May 3 – 5

As mentioned in the post before this one, the very short drive to Madrid offered us time to do some sightseeing on the way and so we decided to check out the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family.  Established in the 16th century as a royal hunting lodge, the palace was built by order of Philip II.  Under his reign it became one of four seasonal seats of the court along wit Rascafría, El Escorial and the Royal Alcázar of Madrid.

We arrived in the suburb where the palace is located and found a parking spot that we hoped was nearby.  We were hungry by this time, having subsisted only on those great churros earlier in the day and so we walked to a street that was hosting an open-air market and after assessing our options, landed at an outside table at Bar Jose, a small but busy café. 

Joanna and I both had a beer to start along with a tasty appetizer of fried mushroom and tomato sauce on toast, that went down easy and still left room, but not nearly enough for the hefty sandwiches we ordered, the Calamari for her and a Lomo Adobado (marinated pork filet) for me.  Bev enjoyed a salami sandwich as well.  Ready for the rest of the afternoon, we closed out our tab of 18 Euros ($20) and began to make our way to the palace.

And here is where things went sideways for us, as we wandered around edges of the palace complex trying to find the entrance.  This would include the gardens on its backside and walking across the River Tajo, easily taking 30 minutes or so until we eventually noticed a sign we had overlooked that directed us to where we needed to be.  We paid the 8 Euro ($9) entry fee and walked across a large open square known as Plaza de las Parejas (in reference to equestrian events formerly held there) and then entered the building.

In 1931, during the Second Spanish Republic, the royal estate was declared an Artistic Historical Monument and opened to the public.  The palace, gardens and associated buildings are part of the Aranjuez Cultural Landscape, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.  Currently it houses a museum on the ground floor, the royal rooms and gardens are open to the public, and its management is entrusted to the public agency Patrimonio Nacional.

The palace consists of two floors.  The ground level is lit by windows crowned by semicircular arches, while the upper floor opens onto balconies with iron railings.  We entered and encountered a grand central staircase made by Giacomo Bonavía at the behest of Ferdinand VI.  The balustrade of black iron with gold trim fits within the Rococo trend and from the ceiling hangs an Empire style large chandelier gilt bronze and crystal from La Granja.

We would tour most of the salons and other rooms of the palace, including the Sala de Música de la Reina (The music room of the Queen), the King and Queen’s individual bedrooms, the Throne Room and many, many more.  A good visit, we were glad we’d made the effort and returning to the car, drove into Madrid and our lodging for the stay, the Vivodomo Airbnb in the Tetuan suburb.

Our two-bedroom apartment was pretty new with nicely sized bedrooms and a familiar galley style kitchen.  It was a good neighborhood to be in, just a few blocks from the transit station and one block away from a well-stocked small market. 

I went over there to get supplies for dinner, putting together a charcuterie plate and buying pods for the Nespresso machine.  The pods turned out to be the wrong size, smaller than what the machine required and so I returned and bought the right sized ones.  I would leave them in the unit when we left thinking we wouldn’t need them again and of course, a subsequent Airbnb had the same style unit, and I had to buy a new set. 

The next day we walked to the Metro station and then crossed the street to the Fundación Canal – Mateo Inurria 2 Exhibition Hall in order to enjoy a free exhibit of Andy Wharhol posters, featuring 134 pieces created by the artist from 1962 until the end of his career..  We were fortunate in our timing as our visit coincided with the last day of the exhibit.

The show was one of the largest compilations to date of the famous posters and was organized into six themed sections: early posters, wallpapers, adaptations and graphic series, late posters, portraits, and records and publications.

The first five sections focused on the different types of posters he worked on, while the last section displayed his creations for records and publications.  It was a great way to spend an hour or so before hopping on the metro and heading to the center of town for a St. Steves walking tour. 

Our train took us to Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun – named for a long-gone gate carved with a rising sun), the main plaza in town and a center of activity where one can appreciate the harmonious architecture of the buildings that circle the square—yellow-cream, four stories, balconies of iron, shuttered windows, and balustrades along the rooflines.  Even though buildings are often totally rebuilt on the inside, by law, landowners must preserve these elegant facades.

As one does a spin around the plaza, you can spot the iconic Apple Store, the multi-story building with the Tio Pepe sign (advertising a local sherry since 1932) on its roof and finally, the grand red-and-white building with a bell tower which was Madrid’s first post office, which Charles III founded in the 1760s.  Today it’s the county governor’s office, home to the “president” who governs greater Madrid.  The building is notorious for having once been dictator Francisco Franco’s police headquarters.

Finished with the plaza and before exiting we hit up La Mallorquina, founded in 1894 and famous for its napolitana pastry (like a flat croissant filled with custard or chocolate).  An upstairs sit-down room was packed and so we slithered through the takeout crowds at the front of the shop for a stand-up counter at the rear where Joanna had a latte, I had a café con leche, and Beverly slurped down a delicious, iced coffee.  We shared a couple of pastries including a napolitana and contemplated how many times we might return during our stay in town.  We will cover the rest of our first day in town in the next post. 

Links

Royal Palace of Aranjuez: https://www.patrimonionacional.es/visita/palacio-real-de-aranjuez

Madrid Airbnb: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1047267223032420130?source_impression_id=p3_1764178545_P3Z9GsAZW0m-xGvJ

Andy Wharhol Posters: https://www.fundacioncanal.com/en/exhibitions/andy-warhol-posters/

La Mallorquina: https://pastelerialamallorquina.es/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=maps&utm_campaign=seolocal&utm_content=puerta-del-sol