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Madrid Musings

I just came back from a short trip to Madrid last week. I was there for work but I took a couple of extra days off to do some sightseeing in Madrid and Toledo seeing that I had flown half way around the world to get there.

I just wanted to blog some general impressions about Madrid and Toledo (in a separate entry) while my memory is still fresh. I will be posting my photos on to my photo gallery once I've had the opportunity to sort them out.

A Tale of Two Cities
My impressions of Madrid is that it is actually two cities in one. On the one hand, you have the very picturesque historic Madrid old town in the heart of the city. The historic buildings of Madrid bear two distinct architectural influences. Firstly, there are many buildings bearing the stereotypical Spanish design where there is a tiny balcony at every single window of the window. Secondly, you will also find buildings during the reign of the Austrian Hapburg dynasty. Buildings from this era definitely evoke memories of my trip to Vienna. Both styles are equally charming and interesting.

However, as you move out from the city centre, you have the modern day Madrid. And the two cannot be any more different. The historic Madrid is very charming and is very quinessentially "European" in character. Modern Madrid on the other hand has a very "East Bloc" feel to it. The buildings are rather drab and very uninspired in their design. This part of Madrid is quite unappealling to the tourist in me. It's quite sad to see that modern Madrid has not built on the great architectural achievements of its past.

Transportation
Getting around Madrid was very easy and quite cheap as well. You can get practically anywhere in Madrid using its very clean and modern Metro system for around EUR1. Alternatively, EUR3.50 buys you an unlimited use ticket for a day. Old Madrid is a town that needs to be explored on foot to be truly appreciated. There are many interesting squares and gardens all over the old town. I spent a whole day (and luckily, the sun doesn't set until 9pm) exploring the old town and I walked until my feet were so sore !

Food
Spanish food was quite good and luckily I had local colleagues who took me to some nice places to eat. One thing I learnt very quickily was that the Spanish love their ham ! There are "Museo de Jamons" (Ham Museums) all over the town. Despite the name, these are small establishments specialising in serving different varieties of ham. And the dishes are really cheap - a whole plate of chorizo ham can be had for around EUR1 ! Of course, the Spanish tapas was quite good too but these are a bit more expensive than jamon.

People
I found the Spanish people to be generally quite friendly. Of course, there are unfriendly people no matter you go and Madrid is no exception. But on the whole, the Spanish people that I interacted with were quite nice.

Favourite Attractions
The entire old town is a real treasure to explore.

See also : Madrid photo gallery.

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