FROM MADRID, SPAIN

(click on images to enlarge)

Madrid by Night

MADRID, July 11, 2007 - I arrived in Madrid from Paris around 8:30PM, yet given the western protrusion of the Iberian Peninsula (see the map of Europe), the sun was still high and beaming down a wonderful 82F (30C).  More importantly for this "desert rat," it was a dry heat, like back home in Arizona.

Madrid's new airport, which opened about a year ago, is quite something.  Huge.  Expansive.  Reminds me a little of Shanghai's enormous Pudong airport.  Except that this is Spain.  The first thing my limo driver told me after we pulled out of the parking lot was a that a couple of months ago there was a bomb explosion at that very spot.  The Basque separatists let Spain know they were still around.  Two people were killed; a number injured.

After a got settled at the hotel, I went out for a walk down Madrid's main avenue (it changes its name several times, that's how long it is).  The blue line on the above map of downtown Madrid retraces my steps.  I figured I must have walked about 6-7 miles over two hours.  Care to join me?

This is a pretty building near my hotel.  When I left the hotel I took the leftmost picture (around 10PM).  When I returned, I took another one from a different angle (just before midnight).  Notice the difference in quality of light?  Even though it was about 11:30 when I took the second shot from the right, outdoor cafes were full of people, some of whom were having dinner.  Welcome to the Mediterranean lifestyle!

I have no idea what this building was, some ABC Lancoy Negro, whatever that is, but I thought it was quite pretty, with a touch of Middle East in its architecture.

All of the above shots were taken at Colon Plaza (see above map), the first major intersection that I crossed.  The building on the far right is a library.  It's got to be the prettiest library I have seen...

Above are the scenes from Columbus Square that has a pretty fountain in the middle of it (left and rightmost shots).  The ornate building (second from left) was not marked, so I have no idea what it is, but it sure looked grand, didn't it?

Above are some scenes from my walk along Paseo del Prado, a grand wide avenue (probably 200-300 yards wide), lined with two medians full of trees and flowers.  The fragrance alone would have been worth the price of a ticket to Madrid.  It was heavenly.  This is where I realized just how beautiful Madrid is.  It struck me that it had the look and feel of all grand imperial cities (Moscow, Paris, Beijing, Vienna, London, Tokyo...), but nowhere more than in this area, near El Prado.

And here it is, El Prado.  Except that the famous museum is sadly closed for renovations, as it has been for several years now.  Nevertheless, the park-like setting around it is pretty, too.  The statue of an artist painting that sits in front of the entrance to the museum, aptly teases in anticipation to the artistic wonders one might discover inside.  But not tonight...

I walked back to my hotel along a different route, so I could see the Independence Plaza (leftmost shot above).  The imposing gates were built in 1777.  Farther down the street, I passed another beautifully ornate building.  It was heavily guarded.  I asked the guard that BBVA was.  He said it was a bank.  Some bank!  It must have some heavy billions stored inside with all that security around it.

A beautiful statue back at Colon Plaza.

And that's all she wrote from my "Madrid by Night" walk...

Madrid Sunrise

MADRID, July 12, 2007 - Oh, joys of jet lag...  I woke up this morning thinking it was 6:40, got dressed, went to breakfast, only to realize that it was not even 6AM.  When I got down to the hotel lobby, I saw that everything was still closed.  Furthermore, it was dark outside.  So I went back to my room to put up on the web the above "Madrid by Night" travelogue. 

By the time I was finished, Madrid was slowly waking as the dawn was spreading through the Spanish capital.  I jumped in a cab that dropped me off at El Prado, the end point of my last night's exploration on foot.  From there, I retraced my steps back to the hotel, only this time with a rising sun as a giant floodlight.  You may recognize above some of the scenes from last night's photos, including El Prado (leftmost), lovely medians of Paseo Del Prado (left middle), and the Palace and Ritz hotels (two right photos).

The artist was still there painting (left).  I mentioned last night how beautiful the grounds around El Prado are.  And now you can see some of the plants and flowers for yourself.

Above shots may also give you an idea of how green and lush the medians of the main Madrid avenues are.  Mature trees provide deep shade in the daytime.  It's as if two parks, each several miles long, were in the middle of the street.

  Some scenes from the El Prado neighborhood (above)...

Gates to the Madrid Park (left); sunrise at Independence Plaza (middle), and neighborhoods around it that remind me of some of Paris neighborhoods (right)

View from Independence Plaza toward Columbus Square (leftmost), and of Columbus Square (the other three shots), as the sun rose over Madrid.

And again, the beautiful building from my last night's walk at Columbus Square, only this time its grandeur more clearly visible, along with gorgeous white blossoms on the trees in the foreground.

And once again, views of the pretty library at Colon Plaza (left) and of the fountain, statue and the big Spanish flag next to it.

Working and Living

Modern work and living accommodations in Madrid are also quite a bit different from what we are used to seeing in the States.

What you're seeing above are interior views of a modern office building which is evidently designed to as to make work seem like play.  The huge atrium is aesthetically appealing and it gives one the impression of being outdoors.

Right next door you will find these modern apartment buildings (leftmost shot), and an ultramodern five-star hotel on Avenue of the Americas whose facade is a work of art.

And that's all she wrote from the Spanish capital.  My stay here was short but sweet and full of enchanting impressions.

TO BE CONTINUED, hopefully in Munich...

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