Lorena's Epiphany

Spain Travel Journal: Madrid 02

July 30, 2009 at 6:14 pm Leave a comment

/.Spanish Balconies./

Day two in Madrid and I’m sitting under the statue of John Paul II in the courtyard of the Almuden cathedral. The weather’s been overcast all morning and humid.. I could use a freezing bottle of water right about now.

Turns out the Prado is closed on Mondays, so I’ve spent the day walking around the various plazas I only saw by night yesterday. I’ve passed through some of the more “authentic” neighborhoods where I was the only tourist, for a change.

Sketching my future balcony

The neighborhood I’m in now is very historic with beautiful houses and balconies. I’d like to have a Spanish balcony in my future house. I wonder if I can import one to wherever I end up. hehe

Everyday this trip is helping me discover more and more about myself, and what I want from life. Everyone who’s lost should travel alone to find themselves. Ironic, but true. Sometimes we need to be out of our comfort zones to refocus on our basic self. Our honest self sans bias from family, friends, society.. and internet!

/.Lavish Royalty./

I just walked through the majestic Royal Palace where kings and queens once walked. I traced their footsteps through the elaborate rooms, each with it’s own style and theme. Every inch of the rooms is decorated.

The style of the rooms was referenced as Rococo with “chinoiserie” influence popular in the 18th century. Other rooms were considered Neoclassical.

King Carlos III and his wife, Sofia, are written about in the guides and in two of the rooms, their initials are plastered as wall paper. Very customized.

How tiny and insignificant I felt under the huge ceilings!

The throne room was glorious with a ceiling painting of gold and detailed painting mixing 3D sculptures with flat (comparatively speaking) paintings of battles and their heroes.

The king died in one of the rooms we saw (forgot which Carlos it was). I would have loved to see the royal bedroom, but that area was closed off. Security is incredibly tight and suspicious cops are everywhere, glaring at you.

Royal Palace, Madrid

Facing the Royal Palace is the cathedral I was sitting at before. Was it customary back then to build a cathedral by a palace? Is it because the kings and queens were especially spiritual, or trying to portray that image?

I particularly enjoyed the Royal Farmacia (pharmacy). The porcelain and ceramic jars are exquisite with handwritten, script labels. Did ailing countrymen wait in lines to get their medicine? And if they could, how over-priced must it have been!

/.Selling Umbrellas./

A woman selling umbrellas outside the palace just got arrested. I think she was an illegal immigrant. Sucks for her.

/.The Ham Museum./

When in Madrid, you’ve got to experience “Museo del Jamon”. It’s essentially a ham/salami/bologne store that also doubles as a restaurant with a standing bar.

I had a boscario con jamon (ham sandwich). The ham was delicious and served on thick bread with green olives on the side – Heaven! The bartender kept bringing me other plates of hams and olives. [Keep away from black olives in Spain - they're super-watery]

/.Not the Time to Get Sick./

I got back to the hostel an hour ago and feeling achy all over. I’m slightly feverish and hoping I didn’t catch something!

Looking out my window, it’s still bright out – and it’s almost 9pm now! There are still some parts of town I want to see, but that’ll have to wait. Hopefully I’ll beat this sick feeling soon and grab a tea in one of the small cafes.

/.Night Walk./

I managed to beat any cold I was developing. (Yay!) At around 9:30pm, I ventured out to get some tea and dinner (patatas bravas – potatoes in yellowish bbq sauce – and vino tinto de verona sangria).

Madrid is a city that never sleeps and you catch most of the action after 9pm. People casually walk their tiny dogs or sit in plazas sipping wine or cerveza. That’s the life! I didn’t take my camera out last night because I figured I’d be out for only a few minutes, but that somehow turned into an hour and a half. I had some tea, got lost a few times and called my mom.

Funny, most of the Alimentacions (aka small grocery shops) are run by Asians! It’s like Arabs at the pumps in the USA and Vietnamese nail ladies (sorry, but it’s true).. Got to rest up – Zaragoza’s next on the agenda!

Entry filed under: Floating. Tags: Almuden Cathedral, boscario, King Carlos III, Madrid, Museo del Jamon, Neoclassical, Rococo, Royal Palace, Royal Pharmacy, Spanish balconies.