El Escorial

El Escorial  -  the Royal Seat of San Lorenzo el Escorial is a historical residence of Spanish king, placed in the small town San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 45 km northwest of Madrid.

There are many things to see for which you will need 3-4 hours - of semi-speed walk :) Some exhibitions are more interesting than others :) It depends what draws your attention; architecture, paintings, paintings, architecture :) What I love in such places is the awareness that you had seen these works in your art coursebook, in school, X years ago ;) and now you see them in reality :)

Places that will amaze you:

- Library - huge, wonderfully decorated room with tens of bookshelves with old books and manuscripts.. On the ceiling images of 7 Free Arts - which are.. ? :) (keep reading)

- Panteon Real - astonishing golden, black marbled room with number of sarcophaguses of Spanish kings. Then,  another 9! rooms - other family vaults. (looks like indoor white marble cementary) 

- Garden - bowl-shape cut bushes, romantic paths surrounded by old, disintegrated walls... make you feel like a princess (even boys :P)

Escorial minature



 Paintings of Seven free Arts:

 Philosophy, Teology, Grammar, Rheoric, Music, Arithmetic, Geometry, Dialectic and Astrology



practical hints:

Cercanias: Nuevos Ministerios:, Atocha C3 Escorial - run every hour, time: 1hour

Escorial ticket: 10 E normal, 5 E discount

When you get of from the station, there is a bus that goes up - to Monasterio (1,10E) - just folllow the crowd ;] 

After the visit, however, you can easily walk down the hill to the station.. just 20 min - I know your legs are already 'tired' - (mildly speaking;) but come on, do not pay another 1,10 back :) 

for more pictures/ info visit the page: http://www.patrimonionacional.es/Home/Palacios-Reales/Real-Sitio-de-San-Lorenzo-del-Escorial.aspx

'Half-bike'

You have some free time and you fancy doing some 'non-equipment' activity like.... jogging? Great choice! You will (probably) find some park nearby or at least some Plaza that you can jog around :) But, it's worth finding a park as there you can do an 'equipment' sport, like  c y c l i n g! Totally for free! - Have a look:

'half-bike'

In parks, near the playgrounds, there are usually benches, right? For parents, grandparents that watch their charges.. In Madrid park you can find 2 pairs od bicycle pedals next to the benches.. really owesome! Thus, I finish my marathon jogging with a short bike-ride ;) (or other way round :)

Interestingly, many eldery people practice this kind of sport; they come to the park to pedal or they just pass by and sit on the 'bike-bench' for a while.

By the way, Spanish families spend lots ot time in parks...

While visiting one of them in the afternoon/evening time you can observe the blissful family - neighbourhood life: hoards of children, (GIRLS playing FOOTBALL!) parents: mumies and dadies!!! standing in groups, talking or playing with their children.. so cute..

Toledo trip

Toledo is a town situated 70 km south of Madrid. For sure, coming to Spain you've heard about it... as it was former capital of Spain and it is the capital of Castile - la Mancha, the region of Don Quijote.

Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which means it belongs to one of the most precious historical places. It is situated on the rocky hill surrounded by the river. The fortress takes you back to the Middle Ages.. with its mighty walls of the city, stony buildings, narrow streets and arch bridges...

c.d.n.

practical hints:

How to get there from Madrid:

- Plaza Eliptica - bus station - bus: Madrid - Toledo, price: 8,80 euro (ida y vuelta)

buses go every 30 min, the last one from Toledo goes at 10.30 p.m.

- one day trip - should be enough: Go in the morning and come back in the evening.. - must see Toledo by night ;)

Souveniers

Souveniers / regalos: souvenier shops... bunch of them and we want to buy several things.. for mum, dad, sister, brother, grandma, gradpa, a friend and..for ourselves! :) - why not?! Do not forget about yourself! It's true, you have this unbelievable luck to be here! - should be enough a good present... but a tiny gadget... let it be! :)   

Since there are plenty of places with regalos and prices that will set you back I put some hints:

What, where, how much?

During my lonely long walks across the centre of Madrid I found a few places where you can buy price-friendly souveniers... (like this)

fan with a bull, keyring, bracelet - LIKE IT? :)

fans - street sellers, you can purchase them for 2 Euro

magnets: stores on Paseo de Prado: all magnets for 1 euro If your friends collect magnets and you need to buy several of them - this is a good place :)

keyrings: 1,5 - 1,9 euro - many to choose

bracelets, eyerings, keyrings: Plaza de Espana, 2 things for 5 euro, keyrings: 3 for 5 euro

postcards: Dobra souvenir shop, Calle Montera, Puerta del Sol, 4 postcards for 0,50 euro (so 8 for 1 euro) This is a great deal, especially when you need to send numberless number of them :)

Happy with the shopping ? :)

more colours, the sun, monuments

You cannot simply pass the building /fountain/ monument by...
you are staring for a few minutes... (with the open mouth ;)and then you wake up.. 
take it!
take the picture! :)

more colours

 banco de España

 Cathedral: Nuestra Señora de la Almudena

 (mon. John Paul II )

Don Quijote de la Mancha

 the sun and water...

live...

