Central Madrid

On my last day in Madrid, I finally got to central Madrid and saw some of the major sights people usually see on their 1st days in Madrid–Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and the Royal Palace of Madrid. Of course, I took in some lesser known sights as well.

To start out the day, I stopped by another place that most people might go on one of their 1st days in Madrid: Chocolatería San Ginés. Chocolatería San Ginés is the most famous place to get churros in Madrid. (So, yes, there is a line to get in.) Silly me, I had previously thought churros were originally from Mexico because living in California, I associated them with Mexican food vendors. You might be able to guess that what I got there will be featured in the food diary.

Chocolatería San Ginés was founded in 1894. So your churros come not just with a side of chocolate, but with a side of history.

Old Madrid

After munching on churros, I explored the historic heart of Madrid, featuring its 2 most famous squares.

Puerta del Sol

Puerta del Sol is 1 of the most famous squares in Madrid. (Actually, the square has a semi-circular shape.) The square is called Puerta rather than Plaza because it was originally the location of a major gate in the city wall. Roads radiate from Puerta del Sol to all directions throughout Spain.

The *Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree* is one of the most popular sights in Puerta del Sol. The depiction of the bear up against the tree is the symbol of Madrid, as it’s featured on the city’s coat of arms.

I bet you didn’t know George Washington was so popular in Madrid. Actually, it’s George’s contemporary–Charles III, King of Spain.

The plaque marking the point from which all distances in Spain are measured, making Puerta del Sol the symbolic center of Spain. (I’d seen such a plaque in Paris in front of the Notre-Dame.

On the south side of Puerta del Sol, the Royal House of the Post Office. Built in 1768, it now houses the office of the president of the Madrid region.

Plaza Mayor

From Puerta del Sol, it was a short walk to Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s other most famous square. Originally built in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Plaza Mayor suffered 3 major fires. It was most recently reconstructed in the 19th century. It was once a notorious site of the persecution and execution of victims of the Spanish Inquisition.

In the center of Plaza Mayor, the equestrian statue of Philip III, King of Spain. The statue was a gift of the Medici family of Florence.

Because European history is always weird and confusing, Philip III, King of Spain, was also Philip II, King of Portugal. This is because Spain and Portugal were united from 1580 to 1640.

In the closeup, you can see an example of the gorgeous detail on the façade of the buildings that enclose Plaza Mayor.

More of Old Madrid

The altarpiece of the *Colegiata de San Isidro*. It is a replica because the original was destroyed in a fire 1936 during the Spanish Civil War.

The Colegiata de San Isidro (St. Isidore’s Collegiate Church) is a Spanish Baroque church built in the early 17th century. The altarpiece contains the remains of Saint Isadore. The church was Madrid’s cathedral until the completion of the Almudena Cathedral in 1993.

Mercado de San Miguel is Madrid’s most famous market. It’s also known to be touristy, so I took a picture and moved on. The market was originally built in 1916. Major renovations took place from 2003 to 2009.

The unusual convex façade of *Basílica pontificia de San Miguel* (Pontifical Basilica of St. Michael).

The basilica was built in the Baroque style from 1739 to 1745.

A representation of the Virgin inside the basilica.

Austrias District

After exploring the very heart of Madrid, I headed a little west to the area dominated by the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Almudena Cathedral. Much of this area was built up during the time of Habsburg rule over Spain, when the Spanish Empire was at its peak. The Habsburgs came from Austria, hence the name. (The Austrias Districts includes parts of the heart of Old Madrid, such as Plaza Mayor. But this part of the post focuses on the western part of Central Madrid, around the palace and the cathedral.)

Almudena Cathedral

I just looked it up, and Almudena is a Spanish word derived from Arabic and means “the city”, specifically referring to Madrid. Almudena Cathedral was built over more than 100 years, from 1883 to 1993, in a mix of styles–Neoclassical, neo-Gothic, and Romanesque Revival. Make up your mind!

A bronze door at the cathedral depicting the crucifixion.

Modern stained glass window in the cathedral by Spanish artist Manuel Ortega.

There have always got to be organ pipes, don’t there? The cathedral’s organ was built by German organ builder Gerhard Grenzing.

