Voorbereiding
Woensdag 23 januari
Vlucht:
- Heen: Vlucht UX1172 Brussel 10u55 - Madrid 13u20
- Terug: Vlucht UX 1173 Madrid 15u10 - Brussel 17u35
Logement: Pension Numancia
Fernandez de los Rios, 5
Tel. +34 914 48 20 74
Betaling 150€ ter plaatse (Visa of Mastercard mogelijk)
- Metro lijn 8 van Aeropuerto naar Nuevos Ministerios (eindhalte)
- Metro lijn 6 (Circular) naar Quatro Caminos (eerste halte richting Anden 1)
- Metro lijn 2 naar Quevedo, richting Las Rosas, tweede halte
- 250 m te voet
Hotspots
Belangrijke spots in Madrid
(2) Mercado Maravillas
Gelegen in de wijk Tetuán, is de markt van Maravillas een referentie voor zijn grootte en dynamiek. Sinds zijn inauguratie in 1942 is het ongetwijfeld de grootste markt in Madrid en een van de grootste in Europa. De markt heeft ongeveer 210 winkels die een breed scala aan producten bieden; van de meest verse, direct geserveerd door de producenten; tot het uitgewerkte high-end, met de beste presentatie en kwaliteit.
Een bezoek aan de markt betekent het betreden van een grote souk die opvalt door zijn levendige activiteit en grootte.
Wandeltracé Viewranger "Madrid by feet":
(3) Sol
(4) Calle Mayor
Calle Mayor street runs from La Cuesta de la Vega to Puerto del Sol. Back in the Middle Ages this was the main street of Madrid housing shops of silversmiths, coopers and fletchers who used to sell their wares to the rich merchants passing by to the city center. Today, Calle Mayor is renowned for its boutiques, cafes and restaurants, much as for excellent street musicians and a number of peculiar buildings associated with historic personalities and events. At N° 48 you will find the Cervantes House Museum, a place where Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, #1 Spanish writer was born. N° 61 is the narrowest house in Madrid, measuring only 5 meters across. N° 88 went down in history in 1906 when the anarchist Mateo Moral attempted to kill King Alfonso XIII along with his bride on their wedding day by throwing a bomb from this house's top balcony. The royal couple was unhurt, but there were many innocent victims in memory of which a monument has been erected opposite the house.
(5) Mercado San Miguel
Sinds 1916 wordt er in de Mercado de San Miguele, een overdekte markt van ijzer en glas in het hart van het oude Madrid, vlees, vis en groenten verkocht. In het begin aan buurtbewoners, maar sinds de renovatie in 2009 ook aan toeristen en gourmets.
In 2009 heropende de gerenoveerde Mercado de San Miguel met een nieuw concept: een 21e eeuwse versmarkt voor gourmets. In de stalletjes vind je de lekkerste groenten, verse vis en de beste jamon. Eigenlijk alles voor je dagelijkse boodschappen, wat natuurlijk ook het oorspronkelijke doel voor de overdekte markt was.
Buurtbewoners kom je er tegenwoordig misschien iets minder vaak tegen, maar toeristen des te meer, want Mercado San Miguel is inmiddels één van de must see´s en must do´s in Madrid. Nog leuker dan langs alle kraampjes lopen en culinaire souvenirtjes (van kaas tot wijn) inslaan, is het ter plekke proven van al het lekkers dat de markt te bieden heeft. Ga zitten bij een van de eettentjes en laat je verrassen met tapas en heerlijke wijnen.
Mercado de San Miguel is gelegen aan het Plaza de San Miguel (vlakbij Plaza Mayor) en is dagelijks geopend van 10.00 tot 24.00 uur en in het weekend zelfs tot 2.00 uur. Daarmee is het meteen ook een leuk adresje om te dineren.
(6) Cava Baja en Cava Alto in La Latine
Tapas
Cava Alto nr 17 = MATRIUM en nr. 36 = Casa Lucio
Cava Baja nr 26 en 42 (Txakoli en Lamiak)
(7) Plaza Cánovas del Castillo, Madrid
When you visit the Plaza Canovas del Castillo, do make sure that your camera’s batteries aren’t low and that you have plenty of space for photos, as it would be a pity not to keep some of souvenirs of this lovely plaza.
Actually, “plaza” is rather a grand name for what is now Madrid’s most popular and most beautiful roundabout. Surrounded by impressive Baroque buildings, the centerpiece of the plaza is the fountain “Fuente de Neptuno”, a large basin with a statue of Neptune upon a conch-shell chariot drawn across the waves by two horses. The statue was designed by Ventura Rodriguez and sculpted in white marble by Juan Pascual Mena not long before his death in 1784.
Over a hundred years later, the plaza was renamed after Antonio Canovas del Castillo. Del Castillo was a Prime Minister of Spain in the 19th century. In 1876 he was the principal author of the Spanish Constitution and he spoke out for the freedom of religion.
Unfortunately, the statesman and historian also had a darker side to his character. The political legacy of his fervent opposition for the independence of Cuba led eventually to the Spanish-American War in 1898. In 1896 after a bomb exploded during a religious rally, he ordered the arrest and torture of over 300 men and women, many of them innocent. He was assassinated in 1897 by an Italian anarchist.
(8) Estacion Atocha
(10) CaixaForum, Madrid
When you arrive at the Caixa Forum you will be immediately struck by two aspects of this extraordinary building. The first thing to draw your eye is the vertical garden adjoining the Forum; the second feature will take your breath away: the building appears to be floating off the ground!
When the Caixa Foundation acquired the disused power station they wanted to create a modern multicultural center, but the building was classified as a historical monument and they couldn’t have it pulled down. Instead, they hired Swiss architects Herzog and de Meuron who created this truly amazing building, incorporating the ancient station with top floors in “rusted” steel. To make the building “float”, they removed the crumbling base to create a covered plaza and provide the entrance to the Forum.
There is a central staircase to take visitors of the 2000 square meters of the exposition rooms from the two underground levels to the top floor where the administration offices and a restaurant are to be found. The underground levels house an auditorium and a theater. On the other floors, you will find a library, a bookshop, exposition rooms that house both temporary and permanent exhibitions of post-modern art, conference rooms and concert rooms.
The vertical garden is over 25 meters high and is a beautiful contrast to the brick and steel Forum. The garden was designed by the French botanist Patrick Blanc, who invented the concept of mural gardens.
Why You Should Visit:
For a cheap price, you have access to exhibitions of great quality and the upper floor has a nice & comfy coffee shop to rest your legs.
They also have an exquisite gift-shop where you can do all your gift-shopping, albeit their special designs are not so cheap.
(9) Palacio de cristal (Parque del Retiro)
Chocolateria San Gines
Established in 1894, Chocolateria San Gines in Madrid is famous for its main course - churros con chocolate - deep-fried batter sticks served with hot chocolate. Also on the menu is a good selection of cakes. This place is ideal for a quick break on a sightseeing walk, to sit down and enjoy the crispy churro dipped into the hot, thick, dark chocolate, while watching the world go by for a while...
Opening hours: 24/24
Per metro:
(15) Punte de Toledo, puento de matadero, paserela de Arganzuela
Metro lijn 5 richting Casa de Campo - halte Marqués de Vadillo