Tour Madrid with the author of '100 things to do in Madrid'
But where do you start a guide to Madrid? "In the kilometer zero of the Puerta del Sol ; That's where all the routes start, like the 'Create your own adventure' books we used to read when we were little,” Angeles tells me as we leave the Bear and the Strawberry Tree behind. The index says it all: "Take a breather in Plaza de Olavide" or "You can't help but see the graveyard, which isn't holy." The eclecticism of the chapters It takes us through a different and curious capital at every step. But is it a book for madrileños? "In addition to what to see, I tell how to see it and the stories and legends that hide the places." What if we have “lost faith” in the city? “There is nothing better than going to the Naval battle (which will be held on July 15 at the Puente de Vallecas) and rest afterwards in the park of the Tits of Vallecas watching sunset”.
The 'Tetas de Vallecas' park, an exceptional viewpoint
CULINARY AND NIGHTTIME PLEASURES
This is how we started and we still haven't reached the Plaza Mayor: with a Vallecan water battle. Passing through La Mallorquina to go up the post street The gluttonous conversation enters us: “outside of Madrid they don't make good squid sandwiches, I'm very much into a squid sandwich; I keep one that is very close to us, the one from the bar The bell (Calle Botoneras) or the stew of the ** Cruz Blanca de Vallecas **; also with the stews of ** La Bola **, the ** Lhardi ** or the chicken in pepitoria of Ciriaco House ” which we would pass by a little later... Salivating.
And so we continue, crossing the Playa Mayor and going down the street of Ciudad Rodrigo. At the exit of the street the St. Michael's Market , "Yes, there are a lot of tourists, but it's worth going and having a glass of wine and some oysters." Angeles says that the market, known for its original iron structure, was built on the Church of San Miguel de los Octoes. This was affected by fire of the Plaza Mayor at the end of the 18th century and, once it was demolished, where there used to be pulpits, food stalls were set up creating a street market, which in the 20th century would become what we know today.
San Miguel, the market on the burned church
With my mind still on the oysters, Ángeles encourages me to look towards a façade on Calle Mayor: “here is the other statue of the Fallen Angel of Madrid , in addition to the Retiro Park”. I corroborate that the Madrid of mystery crosses our path at every step, without expecting it when seeing an angel not so fallen, but rather crashed and plummeting. But is there an enigma behind this statue? None. This figure is by the artist Miguel Ángel Ruiz Beato and is called "Air Crash" . It's that simple. And that's how impressive his work is.
'Air accident', the other fallen angel of Madrid
But for mysterious, the city night . We keep going through the main Street , already fully in Madrid de los Austrias with the Plaza de la Villa to the left (“there behind it is Madrid street, the shortest in the capital ”, Angeles points out) and that hen in pepitoria oozing in Casa Ciriaco on the right: “ Malasaña and the Literary Quarter s are areas to live during the day and especially at night. In the morning you can walk through the House of Lope de Vega or visit the tomb of Cervantes in the convent of the Trinitarias to stay already canes and drinks; Malasana During the day it is totally commercial, where you can find the latest in fashion and at night... It is living the Movida heritage”.
REAL STORY IN MARBLE
We arrive at Bailen Street and, with the Royal Palace in the background, Ángeles tells me the story of the statues that surround us in the Plaza de Oriente: “Isabel de Farnesio, the wife of Felipe V, dreamed that the statues they fell on her from the cornice of the Palace so she ordered them removed. That is why the Plaza de Oriente and the Sabatini Gardens are full of them”. But the anecdote with marble does not end there: the statue that is the protagonist of the entire 'royal soiree' is that of Philip IV, the first equestrian statue in history to stand on two legs . And for this it was none other than Galileo Galilei who proposed a solution to the headache that this 'engineering' entailed: “he proposed to the sculptor Pietro Tacca that part of the sculpture be made of solid bronze”.
The Gothic (and fallen) kings of the Plaza de Oriente
MADRID UNDERGROUND AND OVER THE ROOFTOPS
As we leave the network of marble and bronze, I ask Angeles to give me the recipe for a Alternative Madrid, curious : "Underground" , he answers me. “The best known is the Chamberí station, which closed in 1967 because the expansion that was intended to be done from it was not possible. Since 2006 it has been a museum of what the metro was like in its origins, since it maintains the appearance of 1919, when the first line in Madrid was inaugurated”. And the least known? “ The Madrid mine , which is actually a reproduction created in the 1960s for practices by Polytechnic students. It can be visited and at the entrance there is a fossil market the first Sunday of each month , perfect for a route with children, because they love it; Another extension of this route would be the Engine Shed of the Madrid metro in Pacífico, where the "Engine Market" is now held (also on the first Sunday of each month).
Yes, Madrid even has a mine
Chamberí's 'ghost' line
We now greet Don Quixote and Sancho, at the back of the Spain Square and we route the Temple of Debod . It's hot. Much. The sun beats down and we move towards the viewpoint while many 'cats' and dogs stretch out on the grass and take a good nap. Envy. And ask our guide about the best views of the city : “ ** The terrace of Cibeles ** is impressive, with the birth of Recoletos and the Castellana and that very different view of the statue of Cibeles; Vallecas' boobs they give you a perspective of Madrid from the east; and from Madrid Rio , you find the entire historic city, with the Royal Palace and the Almudena presiding”.
But we look ahead and we see Madrid disappear: “the views from the temple are like the end of the city”. I reply that what I lack is a good sea on the horizon, “Wow, wow, there's no beach here...”, Angeles replies, “so what? and that?! This is how the people of Madrid respond. That's how we are."
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Guide to Madrid
- 100 things about Madrid you should know
- Madrid with magnifying glass
- The Madrid of mystery
- Well arranged and exposed: the Mercado de San Miguel and San Antón
- All the articles of María F. Carballo
Debod, 'the end of Madrid'