Altar to the Virgin of Almudena. The cathedral is dedicated to the statue in the center of this altar, the Virgin of Almudena. It was built in the early 16th century by Netherlandish sculptor Diego Copín de Holanda, who worked in Spain.

No, it’s not Sally Field! It’s Blessed María Pilar Izquierdo Albero, a Spanish nun and founder of the Missionary Work of Jesus and Mary–a female religious institute dedicated to serving the poor, sick, and marginalized.

Royal Palace of Madrid

The history of the Royal Palace of Madrid begins with the Royal Alcázar of Madrid. The alcázar was built by the Moors in the 9th century. It became “royal” when the Christians conquered Madrid in 1083 as part of the Reconquista and made the alcázar their palace. The alcázar was destroyed by fire in 1734. The current Royal Palace of Madrid was built in stages throughout the 18th century in Baroque and Neoclassical styles.

The front view of Almudena Cathedral, opposite the Royal Palace of Madrid.

The Royal Palace of Madrid reminded me of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in that the main staircase was 1 of the few places that photography was allowed.

Portrait of the Spanish royal family in the Royal Palace. It took Spanish artist Antonio López 20 years to complete the portrait. By that point, Juan Carlos I (center) had abdicated and passed the crown to his son Felipe VI. Due to the delay, the portrait, which was to be named *The Royal Family*, is instead named *The Family of Juan Carlos I*.

The Hall of Columns, a ceremonial hall in the palace. 17th-century Belgian tapestries hang on the walls. In the background is the sculpture *Charles V subduing Fury*–a 19th-century replica by French artist Ferdinand Barbedienne of the original 16th-century sculpture (now in the Prado) by Italian sculptor Leone Leoni.

South of Almudena Cathedral

*Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande* (Royal Basilica of Saint Francis the Great) was built in the late 18th century in the Neoclassical style. Its dome is one of the largest in Europe. It was closed when I stopped by, so I couldn’t see the beautiful interior.

Corral de la Morería, the historic venue where I saw the flamenco performance on Day 8, after I returned from Toledo.

As this statue is near Corral de la Morería, I assumed at first that this was a flamenco dancer. But then I realized a flamenco dancer wouldn’t be wearing a headscarf and carrying a basket.

Because I took at picture of the inscription on the base of the sculpture, I was able to get a better idea of the subject. I looked up the inscription, and it has the 1st lines to a song called La Violetera, referring to a woman who sells violets in the street. The song was written in 1914. I’m guessing the sculpture’s depiction comes from a very popular 1958 movie of the same name.

A segment of the remains of the Arab Walls of Madrid. They were built in the 9th century and now stand behind the Almudena Cathedral.

Campo del Moro

The Campo del Moro is a large landscaped park behind the palace. The park was created in the 19th century in the informal English garden style. The name refers to an early 12th-century encampment of Moors in this location as they aimed, without success, to retake the Royal Alcázar of Madrid.

In the center of Campo del Moro, *Fuente de las Conchas*. It is so-named because of the shells on the base and the shells held by the figures on the lower level.

Plaza de Oriente

Teatro Real is one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe.

Built in the 1st half of the 19th century, Teatro Real sits on the east side of Plaza de Oriente, directly opposite the Royal Palace of Madrid.

Temple of Debod

One of the most fascinating sites in Central Madrid is the Temple of Debod (Templo de Debod in Spanish), slightly northwest of the Royal Palace of Madrid. The temple was originally constructed in Egypt in the 2nd century BC. It was given to Spain as a gift from Egypt in 1968.

The chapel of the Temple of Debod. The chapel was expanded by Roman emperors in the 1st century. I’m guessing that’s where the classical columns come in.

Ancient carvings inside the Temple of Debod. It looks like the figure is holding a bugle.

Plaza de España

Plaza de España is a large square north of the palace and at the western end of Gran Vía.

Cervantes sits on his monuments, looking out over his creations, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

I had to get 1 more shot of the Spanish literary legends.

With that, my 1st ever sightseeing trip to Spain was done. Sitting on Plaza de España, relaxing with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, I declared that my trip was spectacular! Oh, and that was even before dinner.

[Factual information is primarily gathered from Wikipedia, so you know it must be true.]