The Madrid Railway Museum, occupies the former Delicias Station, very close to Atocha Rail Station. This Museum is managed by the Spanish Railways Foundation, and it is sponsored by RENFE, ADIF, and the Community (Local Government) of Madrid. This museum, first opened in Fernan Nunez Palace, where currently, we have the the Spanish Railways Foundation […]
The ruins of the Retiro, also called Ruins of San Isidoro and San Pelayo, are the remains of a Romanesque church, which can be seen at the Retiro Park. This church of the eleventh century, was originally located in the outskirts of the city of Ávila. It consisted of a single nave with wooden frame, […]
From the November 29, Plaza Mayor becomes the main Christmas market in Madrid. The 104 booths, offering all the traditional products for Christmas decoration for the Xmas tree, accessories for parties, such as wigs, masks, Santa Claus hats and of course can not miss the joke articles for 28th of December. This year 2014, a […]
The full name of this general from La Mancha, was Joaquín Fernández-Espartero Baldomero Alvarez de Toro (1793-1879). He was Prince of Vergara, Count of Luchana and Duke de la Victoria, specially due to his achievements on the battlefields during the First Carlist War. The equestrian statue of General Baldomero Espartero, is a sculpture by the […]
The sculpture La Mariblanca is a copy of the original, located on the top of a column at the confluence of where Arenal street meet with Puerta del Sol. La Mariblanca, has an unknown origin, nevertheless it is known that it was purchased in 1625, to decorate the now missing Fountain of Faith (Fuente de […]
This magnificent statue of King Philip III, located in Plaza Mayor of Madrid, was completed in Florence in 1616 by Giambologna and Pietro Taca. It had been placed at several sites, the first in the Palace of Vargas in Casa de Campo (the large park on the West side of the city), where it remained […]
San Javier Square, is considered the smallest of Madrid plaza. It is located across the Conde St., which is also very narrow. Both are located in the Madrid de los Austrias or Habsburgs Madrid, near the Plaza Mayor. It seems that the legendary Luis Candelas (1804-1837), frequented this square for his misdeeds, and they also […]
In 61 of the Calle Mayor of Madrid, there is a very narrow building, which in turn is the house where Pedro Calderon de la Barca lived for eighteen years, until his death on the 25th May 1681. In those days, it only he had two floors and was called “the narrow house” because of […]
Calle Rompelanzas (shaft breaking street), is one of the three streets that cross the well-known, and the busiest shopping street, Preciados. These are pedestrian streets, and in the case of calle Rompelanzas, it is less than 20 meters long, making it, the shortest street of Madrid. In the sixteenth century, when El Carmen Church was […]
The crimson red flag as the banner of Castile, and that Madrid was part of the kingdom until 1833. The flag consists of seven white five-pointed stars and adopts it officially on December 23, 1983. There are different versions of why the seven stars. Some say that it represents the constellation Ursa Minor, while other […]
The Bailen Street Viaduct, also called Viaduct of Segovia, is only about 100 meters from the Almudena Cathedral, and walking distance from the old part of town, as you can see on the background of the picture above. This structure, has replaced since 1930, the original construction made out of iron and wood, that started […]
In the photo below these lines, it’s a view from South to North, where we have the Almudena Cathedral, and the Crypt. Below this, is what remains of the old Muslim Wall. Just below the Almudena Cathedral, with the three neo protogothic semicircular doors on the picture, is the crypt. Its construction begun on April 4, […]
The Hill of the Blind, today is a steep stairway that goes from Calle de Segovia, up to the viewpoint of Las Vistillas. It hides a beautiful legend that goes back to the thirteenth-century, and is characterized by Saint Francis of Assisi. The Legend has it that St. Francis, while heading for the Camino de […]
On the photos, we have the monument to Christofer Columbus. On the East side of Plaza de Colón, on the place called the Gardens of Discovery, we have an enormous monument for the Discovery of America. This sculpture of 1977, the work of Joaquín Vaquero Turcios, consists of four large concrete blocks, with a total […]
August is summer vacation time for most Spaniards, and Madrid slows down its pace with less traffic jams and business activity, but greatly increases the action in terms of traditional feasts and festivals. The best known are the Fiestas de La Latina, and La Paloma, held on a public holiday, on August 15. Thousands of […]
