Any Excuse to Get Away to Madrid

20 October 2010 By Vera Ciria 0 In Life outside Barcelona

What better way to spend a long weekend than to escape away to the delights of Madrid? My love for the capital just seems to grow every time I set foot there. The myriad options and cultural activities are so wide and varied that there is hardly a minute to lose. Although we have a CaixaForum here in Barcelona and the building is beautiful, I never seem to get enough of the venue in Madrid. The wall filled with plants and the space-age, metallic staircase are just two of the lovely quirks that the building in Madrid presents.

One of the places that I had never been to is the Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro Park. This beautiful glass building is set among the trees and little lakes and seems to capture the sun in thousands of splintering pieces. Now part of the Reina Sofia Museum, the space is used for art installations.

There are always so many new things to see, the city is constantly shifting and creating new ideas and concepts. One of these great ideas is the Bibliometro. In 12 different subway stations around Madrid, there are mobile library outposts offering books to lend to make the journey more entertaining. What a simple yet mind-blowing idea! How many times does one get caught out with nothing to read which is extremely irritating.

Although there are many innovative ideas, Madrid never loses its’ true essence. There exists a wealth of bars where time has stopped and the floors have not been cleaned at least since the death of Franco. One of these bars is El Brillante, near the Atocha train station. Proclaiming to have the best fried squid sandwiches, the churros with chocolate are also divine.

Yes, that is my foot and yes, that was the amount of trash that was just lying on the floor. El Brillante is noisy, the waiters are constantly bellowing out the orders and there is a constant, steady stream of customers of all ages. Yet it oozes charm and everyone is so very friendly. It’s always heart-breaking to have to leave…

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atocha, bar el brillante, bibliometro, caixaforum, Madrid, museo reina sofia, palacio de cristal, parque del retiro

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