Madrid is probably my favorite city in Europe from the few cities I have seen. It's a cute little city, with cozy cobblestone streets, lots of street performers, thousands of fountains and lots of sun! The best part is that everything is within walking distance if you are living in the city center. It takes at most 30 minutes to get from one end of the city to the other and walking is a great way to get to see the real city instead of just tourist attractions.I stayed by Puerta del Sol, which is actually a historical building rather than a gate or a door. The plaza is always flooded with people trying to get to the metro station or taking in the sights. Madrid really loves its fountains, and the first fountain I saw was at Puerta del Sol. The plaza also has a statue of a bear climbing a tree, which I didn't understand but is all over the souvenirs. Apparently, it is the symbol of Madrid, in Spanish known as El Oso y El Madrono (the bear and the strawberry tree), which is linked to the city's name.
La Calle Arenal is the main road that connects Puerta del Sol to the Opera House and Palacio Real (Royal Palace). I tried churros and chocolate from one of the many cafes on this street, and they were different from what I expected but delicious. In NYC churros are sweet with cinnamon, but in Madrid they were salty with sweet hot chocolate, yum!
Plaza de Oriente has a beautiful garden and of course many fountains. El Palacio Real does not look very grand but the inside is gorgeous. It's not as pompous as Versailles but its decor shines with elegance. It even has a pharmacy where you can see the original chemicals still in their bottles that were used to treat people back in the day.
Right next to the plaza, is El Mercado de San Miguel, an indoor food market. It's a great place to try the different foods Madrid has to offer. It's full of people eating tapas and enjoying a cold drink, and it's also a great way to meet locals and learn about the cuisine. The best part is that this market is open every day! I liked the food here so much that I went twice in one weekend.
El Retiro is a huge park in the eastern part of the city, that is almost comparable to Central Park. It has many fountains, lakes, a place to row boat and Palacio de Cristal. They say it's a crystal palace, but it is more like an empty room or greenhouse looking building. It is gorgeous however, and the inside gives a great view of the landscape of the park.
Museo del Prado is right next to El Retiro. I was really looking forward to seeing it but I don't think it was a museum for me. I like art museums that have all types of art, paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, jewelry, etc. Museo del Prado mostly just has paintings. Most of the paintings I found to be very dark and gloomy but they were interesting to see.
Madrid was a great experience and reminded me a lot of NYC. There were people selling fake DVDs, hand bags and watches everywhere. People were even selling water bottle for 1 Euro. And the street food was excellent. I really want to go back!
