The center of old Madrid is the "Plaza Mayor" (Main Plaza). Madrid was not a very important town until 1561 when King Felipe II made it the country's capital. Madrid's population then mushroomed, and the city expanded chaotically without any sense of urban planning. There was not even a central plaza worthy of a world capital. The next king, Felipe III, ordered the construction of the "Plaza Mayor". It was completed in 1619. The plaza is a large, rectangular, open area, surrounded on all sides by buildings of the same architectural style. There are nine arched entrances which lead into the plaza. Throughout the years the Plaza Mayor served as the site of many public events, from bullfights to executions. The more than 200 balconies which look down upon the plaza would be rented out to spectators for these events. Today the plaza is a bit of a "tourist trap" with restaurants, cafés, and souvenir shops, but it is one of the most impressive sights in Old Madrid. An equestrian statue of King Felipe III graces the center of the plaza.
One of the archways leading out of the plaza
A short walk from the Plaza Mayor is one of the city's most important churches, the Church of San Isidro, which is dedicated to Madrid's patron saint.
We spent a couple of hours wandering around a particularly picturesque area of the old city known as "La Latina". It is a labyrinth of narrow, winding streets (a number of them pedestrianized), little plazas and old churches. There are scores of cafés, restaurants and tapas bars. The exteriors of some of the bars have beautiful pictures made of ceramic tiles.
At 3:00 we had reservations for dinner at one of Madrid's best known restaurants, El Botín. It is located in the heart of the old city, and was established in 1725. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, it is the oldest restaurant in the world. It was also a favorite restaurant of Ernest Hemingway and was mentioned in a couple of his novels. Although I had read much about it, I had never eaten there.
El Botín specializes in traditional Castilian cuisine... meats roasted in a wood oven. We ordered the house specialties. Phyllis had "cochinillo asado" (roast suckling pig), and I had "cordero asado" (roast lamb). We're glad that we went there, but we wouldn't return. The decor is charming, and the service was excellent. The meat had a nice flavor, but it was not the best meal that we have had in Spain. The pitcher of sangría that we ordered was so sweet that it was almost undrinkable (and I tend to prefer sweeter wines).
Tomorrow we continue by high speed train to our next destination... Valencia.
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