Madrid, Sunday, March 23, 2025
We awoke to an incomprehensible phenomenon: sunshine. It was still cool, but the sun felt good, and we struck out on a long walk. We ambled south on some pleasant side streets until we reached the start of the Gran Via, the boulevard cut through the medieval streets of the center in the early twentieth century. The boulevard showcases Madrid’s “modernist” architecture.
The building that anchors the new boulevard is the Edificio Metropolis, built in 1911 in Beaux-arts style.
Next to it is the Edificio Grasy, built in 1916 in a style no one seems to care to characterize.
Moving forward a couple of decades we get the Telefonica Building, art deco with Baroque (ornamentation), of 1929.
Things get a little better by the mid-1930’s: the Edificio Capitol takes its design cues directly–perhaps too directly?–from Eric Mendelsohn’s work that is usually identified as Expressionist.
Here is the Edificio Capitol.
And here is Mendelsohn’s Peterdorff department store in what was then Breslau but now Wroclaw, from 1928.
And here are a couple more.
Sorry to be churlish, Madrid fans, but the whole thing just didn’t work for me!
We soon turned west toward the Royal Palace, Cathedral, and Royal Theater. As we approached the palace, we got a view back to the dome of the cathedral.
The gardens in front of the palace are lovely. The palace itself has a complicated history, with many kings radically altering the architecture.
The Teatro Real, Madrid’s main opera house, dates from 1818.
Sue was disappointed that the Sabatini Gardens at the north end of the Palace were closed for construction. We got a glimpse from a belvedere.
From here we hoofed it to the Plaza de Espagne, with a monument to Cervantes in the center.
And then on the Palacio de Liria, the Madrid residence of the House of Alba. We figured we had seen their digs in Sevilla, and like them, so why not go for the double. Especially since the palace is surrounded by a famous garden. Unfortunately, we figured that 20 ‘euros a pop was a little steep for a garden, so we made so with the view through the fence.
After our afternoon siesta, Sue and I took another long walk down through some of the streets in the Chueca district. We then joined Paul and Sue for a glass of bubbly: Sue N. had carted the complimentary bottle of Cave that we had been given in Sevilla through half of Spain! They were headed for a very early bit in the bar, since they had to leave the hotel at 4 AM for their complicated flight to Chicago. We said our goodbyes, which were not at all tearful; it had been a really good, stimulating trip despite the lack of sun!
Sue and I had a simple meal at the Taberna de Carmencita, one of the oldest inns in Madrid (founded in 1854). Sue had a chicken stew and I had rice with seafood, a kind of Madrid paella. Both dishes were fine but not memorable. But the restaurant is lovely.
