The Prado Museum in Madrid is one of the biggest and most important art galleries in the world. It is situated in el Paseo del Prado a big avenue that connects the station of Atocha with Cibeles square, and it’s been called the Paseo del Arte, the Avenue of Art, because in a short distance on foot tourists can access three important museums, Prado, Reina Sofía and Thyssen..
Even before you go inside the Prado Museum, the building will take your breath away. The museum has a huge permanent collection that covers many centuries, however, there are always temporary exhibitions that attract many tourists. Two of the main works exhibited by Spanish court painters are Las Meninas, by Velazquez, and the Third of May by Francisco de Goya. The first one represents a court painter and the princess and courtesans he’s painting. Velazquez is one of the main figures in Spanish art. The Third of May represents the French occupiers shooting some members of the Spanish resistance and it is come to symbolize the Spanish national feeling of resistance against invasors.
It is indeed a very strange background for modern art and theatre, however, the former slaughter house, el Matadero de Madrid, has become one of the beacons for art and culture in this big city. The building itself is worth a visit, as it was built at the beginning of last century in that orange brick style so typical of Madrilian architecture.
The Matadero has different exhibitions as well as plays and music concerts that change quite often, contests, round tables, projections, walks and workshops for everybody.
From our hotel you can take the Metro in Puerta del Sol and in no time at all you will be in Legazpi. From there the building in Paseo de la Chopera is only about 50 metres away.
The great Bullfighting Ring in Madrid is called las Ventas, a venue considered like the world Cathedral of bullfighting, and it is now become one of the most popular and visited places among the foreign tourist who come to the capital of Spain.
Even if you don’t like bullfighting, it would be a good idea to go and see the ring as it is very rich architecturally. Las Ventas was finished in the 30s, just before the Spanish war. During the war it was abandoned but after the even it reopened and it’s kept going up to now. Its particular Neomudejar style, a style influenced by the Islamic past of Spain, and the plain red bricks is greatly admired by all of those who see it for the first time. It is also decorated with tiles depicting the coats of arms of all the Spanish provinces. This building is the work of the architect José Espeliú, who designed it.
Las Ventas is situated near Plaza de Manuel Becerra and next to Metro station Ventas, only a couple of stations from Sol on the red line. It’s the third largest ring in the world with space for 23,798 people.
Las Ventas is open for visits daily, as it is also the home to the famous Bullfighting Museum. If you are a fan of bullfighting or are curious about it, you can get tickets from around 3 Euros to over 100 Euros, depending on the type of ticket and where you want to sit.
The great Bullfighting Ring in Madrid is called las Ventas, a venue considered like the world Cathedral of bullfighting, and it is now become one of the most popular and visited places among the foreign tourist who come to the capital of Spain.
Even if you don’t like bullfighting, it would be a good idea to go and see the ring as it is very rich architecturally. Las Ventas was finished in the 30s, just before the Spanish war. During the war it was abandoned but after the even it reopened and it’s kept going up to now. Its particular Neomudejar style, a style influenced by the Islamic past of Spain, and the plain red bricks is greatly admired by all of those who see it for the first time. It is also decorated with tiles depicting the coats of arms of all the Spanish provinces. This building is the work of the architect José Espeliú, who designed it.
Las Ventas is situated near Plaza de Manuel Becerra and next to Metro station Ventas, only a couple of stations from Sol on the red line. It’s the third largest ring in the world with space for 23,798 people.
Las Ventas is open for visits daily, as it is also the home to the famous Bullfighting Museum. If you are a fan of bullfighting or are curious about it, you can get tickets from around 3 Euros to over 100 Euros, depending on the type of ticket and where you want to sit.
Soccer fans in Spain have found their own Mecca, the place where pilgrims pay homage to their particular football gods. Since last December 2010 the town of Las Rozas hosts the Museum of Spanish football.
The entrance fee for adults is 12 Euros for children the rate is fixed at 8 Euros. The museum can be visited from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 to 19.
