaning shows. Of course, we knew what we were getting into when we bought the tickets, but after two shows we head for the exit in disgust. The day has been a roller coaster of moods, and so to forget, for our last Madrid evening we let ourselves be carried into the S.Ana district, where wonderful tapas bars accompany our stroll. One name above all: the cerveceria Alemana, a true spectacle to eat delicacies at the counter accompanied by an excellent cold beer.

After so much wandering we return to our hostel, passing through Plaza Sol where they're setting up the stage for the next day's city festival.

Hola Madrid

Today will be the last day, and so we decide to revisit what truly stuck with us, starting with breakfast: we decide to repeat the delicious experience of the S.Gines chocolate shop: chocolate y churros. Off to the temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple donated by the authorities to Spain in recognition of the help given to protect the various temples scattered throughout Egypt. From the outside it's a spectacle; inside, in my humble opinion, it could even be skipped. Next stop the Chueca neighborhood (the gay district of Madrid) and Malasana, where the celebrations are underway in Plaza 2 de Mayo for the anniversary of the city's uprising against the French occupiers at the time of Napoleon. We have lunch the Spanish way: hopping from one tapas bar to another (we've now discovered it's awesome) and head toward the Reina Sofia Museum, home of Picasso's Guernica.

After about an hour in line caused by free admission, which drew a huge crowd, we go in to queue just as long just to see the most famous painting in the whole museum: the beauty and emotional communication of this Picasso painting leave you breathless. We come out satisfied and go to Atocha station to see the tropical garden cultivated inside the station structure. Birds, turtles and luxuriant green vegetation form the backdrop to the bustling crowd. The day is as good as gone, and so like diligent salmon we take the road we traveled just five days ago toward the airport, leaving behind a stay we'll carry inside us for a long time, at least until our next visit.