Days 4 & 5: The highs and lows of Madrid
Disclaimer: All voyages in this blog are being taken safely in the comfort of our imaginations - based on our plans and intentions for travel in 2020. What is reality after all?
We'll not blog every day - too busy DOING things. But here're some of the things we did over Sunday and Monday ... apart from listening to the Global Village on-line on Sunday morning (amazing and wonderful to be in two places at once!) and a little shopping for a double-sided tortilla frying pan (saves having to wipe the floor, walls and sometimes ceiling as the tortilla is flipped) and the very occasional CD that we don't have.
To save some time, we went on a guided walking tour of Madrid. These can be a bit hit and miss, and you never quite know what you're getting. Here, our tour took us on to the highs and lows of Madrid.
Firstly, it was a tour of rooftop bars and roofs - for views over the city. In some cases, there was a small charge to access the rooftop; in others, a drink (or two); occasionally we could just sneak in. Here they are - can you identify where they are? (That's an excuse to say that, after a few, we couldn't.)
And from those sublime heights, we dove into the depths of the city. First to an abandoned underground station, that is open very occasionally as a tourist destination:
and then, under one of the main plazas, the smell of Chinese food wafts up from a restaurant in the underground car park:
For a variation, the guide was a little devilish and took us to see a statue in the park - not a saint this time, but yep, the devil:
And that led to a question about other quirky statues around town, and we were introduced to a rock idol - Ángeles Rodríguez Hidalgo from the Valleca barrio, who used to attend AC/DC and other rock concerts:
and to one honouring the first female student at the University of Madrid in 1848 - Julia in Malasaña, leaning against a wall:
There's a video about her here:
And then off to the aforementioned shopping - a quirky end to our final days in Madrid. Tomorrow, it's on the road, as we pick up the car at the airport and drive eastwards.
We'll not blog every day - too busy DOING things. But here're some of the things we did over Sunday and Monday ... apart from listening to the Global Village on-line on Sunday morning (amazing and wonderful to be in two places at once!) and a little shopping for a double-sided tortilla frying pan (saves having to wipe the floor, walls and sometimes ceiling as the tortilla is flipped) and the very occasional CD that we don't have.
To save some time, we went on a guided walking tour of Madrid. These can be a bit hit and miss, and you never quite know what you're getting. Here, our tour took us on to the highs and lows of Madrid.
Firstly, it was a tour of rooftop bars and roofs - for views over the city. In some cases, there was a small charge to access the rooftop; in others, a drink (or two); occasionally we could just sneak in. Here they are - can you identify where they are? (That's an excuse to say that, after a few, we couldn't.)
And from those sublime heights, we dove into the depths of the city. First to an abandoned underground station, that is open very occasionally as a tourist destination:
and then, under one of the main plazas, the smell of Chinese food wafts up from a restaurant in the underground car park:
For a variation, the guide was a little devilish and took us to see a statue in the park - not a saint this time, but yep, the devil:
And that led to a question about other quirky statues around town, and we were introduced to a rock idol - Ángeles Rodríguez Hidalgo from the Valleca barrio, who used to attend AC/DC and other rock concerts:
and to one honouring the first female student at the University of Madrid in 1848 - Julia in Malasaña, leaning against a wall:
There's a video about her here:
And then off to the aforementioned shopping - a quirky end to our final days in Madrid. Tomorrow, it's on the road, as we pick up the car at the airport and drive eastwards.
OMG...what a fantastic tour! Love the concept!
ReplyDeleteWith so much research undertaken, it is playing our really well as we undertake this virtual trip. I must admit, it is all Roger's work, as he is the tier organiser and navigator. I drive and keep us safe on the correct side of the road.
DeleteWell you are an outstanding travel team!
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