This temple of football, created by the Royal Spanish Football Federation under the supervision of renowned art collector Paul Ornaque presents a review of the history of Spanish football, from its beginnings to its last great feats such as the 2008 European Championship and the 2010 World Cup won by Vicente Del Bosque’s men in South Africa.
Among the trophies that can be admired is also the gold medal won by Spain in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.
The history of the Spanish team starts August 28, 1920, the date on which 11 admired players (Zamora, Belauste, Arrate,Acedo …) were the first to defend Spain. This team beat Denmark 1-0 at the Estadio de La Butte in Brussels, in the 7thmodern Olympic Games.
Cine Doré is the place to go for film lovers. Nestled between the buildings of Calle Santa Isabel and the food market at the back, this quaint cinema is a mecca for movie geeks and also for those who love watching movies in the original version with Spanish subtitles.
Every month they have a mini cinema festival, showing the best movies of a director, an actor, an actress or from a genre. They have big poster-like leaflets in the lobby with the cinema programme for the whole month. There are a couple of cinema rooms, although quite small so tickets tend to sell out quite quickly. However, even if your movie is sold out, it’s always a nice idea to stick around in the cafe-lobby and enjoy the atmosphere. Many people just go the Cine Doré to chat, have a coffee and browse the books in their bookshop. Cine Doré is attached to the Spanish Film Institute, which possesses a vast collection of films.
Madrid is famous for its street parties in August. They celebrate la Virgen de la Paloma, the Virgin of the Dove, on 15th of August. But the celebrations go on for several days around that time. The party goes on till late, August is a particularly hot month in Madrid, so Madrilians take to the streets in the evenings when the sun starts going down and the air cools down.
The atmosphere is incredible as you will see two or three generations of families partying together on the streets. The celebrations take place around the area of La Latina, not very far from our hotel.
All the festive activities cluster around the church where the image of the Virgin is kept. This image started its story at the front of house in the 18th century. Legend has it that the locals used to come and ask her for favours and help, and that’s how, eventually, it ended up in the local church. The church is in Calle de la Paloma, 15.
You will find all types of food and drink stalls, as well as stages for music performances. The local bars and pubs will also cater for the party goers, and for the young in the family there are usually funfair rides.
If you want to join in the fun fully, you will have to get ready to join the locals dancing the traditional Madrid dance, and no, it’t not flamenco, it’s chotis!
Madrid joins the international gay pride celebrations as every year at the end of June. The parade starts in Puerta de Alcala, and continues through the city centre to its final destination in Plaza de España. The parade is followed by the Madrid Gay Pride Festival that takes place in Plaza de España from 6pm till late.
Additionally there are plenty of restaurants and pubs that cater for gay community like Café Oliver that specializes in Mediterranean cuisine, in Calle Almirante, 12, and a more romantic El Armario (the Closet) in San Bartolomé, 7, that specializes in Spanish cuisine.
The Chueca square is considered the epicentre of all things gay in Madrid. Although an eminently gay night-life area, everybody is welcomed and actually this area is popular with everybody. The area will be buzzing with activity, parties and people from all walks of life that want a good laugh and spend a good time in a friendly atmosphere.
If you want to travel far, far away you don’t have to go that many miles in Madrid, just get down to Plaza España by Metro and then take a short walk to Calle Ferraz. There in the middle of the gardens you will see an Egyptian temple, it is not a mirage and it’s not either a marketing campaign, it is an authentic Egyptian temple. This piece of Egypt in Madrid is called Templo de Debod, Debod’s Temple.
The temple arrived to Spain in 1968 as a present from the Egyptian government to the Spanish government for its services during the campaign to save the temples of Nubia. Debod is about 2,000 years old, but it’s been kept in a very good state of conservation.
The Templo de Debod can be visited and there are guided tours of the inside of the temple. Families also have an oportunity to enjoy a day together in Debod, as there are activities for the youngest ones, like colouring, cutting, pasting, writing hieroglyphics, dressing up in Egyptian attire and other activities.
Egypt can also be visited in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, in Serrano, 13, Metro Serrano. The museum has a Sala Egipcia, an Egyptian Room that contains many Egyptian artefacts.
