A couple of months ago, we were lucky enough to spend a few days in Madrid, including a trip to Toledo, the former capital of Spain. One of the things I like to do when visiting a new place is seek out the quirky and unusual, usually in the shape of strange landmarks and attractions, and Madrid certainly had plenty of them. Sadly, I never managed to track down the famous Fountain of the Fallen Angel in Retiro Park. My excuse? It’s a very big park, and it was also a roasting hot day. Fortunately, I found plenty of other sights that registered on the strange-o-meter, and here are a few photos of them.
Little did we know that our visit coincided with the annual invasion of the giant coloured frogs which overrun the city, and here are some of them having fun on a local building.
Madrid is blessed with great shops and great clubs and bars, but the fun doesn’t stop when their shutters are down.
There are some weird and wacky statues dotted around Madrid. In the Plaza de la Peurta del Sol is the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree which represents Madrid’s coat of arms. It is a tradition to try and touch the bear’s heel or tail for luck, and you can see someone doing just that in this photo.
The second picture is of a statue of Paco, a street dog, who became famous for visiting Café de Fornos in the city’s literary quarter. Apart from writers, Paco also hung around with some of the city’s nobility, and would also play with the bulls and bullfighters at the Bullring. Sadly, this is where he met his end as an angry bullfighter blamed Paco for making him fall off his horse during a bullfight and killed him with his sword. Such was the love for Paco that his body was stuffed and displayed in a taverna before he was buried in El Retiro Park, but he lives on as a bronze statue.
Two other famous Madrid landmarks are the Tio Pepe sign and the Temple of Debod. Apart from the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree, the bustling Peurta del Sol is also the spot where all of Spain’s roads originate from at the site of the kilómetro cero plaque which marks the symbolic center of Spain, from where all kilometer distances are numbered. At night, visitors to the square can bask in the glowing glory of the Tio Pepe sign. Beneath the name of the wine are the words: “Sol de Andalucía embotellado” which means “Bottled Sun of Andalucía” and next to that is the company’s logo, showing a bottle of Tio Pepe dressed up as an Andalusian gentleman complete with wide-brimmed hat, red waistcoat and holding a guitar.
Believe it or not, and you have to believe it because it is there. Madrid has it’s very own Egyptian temple in the shape of a Nubian temple from 2BC, which was dismantled and transported to Spain to be rebuilt in the early 1970s. The reason for this was because it was in danger of being destroyed due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam, and it was rebuilt in the Parque del Oeste, near the Royal Palace.
Sunday is the day when Madrid’s flea market – the Rastro de Madrid – takes place, and not surprisingly with over 3500 stalls it is the biggest market in Spain, selling everything and anything, but no food, just everything else ranging from antiques, to books and magazines, handcrafts, jewellery, clothing and footwear and leather goods. It spreads out from Plaza de Cascorro down the Ribera de Curtidores and into the nearby streets, and as you can see it is very, very busy.
The second picture above shows dancers outside a local restaurant, and staying on a musical theme we visited the Blackbird Rock Bar on Calle de Las Huertas where we caught the excellent Dr. Black and his set of cover versions in English and Spanish.
Toledo used to be the capital of Spain, and is a short journey by train from Madrid. The city is entered by crossing the Alcantara Bridge over the Tagus River. The old city is a maze of narrow streets and quirky buildings, with many churches and museums, with arguably the most famous building being the Toledo Cathedral (or the Primatial Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo). Off the beaten track is “the bitter well” and the legend of Rachel, a Jewish woman who fell in love with a Christian man called Fernando, but this love was forbidden and Rachel’s father killed Fernando. Heart-broken, Rachel continued to visit the well where they would secretly meet, her tears turning the water bitter. Or are they bitter because she drowned herself there? Perhaps a visit to the well on a moonlit night might reveal the truth?
