In March 2010 I visited Madrid in Spain for a short weekend break. There I came to a very eye-opening conclusion, I don’t like capitals (or the largest cities in the country in the case of Sydney for example). They are just not my thing. I liked Paris, but I didn’t love it. I liked London, but I didn’t love it. I liked Glasgow, but I didn’t love it. Instead, what I ended up loving are the second biggest cities; instead of London I much prefer Liverpool, instead of Glasgow I love Edinburgh. I’ve never visited Barcelona, but it would fit the pattern if I would love Barcelona more than Madrid.

Below are some of my impressions after the very short visit.

Royal Palace of Madrid

One thing I did end up enjoying was the Royal Palace of Madrid. At the time I visited, there was a ceremony going on with guards and such so that umped up the atmosphere of an otherwise possibly boring sight. The ceremony does not compare in scale to that of the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London. There was much more going on for this event. The Royal Palace of Madrid is the residency of Spanish Royal family in Madrid but it’s only used for state ceremonies.

In order to take this shot and enjoy the view you can climb the cathedral next to the palace. 

Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía

I must’ve mentioned in previous blogs that I’m not an art lover. However, my mum once told me that she loves Dali so I was very happy to come face-to-face with some Dali paintings in this museum. Some are disturbing, but painted in such a way that they are striking at the same time. There is so much going on in the paintings that I could look at them for a long time (which is a big statement for someone who was like all the other silly tourists when she only visited the Louvre to see Mona Lisa).

There are so many more strange paintings in Reina Sofia Museum and I think that’s why I enjoyed my visit. I don’t know if the below picture was painted by Dali or by someone else, but look at how strange that picture is. I’m a lover of books so I understand words better than pictures, but I’m interested to know what the painter was thinking when he drew this.

Cat’s Hostel

I don’t necessarily want to promote this hostel because I only stayed one night I didn’t get much of an impression. Not enough to persuade anyone to stay there as well, but I do want to show how strikingly gorgeous the inside looked. I don’t know what this style is called, but I would like to visit places that look like this from origin. The pictures really don’t do the interior of this hostel any justice, it offers a glimpse into the style.

(Not to mention the fact that even the street sign is beautiful)

Conclusion

In general, Madrid has a nice vibe. People are hanging around the squares in the city centre and at night the city is lively. Sangria is one of my favourite cocktails and I was in the right place to enjoy a glass or two. That having been said, Madrid is still a capital and as such it’s not a city I would want to visit again in the near future. As I said in the introduction, I haven’t been to Barcelona yet, so maybe it’s time I make my way there.

Madrid has a good railway network that makes it easy to travel to other places. During this weekend trip I also visited Toledo, which I will describe in more detail in the next blog post.