Enjoying the days in an adorable Spain's capital. ¡Madrid!

Having holiday in the capital of Spain, the place like Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Palacio Real, Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Plaza de Cibeles would be written in your itinerary. Yep, they are must-visited sites in Madrid. I already wrote about them in my previous article here. This time, I will share the other ways to enjoy this adorable capital, from visiting museum, shopping, to having a picnic in the park.

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At 24 July 2010, my class had an excursion to Madrid. Visiting museum was included in our itinerary. To be honest, I am not so into museum. But it’s free, so why don’t give it a go.


We visited Museo El Prado, a national art museum located in the central of the city. The great works of artists like Diego Velazquez and Francisco de Goya are among the 1300 paintings being displayed in the museum. If you know nothing about paintings just like me, you will need a tour guide to simply enjoy your museum journey. Luckily, I had Ivan, my cultural teacher. He was our tour guide.

Museo El Prado

The famous Velazquez’s Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor) being displayed in Room 12. The painting shows the infant Margarita Teresa, the daughter of King Philip IV, surrounded by her maid of honors, dwarfs, dog, the chaperone, and the bodyguard. It also depicts the queen’s chamberlain, Jose Nieto Velazquez, standing behind the opened door. Velazquez also features in the painting, standing in front of the canvas while holding a brush and a palette. By seeing the portrait reflected in the mirror behind him, it’s suggested that he was painting King Philip IV and Queen Mariana on his canvas. The painting is believed as the representation of the Monarchs in Spain.

We also stopped at room where Goya’s masterpieces are hung, El Dos de Mayo (The 2nd of May) and El Tres de Mayo (The 3rd of May). The former depicts the uprising of Spaniards against Napoleon’s troops. The Spaniards lost in the battle. They were executed by Napoleon’s troops, portrayed in the latter painting. Ivan also let us saw another Goya’s notable works, the pair of La Maja. Both show exactly the same portrait of a woman, one wearing clothes (La Maja Vestida), while the other undressed (La Maja Desnuda). Some believe that a woman is Goya’s lover, Duquesa de Alba.

Well, Museo El Prado is not only about Goya’s and Velazquez’s. You can also find other great works from artists like Titian, El Greco, Peter Paul Rubens, and Hieronymus Bosch.
There is Goya statue outside the museum, near the ticket office. If you’re fan of him, I guess taking a picture there is a must, as a proof that you have visited home of his great works.

There was a park near the museum with many souvenir stalls. If you want to buy some gifts for your family or friends, you can consider this place. Compared to the souvenir shops in Sol, the price here was much cheaper. I bought hats, scarves, miniatures, postcards, etc at a bargain price. 

Gran Via

We had 2 hours free after the museum tour. I and some friends decided to go to Sol on our break. From Sol, we then walked to Gran Via, the main street you should not miss when visiting Madrid. Located in the central of Madrid, the street is dominated with shops, theaters, and hotels. My favorite stores are Zara and H&M. They sell clothes with affordable price. Spain is heaven for Zara’s lover. The brand is originated from Galicia, that’s why the price is much cheaper in Spain than the other countries in the world. I could get a sweater for only 3 to 5 euros! My friend Flora seemed to enjoy shopping there. We had to go back to El Prado in a rush once we realized we were running out of time. However, we still couldn’t make it in time, we were a few minutes late getting back to the museum.

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31 July 2010. My friend Irene took me to the most popular park in Madrid, Parque del Retiro. Actually, I didn’t plan to go anywhere by the time I arrived in Madrid after completed one month summer course in Valladolid. Irene just came up with the idea of going to Retiro as soon as I arrived in her flat.

Alfonso XII Monument

Initially, El Retiro was a royal park which was built by King Philips IV in 1632. Designed in French style, it was opened for public in 1868 and ever since. My trip to the 130 ha large park began in Alfonso XII Monument. The monument is fenced with semicircle colonnade. If you look carefully, you’ll notice that there are shields of all provinces of Spain engraved along the top of colonnade. The statue of King Alfonso XII on the horseback was erected at the top of the monument. The monument was also carved with three sculptures at the central base of the monument: the bronze one is called La Paz (The Peace), the white ones are called La Libertad (The Freedom) and El Progreso (The Progress). Next to the monument, there is an artificial lake. Renting the rowboats seemed to be a fun activity to enjoy the lake.

The beautiful glass building, Palacio de Cristal, stands in the south of the park. At the start, the building was a winter garden for exotic flowers which were brought from Philippines. The building is now used to house some temporary exhibition. You can find the group of ducks enjoyed swimming in the lake near the palace, while some of people also enjoyed watching them from the lake side.

It was Saturday. The park was a bit crowded. I really enjoyed strolling around the park even it was also a bit hot that afternoon. The walk in front of the lake was full of entertainer. Kids seemed very amused by the tricks being showed by the juggler. Some couples enjoyed listening to the song being sung by the street musician. The painters had their little street exhibition while showing his hand dancing on canvas. My friend Irene was busy capturing all of those activities through her DLSR lenses.

Jardin de los Planteles (Photo Credit: Irene)

Another interesting part of the park is Jardin de los Planteles where numerous of trees with various shapes gather there. I think the one with rounded shape is the most unique. It’s like a pack of balloons. Compared to other side of the park, it’s more quiet here. I think it suits for people who are looking for quietness from the hectic life of big city like Madrid. There were many benches available, so you can sit and relax enjoying the green park.

Puerta de Alcala

Besides Plaza de Cibeles, there is another well-known landmark of Madrid. It’s Puerta de Alcala. It’s situated just near The Retiro, so we stopped there to take some pictures before heading home. The gate was erected in the center of Plaza de la Independencia, originally built by King Carlos III as the eastern gate to the city.

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August 15, 2010. It was my last night in Madrid. To make it a bit special, my friend planned to have a picnic in Parque de la Montaña. The original plan was to arrive there before the night came where we can witness the magnificent view of Madrid during sunset from the top of the hill. Unfortunately, Fauzan and I couldn’t make it while Freddy, Tasya, and Brenda could. 

Templo de Debod

Tasya brought us foods and we had a dinner near Templo de Debod. The temple was a gift from Egypt government. Spain helped them during the moving of some archeological sites to save place as the consequence of Great Dam of Aswan construction. The temple was moved to Madrid in 1968, and then rebuilt in this park.

Finished with our dinner, we strolled around Madrid. I said to Tasya that I wanted to eat churros. She brought us to Valor, one of the best churros restaurant in Madrid. Unfortunately, they’re just closed a few minutes before our arrival. Unlucky me! At the end, we decided just to wander around Gran Via before heading home.

I got two uncompleted missions that night. It’s sad because it was my last night in Spain's capital. But on the other side, it might be a sign that would bring me to Madrid again one day.

“I adore Madrid. It's my city. If I ever move, it will only be for work. Whenever I travel, I always want to get back home.” - Maria Valverde

I adore Madrid as well. I spent 3 days in Madrid upon my arrival in Europe, and this city has successfully stolen my heart. Having completed a summer course in Valladolid, I returned to Madrid and spent my day there for about two weeks. I can say I love Madrid even more. Enamorada con Madrid de nuevo!! Tengo a volver un dia!!