Dia de la Hispanidad 12 octubre

Today big Fiesta! The first one I could watch :) The rest is to come.. ;)

Spain has got a vast 'collection' of holidays; national and regional. 12th October is Spain's National Day and it's one of the National Holidays (really serious:). They celebrate the the arrival of Christopher Columbus (Spanish Cristobal Colon) to America. That time their ruling power begun after all :)

On that day they organize a huge parade... 1,8 km long, throught the main streets of Madrid, with lots of soldiers, of different kind (the armed forces, the air forces, the police etc.) the lines of military vehicles.... and tounsands of citizens ;) and this part I liked the most :)

The whole families came to see the parade... the young and the old... both groups decorated in some way; caps, flags, T-shirts, flags paitned on the cheeks... 

And now, an absolutely awesome cultural scene: One man from the crowd screams: " Viva España!" and the whole rest continues: "Viva!!!" "Viva España!!!"

(and now my Polish friends, imagine: Niech żyje Polska! Niech żyje! :)

My another great image of that day was that (almost)  everyone  was equipped with digital camera or phone (with the camera function of course :] - btw. they were all touchpad phones! - what a shame with the keybord nokia:P) 

Acording to this and one American novelist:
 "if there is no   f o o t a g e, it means IT doesn't exist". This is how we perceive the world today :) by our "digital eyes".
It looks so funny when you stay aside ;D Have a look - planes!

Oooh planes!

=D

Colours / Magdalenas

Colours: I've sent already a few postcards writing "best regards from beautiful, synny and green Madrid" - yes I wrote the same text to some of you :) (these were my very first impressions!).In Madrid there are many plants, trees along the streets, pavements.. so first your eyes perceive green... then sunrays... then you squint your eyes and cherish the day, the second, the third, etc. :D 

And now I might say there are lots of colours around me! :) - wonderfully saturated paints of tenements houses, huge, 6-7 floor buildings... but how lovely decorated! Just have a look!

Magdalenas:  Spanish nation seems to love Magdalenas :)))

In every pasteleria (cake shop), store with biscuits, sweets, in cafes, in hostel etc. they serve magdalenas :)))

To be honest I've heard about them in Poland, yet it was not so common to have them as a dessert or snack - cheesecake is superior after all.

Best regards for all magdalenas' eaters :)

Enjoy the snack!

your sweet magdalena ;)

Bibliometro

I've mentioned about 'book attendance' in Madrid metro.. but I've noticed one more thing at one of the stations. There is something like Bibliometro, a kind of kiosk with books. I wanted to check the rules (and language levels :) but it was closed that time (open from 1.30 p.m. - 8 p.m.). I guess anyone (?) can borrow a book.

Great thing for citizens-commuters.

(From today on, I will post passages entitled with the keyword ;)

Madrid zoo / Museo de Jamon / Come closer

Madrid zoo: An excellent place to spend the whole day with your family. J So take the kids and come to Madrid zoo J Numerous specious – including the cow and the hen (Polish people come!) J In this place, not only animal exhibitions can you watch but also the shows of seals, dolphins, parrots and eagles (a huge wild bird with its 1,5 m long wings flying over your head) accompanied by nice music… great feeling.  Another attraction is an aquarium with the diversity of fish species including the white one with black spots! – yes like a cow! But it’s a fish! ( so rare I even cannot google it;) 

Museo de Jamón: Sounds serious, no? But it’s not. They offer a list of food and drinks for a tune of 1 Euro!!! In the very centre – Plaza Mayor  (so are they serious?:) Actually it is the chain of restaurants located in the whole city. So if you want to have a caña ( 0,33l glass) de cerveza or vino in the centre of the centre and some way you want to save money,  you will pay only 1 Euro at the bar in Museo de Jamón  (sitting at the outside table costs;)

Come closer: While having a walk in the centre, just to cherish the views of amazing night lights, suddenly you realize that you can approach Palacio Real just like that… (I didn’t realize till my friend made me do so). During the day you don’t think about it, so many tourists, groups, everyone is coming closer.. you pass the gardens by, there is no fence, no gate (like to Buckingham Palace – no ofence!) and you stand in front of the door..  

Palacio Real

Madrid by night

Madrid by night: Madrid has amazing architecture (I will repeat it J ), gorgeous buildings, monuments take your breath away on a sunny day…  Yet you have to see them at night too... so keep in mind that not only pubs, bars, cervezerías are “must be visit places“ in the evening but also Gran Vía, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real,  Parque de Oeste, Plaza de España etc. One of the possibilities to have a look at these ‘pearls’ is to take a route in local bus called ‘Circular 1’ which goes round the centre. (It is not commercial bus, but normal local transport). You can get off, come closer to the building, take a picture and get in the bus again (in the next one off course, this one will not wait for you ;)

