September 30, 2012

  • Madrid

    The book I read to research this post was The AA Pocket Guide to Madrid which is a very good book which I bought from a local bookshop. I haven't been to Madrid but read this book because I thought it would make an interesting post. It's best not to visit Madrid in the winter as the temperature can drop to freezing point even during the day. Equally at the height of summer it gets uncomfortably hot. The best times to visit are early summer, spring & autumn. Madrid is the highest capital in Europe at 2,200 ft above sea level. It only became the capital of Spain in 1561, before that Toledo was capital. As you probably know at one stage the muslims invaded Spain & also Napolean invaded and made his brother the king of Spain. The people of Madrid rose up against him and the anniversary is called Madrid Day. In 1981 some soldiers stage an attempted coup in which they went into the Parliament & fired some shots and would only surrender when the King ordered them to. They do guided tours around the Parliament and the bullet holes are quite eagerly viewed by tourists. There is a royal palace in Madrid which is quite popular with tourists although the Royal Family stay at another palace on the outskirts. There's a famous convent that belongs to a closed order of nuns. Now almost anyone can join but at one time you had to provide a dowry which usually took the form of a famous picture. Many of these are on display. There is a massive 295 acres park which is open to the public. At one time it was only for the use of the Royal Family and their friends. There is a Museum of the Americas which contains many of the treasures from the New World. Salamanca is the suburb where the most wealthy people live and the shops there are very exclusive. Another famous attraction is the Bernabeu Stadium which is the home to the Real Madrid football stadium. Real means Royal in Spanish. They have won the European Championship 9 times and were declared the greatest football club of all time by FIFA. In addition they have won the national title 17 times. There is a high speed rail link to Barcelona, Spain's second city. Finally if you fancy a day out visit Toledo.

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