Prado, Royal Palace and Other Stories

Madrid is not the oldest or the grandest European capital, nor it is the oldest city in Spain. I know scores of people for whom Granada, Toledo, Cordoba, Valencia, or Barcelona are significantly higher on their travel wish-lists. Yet it is at the same time modern and ancient, with splendid museums, monuments, gardens, palaces, churches, etc., that would do justice to any more visited city. Sometimes one hears the place being referred to as ‘the Madrids’--the phrase that acknowledges the many barrios (Spanish word for quarters of a city) of Madrid, divided into the barrios altos, barrios centrales, and barrios bajos (higher, central, and lower quarters, respectively), each with its unique style, geographical position, and social rank.

Although it occupies a vast space of land, Madrid is a city where it is surprisingly easy to get around, compared to Moscow, London, Paris, or many other cities–-with the metro being cheap and efficient (0.9 euros no matter where in the city you want to go–-compare it to London!). But I have somewhat led myself away from the main subject of my tips and reviews, namely sightseeing. True to the style I have selected here on IgoUgo, I will start with a list of what one can see:

Parks that are perfect if you are after some shade:

There are more than 40 parks and public gardens, the principal ones being the Retiro, Campo del Moro, Casa de Campo, Oeste Park, El Pardo, and Parque Eva Duarte

Museums:

Prado, Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, National Museum of Applied Arts, National Archaeological Museum, Municipal Museum, Ethnological Museum, Museum of Wax Figures, the Library of the Royal Palace (which has great historical significance), paintings by Bruegel and Titian in the convent of the Descalzas Reales, and Spanish and other European masters in the Palacio de Liria (formerly Madrid residence of the dukes of Alba)

Palaces and Other Buildings:

Royal Palace, Crystal Palace, Casa del Pastor (the first City Hall of Madrid), the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), which is housed in a 19th-century neoclassical building, temple of Debod (an ancient Egyptian temple acquired and transferred to Spain and reconstructed here)

Churches and Monasteries:

Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Church of San Andres, San Jeronimo el Real, Church of San Bernardo

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

I suggest the metro, which--at 0.9 euros for a ride of any distance--is a real bargain.

Spanish Painting of the Middle Ages in Prado – A User's Guide

This is the first part of my guide to the Prado Museum of Madrid, one of Europe’s grandest. And I have deliberately decided to start with the section that naturally attracts the most admiration of all–-Spanish painting in the Middle Ages. We shall start with...

Francisco Goya:

Tapestry Cartoons (1775–1792); The Milkmaid of Bordeaux (1825–1827); The Family of King Charles IV (1800); Family of the Duke of Osuna (1788); Christ on the Cross (1780); Queen Maria Luisa, on Horseback (1799); The Naked Maja (circa 1800–1805); The Clothed Maja (circa 1800–1805); Ferdinand VII in an Encampment (circa 1814); Don Juan Bautista de Muguiro (1827); Tapestry Cartoons (1775-1792); The Panic (circa 1810–1812); The 2nd of May 1808 in Madrid: The Charge of the Mamelukes (1814–-a truly magnificent historical piece and my undisputed favourite among Francisco Goya’s work); The 3rd of May 1808: The Execution of the Defenders of Madrid (1814); The Black Paintings from the Quinta del Sordo (1820–1823), together with numerous lithographs, drawings, etchings and engravings

Diego Velazquez:

Equestrian Portrait of Olivares (circa 1634–1635); The Forge of Vulcan (1630); Adoration of the Magi (1619-–classic religious theme); The Topers also known as The Triumph of Bacchus (circa 1628–1629); Christ on the Cross (circa 1631); Equestrian Portrait of King Philip IV (circa 1634–1635: one of the many fine portraits exhibited); Equestrian Portrait of Prince Baltasar Carlos (circa 1634–1635: again a royal portrait, Velazquez was famous for these); The Surrender of Breda (1634–1635-–there are fewer paintings by Velazquez on strictly historical themes); Prince Baltasar Carlos as Huntsman (1635–1636: we have already come across one of the portraits of him); The Coronation of the Virgin (circa 1641–1642: returning to the religious theme); Mars (circa 1645–1648); Views of the Villa Medici, Rome (circa1650; Prado); Queen Mariana of Austria (1652 – 1653); The Spinners, also known as The Fable of Arachne (circa 1655–another piece of ancient mythology); Las Meninas, or The Maids of Honour (1656--have seen this one for ages in my school history of art textbooks); Mercury and Argus (circa 1659)

Other famous artists include El Greco: Trinity, from the High Altar of the Catheral in Toledo; Adoration of the Shepherds. Bartolome’ Bermejo: Santo Domingo de Silos Madrid. Francisco Herrera the Younger and Francisco Herrera the Elder: Triumph of St. Hermengild and scenes from the life of St. Bonaventure respectively. Alonso Sanchez Coello: portraits of Philip II and Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia.