Day Two, Madrid, Spain
Our day in Madrid began inauspiciously with steady, cold rain. We had an appointment to visit the Royal Palace at 10AM. It is quite a hike from our hotel, so we had a quick breakfast at the excellent café next door and off we trudged through the rain. The wind accompanying the rain made umbrellas impossible. David suggested getting a cab, but the nearest cab station was almost halfway to the palace. And, in case you wondered, this is the official palace of the current king, Felipe VI. It is a vast edifice with hundreds of rooms (3,418 to be exact), the largest royal palace in Europe. It was finished in 1751 so modern niceties such as indoor plumbing and central heating are add-ons. The king and his family had a nice, modern residence on the edge of the city. This one is used for special occasions.
We had a long walk around the palace. It is nicely annotated in both English and Spanish. The rooms are well maintained as one would expect, with an eye to historic accuracy. Many historical artifacts are featured and have excellent descriptions. We saw a music room that would be very interesting for my cousin Judy’s daughter. It was a collection of priceless instruments, a quintette of authenticated Stradivarius string instruments. Oh, to hear them played!
Across the wide plaza in front of the Palace is a large cathedral. It is not the national cathedral, merely the church of the archbishop of Madrid. Back in the 1560s the king and the bishop of Toledo had a spat. At that time, Toledo was the capital of Spain. The king decided to move the court to a city that the top bishop of Spain did not have any authority over. He chose a small, insignificant town in the middle of a dusty plain as the new location for the court. Of course, the bishop was not happy. The argument between the Catholic bishops and the royal houses of Spain lasted for years! It was not until the 20th Century that Madrid became a diocese of its own. The church was only finished in 1993. It is a scandal worthy of a book!
Our next stop was to be a rare, ancient set of buildings. Back when the Aswan Dam was being built in Egypt, several small temples were to be flooded. The easily moved ones were offered to various countries as gifts. Spain’s is the Templo de Debod. It was donated mainly because the nation of Spain assisted with the moving of other ruins that would have been destroyed by the raising waters of the lake at Aswan.
(Oct. 9, 2024 I recently read a short news article that the government of Spain has decided the open air is not safe for the Templo de DeBod. The design in underway for a large building to enclose the entire edifice. It may not be available to view during construction.)
The park where the ruins have been sited is up the hill from the Royal Palace and the Cathedral. It is on a high hill, open to what was a very strong wind. Because the temple is small, the number of people allowed in at one time is small. We were standing in line with several families and other tourists. It was cold. After a few minutes, I looked at David and said I had had enough. We walked to a charming café nearby for hot tea. While sitting in the café, the wind was so strong, the flower boxes on the sidewalk began rolling down the hill. One neighboring shop keeper rushed in to tell the employees. It was all in all an exciting morning.
We paused for lunch at Restaurante Dantxari who specialize in food of the Basque region of Spain. The food was exceptional. Excellent taste, excellent service, a wonderful lunch.
Or final stop for the day was a long hike to the Reina Sofia Modern Art Museum. The building is old but is fronted with open, glass walled elevators, a fitting homage to the contents. One of the main items we both wanted to see is Picasso’s Guernica. It is a famous and controversial painting. Neither Daivd nor I had understood how large it is. The painting is over nine feet high and 22 feet wide. It is a reaction to the brutal destruction of the village of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. I had argued that it was ugly which it can be described that way. It is monochromatic, black and multiple shades of grey. I had not researched the history of the event. Now that I know more about what Picasso is commemorating, or rather, protesting, it is a highly appropriate choice. The museum has a sizeable collection of his works as well as many others I know such as Salvado Dali. It was a long hike back to the hotel, but a full and wonderful day.
