During the second week of the February vacation, I visited two cities in Spain: Madrid and Barcelona. This was my first time in Spain and it certainly did not disappoint.
I was in Madrid with my roommate, Carely, and her friends. The first night that I got there, we went to the San Miguel Market (Mercado de San Miguel).
This market is in walking distance from the Plaza Mayor and is quite popular for tourists as it has traditional gourmet cuisine. There are vendors offering freshly prepared tapas, hams, olives, baked goods, and other delicious food. Carely and I got churros and dipped them in hot chocolate.
Carely and I in Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor
Ham is very popular in Spain and is intimately linked to their gastronomy and culture. Ham was introduced here by the Romans, and its trading became so popular that during the period of emperors Augustus and Marcus Vipsanio Agripa, coins were minted in the shape of a ham. History aside, an interesting restaurant chain in Madrid is called Museo del Jambon (Ham Museum), which specializes in all types of pork products.
Not only does this restaurant have a wide selection of hams, sausages, cheeses, and cold meats, but they also offer sandwiches, tapas, wine and beer.
Plaza del Callao (looks a bit like Times Square in New York in my opinion)
The next day was Sunday, so I went to church in the morning at the Royal Collegiate Church of Saint Isidro.
The church, dedicated to St. Francisco Javier, was designed by the Jesuit Pedro Sánchez towards 1620, with the model of the "Chiesa del Gesù" in Rome. It has a plan of the Latin cross, with a single nave and side chapels. In 1769, when the Jesuits were expelled, the church was converted into a collegiate church dedicated to St. Isidro, patron of the city of Madrid.
After church, I made my way to Retiro Park. This park was royal property up to the end of the 19th century when it was opened to the public. It is a perfect place for picnicking, relaxing, strolling, and sunbathing when it's nice out.
Above is a picture of the Monument to Alfonso XII, located in the park
After walking around the park, I continued to explore Madrid, and ran into this...
When you think about post offices, you usually don't think of this type of structure. But believe it or not, this ornate and striking building is the central post office of Madrid, known as the Palacio de Comunicaciones or Palacio de Cibeles (for the square on which it is located). Exhibits inside show aspects of Spain's postal and telecommunications history.
The next day brought more adventures. My first stop was the Prado Museum of art.
I strolled for hours here, admiring the collection of masterpieces by renaissance and baroque masters. The museum is represented by Spanish artists, including Velázquez and El Greco; the low countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) by Rembrandt, Brueghel, van Dyck, and Rubens; and Italian artists -- Titian, Caravaggio, Botticelli, and Tintoretto. Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights and David with Head of Goliath by Caravaggio are the must-see works.
For a lunch break, Carely and I went to a restaurant where I ate some octopus,
My octopus (pulpo in Spanish)
Energized after lunch, Carely and I visited one of the best sites in Madrid, in my opinion: The Royal Palace.
Built in the mid-1700s for King Philip V, the Royal Palace is on the site of Madrid's Moorish Alcázar fortress-palace, which burned down in 1734. It is the largest royal palace in western Europe and has a blend of baroque and neoclassical styles. When walking through it, we saw works by Goya, Caravaggio and Velázquez, as well as stunning displays of watches, tapestries, porcelain and silverware. Today, the Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of the Spanish Royal family and is used for state ceremonies. To get in for free, you must go Monday to Thursday, from 4pm to 6pm in winter and from 5pm to 7pm in summer,
After the palace, we went to Temple Debod. This temple dates back to 2,200 years and honors the gods Amun and Isis. The Egyptians never came to Madrid to build a temple, but they actually sent the historic bricks to Spain in 1968 as a thank you for helping to preserve monuments that could have been destroyed by the Aswan Dam. This is Spain's only Egyptian temple.
The Temple Debod during sunset
The Temple Debod offers some spectacular views of Madrid.
That night, we visited Madrid's football stadium. Real Madrid is one of Europe’s most successful football teams with a record-breaking 11 European Cups to their name. The stadium can hold up to 81,044 people.
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Carely and I ended our time in Madrid with a breakfast of champions: some amazing pancakes. I got the chocolate peanut butter flavor and Carely had peanut butter and jelly pancakes. They were very delicious indeed!
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