Meandering in Madrid.

In Spain, all roads start in Madrid, and that's where we're  starting our latest adventure, a two-and-a-half month trip that will take us to Liberia, Morocco, southern Spain, and finally, Costa Rica.

 

But first, Madrid, a major European city we've never visited. January isn't a month we'd usually pick to travel in Europe; even sunny Spain get pretty cold this time of year. But Ophelia's group, the Water Bearers, is delivering a large batch of water filters to several villages in Liberia, and Spain and Morocco are on the way. 

 

As for Costa Rica, well, we had a trip there planned with our son, John, and his family, and the best time for them to go happened to be just as we were coming home from Spain. So at the end of our time in Spain, we fly from Madrid to LA, then direct to Costa Rica.

We found a small hotel on a lovely, tree-lined street in the center of Madrid. Everything we wanted to see was within walking distance, so, even thought there was a Metro station just down the block, we never had to use the subway.

 

We love to walk, and Madrid is the perfect town for meandering--mostly flat, and very compact. Unlike many big cities, it's not built on a grid, which makes it easy to get lost, another thing we love to do. Narrow little streets leading off at odd angles, promising who knows what. It's a Meanderthal's dream.

We started in the Plaza Mayor, the heart of the city. Though the plaza was fairly empty when we first arrived, by evening it was jammed with with strolling Madrileños and all manner of street performers. 

 

The Plaza Mayor started as a place where farmers could come to sell their products, but it soon became much more. Street performers, theater groups, even the great show trials of the Spanish Inquisition found enthusiastic audiences here. Heretics were burned outside the city walls, though.

The focal point of the Plaza Mayor is the Bakery building, now converted from the city's main bakery to office space for the city government. Most of the other buildings around the square still house apartments on the upper floors.

 

The paintings on the facade are a recent addition, but are done in a style meant to evoke the the baroque aesthetic of Madrid's glory days. 

 

By European standards, Spain is a fairly new country. It was formed in 1512, when the Hapsburg dynasty of Austria under Charles I united the kingdoms of Castile, Aragón, Navarre, and Granada. These Christian kingdoms had only recently (in 1492!) concluded the reconquest of the Iberian peninsula from the Muslim Moors of north Africa, who had ruled most of the country since conquering the Visigoths in the early 700s.

 

In 1512, Madrid was a backwater town with a population of only about 4,000. It was dirty and crime-ridden, but in 1561, Phillip II decided to make it his capital.

 

It was a clever move. Madrid is geographically central, simplifying communication with the rest of the country. 

Also, since there were few buildings of note, the architecture could more easily be remade to reflect the preferences of the Austrian Hapsburgs. Which is why many  of the older buildings have a northern European look very different than the Romanesque and Moorish-influenced architecture of many other Spanish cities, especially those in the south.

 

Probably most important to the Hapsburgs was that the city had no established aristocracy, so the political ecology could be built from scratch to their liking, and there could be no suspicions that the new dynasty was favoring one of the four kingdoms over the others.

We loved strolling the streets of Madrid, which is still mostly low-rise with only a  few modern towers looming over the mostly 19th-century city. There are so many lovely old buildings here.

Much of the city has a tranquil feel, as if you've been transported to an earlier, more relaxed time, though with all the modern conveniences, like good wi-fi and cell coverage and excellent public transportation. And the streets amazingly clean.

Sometimes the architecture is a little over the top, but mostly it is grand without being grandiose.

​We wandered for hours down broad boulevards and through tiny, twisting alleys, rewarded by the unexpected sight of yet more wonderful old buildings.

My favorite find was the little church of San Antonio de los alemanes on an unprepossessing street in the Malasaña district. The church's ellipsoidal layout and floor to ceiling baroque paintings make it one of the most unique churches in Spain.

Truly an amazing little gem. Be sure to click on the photos to see the full glory of this special place.

The Malasaña district and neighboring gay-friendly Chueca (Spain, despite its reactionary past was one of the first countries to legalize gay marriage) are where the hipster scene happens in Madrid. My Airbnb was right in the middle of Malasaña. The atmosphere was quite different than that of the center where we first stayed. A host of small restaurants and interesting shops, galleries, and cafes buzzing with an energy that I quickly fell in love with. Very few tourists, just mostly young Madrileños going about their daily (and mostly nightly) routines.

 

And the prices were significantly lower, too. I had a great time there.

All in all, Madrid is a town where I could easily spend a longer period of time. The people, the food, the energy of the place are all muy simpatico to me. 

 

I'll be back.

 

P.