Madrid, Spain . . .

The city of Madrid will be the first stop in my 3 week journey through Spain and I am excited about what first impressions I will have.

I decided to fly into Madrid rather than going straight to Andalucia because there was something about Madrid that peaked my interest. And on top of that it was only a short distance away from Toledo a city that I have been wanting to visit. In keeping with my travel motto of location, location, location I booked a room in a hotel that is located in an area that is considered part of “Old Madrid”. It is very close to the Prado Museum, Plaza Mayor and other top sightseeing attractions. I only have 4 full days in Madrid so going against the Slow Travel philosophy a bit, I will have to move rather quickly through my “must see” list .

Madrid is described as the “city of a thousand faces” because of its diverse architectural styles. From the Neo-Classical as seen in the Museo del Prado, to Modernism in the Puerta de Europa twin towers. Madrid also has an interesting history that starts with the early 8th century Moorish invasion, moving on to the 11th century Christian conquests and all the years that included a myriad of royal rulers to present day post Franco democracy.

One of the highlights for me will be visiting the Prado Museum famous for its outstanding collection of Spanish painting especially from Velazquez and Goya. There are several plazas in Madrid that will be fun to explore during my stay, like the famous rectangular shaped Plaza Mayor. According to Wikipedia, the plaza was a place where many events were held such as bullfights, soccer games, even public executions. In present day, there are traditional shops and great cafes where one can sit and watch the daily activities of the plaza. I will most likely make my way to this great plaza upon my arrival in Madrid. What better way to start my first day in Madrid Spain than to sit in this interesting plaza. Note: Photograph taken by MaryAnn Sullivan 2001--Index of Art Historical Sites (Thanks for the Link AnnieNC)

Last year, I was so lucky to be in Venice during their annual Festa della Madonna della Salute celebration. It was such an honor and privilege to be a part of something so important to the people of Venice and so I was curious if there were any special celebrations that might be going on in Madrid during my stay. Here’s what I found out:

On November 9, 2008, I discovered that there will be a very special and famous religious annual celebration called the “Virgen de La Almudena”. "The legend goes that in the 8th century there was an image of the Virgen Mary, which the Apostle James had brought to Spain. During the invasion of the Arabs the people of Madrid were afraid that they would destroy this image and they decided to hide it in a niche in a wall. Three hundred years later, King Alfonso VI of Castillo who knew the story about the hidden image asked the people of Madrid to pray in order to find the image. A procession went along the possible places where the image could be and when it passed the wall, this suddenly broke down and the image was found. They called this Virgen of La Almudena, because it had been hidden in a place called Almudin by the Arabs. Since that moment this Virgen was considered the Patron Saint of Madrid.

Madrid celebrates its Patron Saint on November 9th and the activities include a mass at Plaza Mayor followed by a procession that takes the image along Calle Mayor and Arenal until it is returned to the Cathedral of the Almudena."--Sightseeing in Madrid City Guide -- And guess who will be in Madrid on November 9! Lucky me!

Finally, I read that Madrid is a rather lively and vibrant city that pulsates with activity way into the late night hours. In fact, it is well known that dinner for most can be as late as 10:00 pm. Yikes! I’m definitely not a night owl so this will be quite a challenge keeping up with the locals here in Madrid. But I am always up for a challenge and if I want to experience the local flavor of Madrid then this early bird will turn night owl for 4 days during her visit in this very exuberant city. Well, I did say that I wanted to experience something new and different!

I believe that Madrid will fulfill all my high expectations for my first impressions of Spain and I am looking forward to touching ground on November 7! To whet my appetite, I stumbled upon this YouTube video called Mi Madrid. The video provides interesting images and a really cool song. It doesn’t seem like a typical tourist video to me. It feels more like some type of love story with an interesting plot behind it. Anyway, I love it and I find the images real and earthy. And amid all the history, great art, diverse architecture and famous night life, I think this video sort of represents the Madrid I want to experience. A real, emotion filled, passionate love story with a city that is vibrant, colorful and down to earth. I can’t wait!