Travelling alone / Shoe shops

Travelling alone: It’s good to have a company to travel, yet if you by chance stay alone, do not panic. Travelling alone has many advantages (travelling with someone, lessJ ). You are a single tourist, you are more open – even unconsciously, you start to search a contact with other people, you become more sociable and brave (provided that you have been a bit before J ). In tourist spots it’s very easy to start a conversation, to find a company - by joining either a group or another individual explorer. Here is the simplest way: “Do you speak English? (positive answer) Can you take me a picture?” – “Yes, sure, and can you take me?”. And it flows.. You can spend a really nice afternoon with a totally new – strange person. (My case: a newly met girl from Mexico- Gloria. Best regards for you my friend J )

Shoe shops: I have noticed that Spanish people simply love shoes. Every third shop in the centre of Madrid is ‘zapatería’ – a shoe shop. I don’t know why. For me, this weather here allows people to wear 2 maybe 3 pairs of shoes. Why such variety then? I will find out.

Speaking about the shops, Spanish language has this funny suffix (the ending) “-ería” for the name of a given shop e.g. ‘pan’ (bread) – panadería (bakery), ‘cerveza’ (beer) – cervesería ( simply a bar), ‘libro’ (book) – librería (bookstore) etc. Some names might be really enjoyable.. especially those made up for commercial purposes such as: ‘hamburgería’ or ‘yogurería’ ;D What do they sell? J

 (I have a quiz question for Polish edition “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” – “What can you buy in Spain in ‘roparía’ ?”)

Nap (siesta;)

Nap:  I’ve already mentioned about those window shelters, that might be misleading in the morning  when you wake up and it’s dark - I mean at 9, as in the morning (which is 7-8) it is still dark without window shatters. However, this ‘window covering’ is really practical when you are having ‘siesta’ J - you have a nap at 3 p.m., you roll the shatter down and your afternoon becomes ’bed-time’. Then you wake up at 6 p.m. and you have no idea what time is it ;D

Metrobook / Shopping centre

Metrobook:  I’ve mentioned about the super developed ‘madridmetro’… really developed.. I haven’t seen so many people reading books in metro before (in London, Warsaw, Rome, Munich). Yes books, not newspapers. It seems Spanish people really love literature. Moreover, they promote it. Standing in the crowd in train, when you have watched all the faces already, have a look on the window wall.. there is a piece of writing…  a story... nice, you like it .. you want more, and it’s only one page! and at the very bottom you find the words: “Do not finish with the one page.. follow the story”. This is of course for Spanish reading people J but don’t you think it is a great way to promote book reading?  Apart from that, in metro there are  ‘Ventas de libros’ something like a coffee machine but with books J

Shopping centre: Doing a big shopping in Madrid, you will visit suburbs ;) Most shopping centres, really huge ones, with a variety of shops, are located outside the city, or I should say – in nearby towns J These shopping centres are typical, where you have got food chain discount such as Caffefur, Tesco, or here Alcampo and the rest are boutiques. Of course, in Madrid there are many single boutiques in the very centre (Zara, Bershka, Springfield etc.), including a wonderful building devoted to H&M on Calle Alcála. But if you want to visit a specific shop (let’s say Primark!) it’s situated in one of those remote places. Worth going anyway J

Buses / Shopping

Buses:  Madrid has a very good transport system. All the buses, alike in London, have the time table of this type: From 7 a.m.-21p.m. every 8-12 min and you get in the first door. (However, here, they are all blue;) What I found new and really helpful in buses is: a kid seat with belts! and a voice telling you not only proxima parada (next bus stop) but also, conectión with other lines here: "la parada común para los lineas: 14, 36 C1, 43”. Easy to find the way.

Shopping:  If you do the shopping and pay by card, make sure you’ve got your ID. All shopping assistants in all kinds of shops are checking the name of the card’s owner, which is pretty good. You cannot use your mum’s / dad’s card even ;) Cash only kid J

Shops / Park / Church

Shops:  Sunday is a holiday here. Therefore, the shops are closed! – yes all of them! Of course you can buy something  in Carrefur express but hurry up – open till 3 p.m.

Park: Madrid is called the cultural capital of Europe –Yes, it is called so, and it really is. Wherever you go, you will find piece of art; absolutely amazing architecture, live music in metro, shows in the central streets, Plazas. On Sundays, in the most beautiful, huge park in the centre- Park Retiro tens of artists are presenting their shows on the allays. You can see clowns, acrobats, musicians and even a theatre play. Whole families are coming to spend time here, so you do not feel as in a ‘tourist hot spot’ ;) but like in a family J

Church: Religious or not – DO read this passage, really interesting.

The Spanish are Catholics. So it was not difficult to find a proper church for me (it’s behind the corner, after all). (In UK, there are numbers of churches but to find yours... google)  My first impression after entering  Spanish church – “woooo how empty”… It means – modest. The buildings are made of red bricks and inside they are only painted white and they have only ‘basic furnishing’. Makes impression. Another thing is that (during evening mass) the man (but not the priest) plays.. surprise, surprise -  the guitar J 

And read this: At the end, you are pleased with the live music, the guitar sounds, then you go out from church and in front of you there is a big cervesería. Amen.