Madrid 3

Another walking tour of Madrid today. The small Mercado de San Miguel had only a few stalls open, and others were closed. (Note from the future: By 2009 when I passed through Madrid again it had undergone a makeover, had more attractive stalls, and drew many tourists.)

I continued past the Palacio Real (the official residence of the monarchy), towards Gran Via, the main drag of Madrid, the street that never sleeps, via Plaza de España. There is a stone sculpture of Miguel de Cervantes, the giant of Spanish literature, overlooking bronze sculptures of his famous creations, Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza.

The obverse side of the monument is the allegory of literature.

Incidentally that morning I had a conversation with the owner of the hostal. He said he had lived in Australia in the 60s. He had worked all over the country. His daughter was born there. He returned to Spain on account of his aged parents.

Gran Via was a wide busy street with lots of shopping but not much in the way of cultural sights. Banks here have a short passage between two interlocked doors to discourage robbery.

Passing one restaurant I got handed a menu in Japanese. It wasn't the first time I got annoyed at being mistaken for a Japanese.

This is a cinema near the Callao metro station. The film Segundo Sangriento is the UK science fiction film Split Second. Another cinema was showing Asesina, the US remake of the French hit Nikita, with Bridget Fonda in the lead.

I found a lunch of cocido at the Café Irlandes, which come to think of it is a strange name for a place serving Spanish cuisine. It was a filling meal. The starter was noodle soup, probably the same soup the following were cooked in. Then a main course of potatoes, chick peas, cabbage, carrots, 2 types of sausages, unidentified gelatinous parts from a pig, and ribs. The desert was a cup of ice cream.

Waddling away from that filling lunch, I turned left at Plaza de Cibeles and walked up the Paseo de Recoletos. The Café Gijón has been a gathering place for intellectuals, writers and artists for much of its history since 1888. It also gave its name to the annual Gijón literary prize.

Further up the Paseo is the Café Espejo with this annex El Pabellon del Espejo. It's alleged to be a good spot to have coffee in the afternoon or drinks in the evening.

Paseo de Recoletos turns into Paseo de la Castellana at Plaza de Colón. A statue of Colón (the Spanish name for Columbus) stands on a tall column and at its base is a fountain with large cascades of water. The Jardines de Descubrimento (not much greenery though) which commemorate the European discovery of the New World are here.

The names of the explorers, headed by Colón, are recorded on this concrete block. On other blocks are quotes about the New World before discovery.

Beneath the plaza is Madrid City Cultural Centre and also the terminus for special bus services to Barajas airport. It would be my departure point in a few weeks' time. (Note from the future: Now that Barajas is connected by metro, I'm not sure the bus service is extant.)

An underground passage leads past the roar of the cascade. The wall is decorated with a map showing Colón's journeys.

Further up the Paseo de la Castellana is the Museo de Arte Público where there were a few intriguing sculptures like this.

After buying a bus ticket to Granada for the day after next, I decided to ride the metro to Aluche station for no other reason than that it had been mentioned in my lessons, and making a stopover at Lago. It was also an opportunity to observe the natives in the metro. Slogan on bag in English: Don't work, be happy. Commuters reading Macuser (Spanish edition) and Ajedrez por Computadora (Chess by Computer) by David Levy. Sign in metro advising commuters not to give to beggars.

Metro signboards show: Ultimo tren pasó X min (Previous train passed X min). So the Spanish, or at least their metro operators, prefer regret to anticipation.

Lago is a lake in a huge park with views to the royal palace. It was a welcome cool change to the heat in the metro. The usual: families, bicycles, quadrocycles, boats, ducks, large carp. Fishing is allowed to tercera edad (seniors) holding licenses.

Aluche was exactly what I expected, a dormitory suburb of high rises. Reminiscent of Singapore.

After dusk, I returned to the hostal via Calle de Fuencarral which runs roughly parallel to Recoletos but separated by roughly 300-500 metres. The neighbourhood felt a bit edgy due to the narrow street and working class neighbourhood but I didn't feel unsafe. I wanted some hot wings at a KFC but didn't see any so settled for Maccas. I was tired after walking all day and didn't want to hunt any more. At Maccas you could have beer instead of soft drink for the same price. The guard was to stop non-customers using the toilet. Another guard was stationed outside a game parlour. A kid was playing with her older sister who worked there. Kids are part of nightlife in Spain and nobody thinks anything is strange about that.