It seems that in the Spanish Golden Age, many writers and scholars worked on a legend to explain the origin of the name of Madrid. This legend begins with the survivors of the Battle of Troy, and being Prince Bianor one of them, who tried to return to Greece, without success. Eventually he settled and […]
The name of Puerta del Sol, came from the time of the “Guerra de las Comunidades de Castilla” (War of the Castile Communities), between years 1520, and 1522. This is the only square in Madrid that does not have the name of “Plaza”. It is said that in June of 1520, the Comunero Movement began […]
This point or mark on the sidewalk in front of the “Casa de Correos”, (current headquarters of the Community of Madrid), in Puerta del Sol, sets the zero kilometer point, from where the six national roads or motorways A-1 to A-6, start. Also from here the numbering of the streets of Madrid begin, being the […]
It is a fact that Madrid has no beach, but it has always been a dream for Madrilians. Back in 1932, an artificial beach on the Manzanares River was opened to the public. A dam was built there for this purpose. This beach, was destroyed in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. In addition to […]
Plaza de Cascorro, leads the famous Sunday market of El Rastro. This square has been called Cascorro, on behalf of a small Cuban town where Madrilian soldier Eloy Gonzalo, fought heroically. The statue in the photo, shows how the soldier is armed holding a gasoline can with his left arm, and has a long rope […]
The “Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas” is the largest bullring in Spain, and the third in the world, with a total capacity of 23,798 persons. Bull rings in Mexico, and Valencia, Venezuela, are the largest ones. It is located in calle Alcalá, 237, on the neighborhood called Salamanca, next to the M30 which is […]
The Atocha Station Greenhouse, is a botanical garden of tropical and subtropical plants located in Atocha Station in Madrid. With an area of 4,000 square meters it houses over 7,200 plants of 260 species, where you can find different trees, like mahogany, rubber, coconut, palm trees, and other smaller plants, such as heliconias, coffee and […]
At the southern end of the Retiro Park, there is this superb rose garden, known as the “La Rosaleda.” It is a relatively recent addition to the park, by the gardener Cecilio Rodriguez in 1915. The original rose garden was completely destroyed during the Civil War, and two years later, in 1941, the garden was […]
The Crystal Palace, has in front an artificial lake, where you can find bald cypress trees (Taxodium distichum), with their main characteristic, that part of the trunk, and roots are under water. The building is surrounded by Buckeyes or Spanish Chestnut trees. The palace has suffered great damage over time, due to the wars, but […]
This exhibition called “Natural Paradises: Artificial Reflections“, is part of the 1500 works of art from outstanding Spanish and Latin American artists, which are distributed on Spanish airports and other facilities managed by AENA (Spanish Airports and Air Navigation Authority). The detail above belong to painting L’horabaixaparavent (1997) by José María Sicilia consisting of 5 […]
Tree of Love Cercis siliquastrum This crooked trunk tree, share family with the legumes, like chickpeas, beans, peas, etc.. Its fruits are a bean sheath, in which the seeds grow, but unlike many other vegetables, they are not edible. Flowering of these trees, begin with the early days of heat. Its flowers, have a butterfly […]
Cuenca is a municipality belonging to the Castilla la Mancha autonomous community. It is located on a rocky promontory, that descend almost vertically into the Júcar and Huécar rivers. As seen in the picture above, the “hanging houses”, were built in the fifteenth century, on the rock which rise to form the Huécar river canyon. […]
Next to the Prado Museum, we have the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid, which has been in this location on the Paseo del Prado, since 1781. Previously (inaugurated in 1755), these gardens were at another location near the River Manzanares, in a place which today is called Puerta de Hierro. In the early nineteenth century, […]
White Night in Madrid, is a cultural initiative that begun in Berlin in 1997, and then continued in Paris in 2002. After this, it continued in other European cities. During one night a year, usually in the month of September, many of the attractions of the city remain open to the public, until dawn the […]
This Walking Tour is a 3,26 Kms (2 mi 45 yd), that will take you from a starting point, at Callao Plaza. On this Walking Tour, you will be able to see: (A) Callao Plaza (B) Puerta de Sol (C) Plaza Mayor (D) Calle Cuchilleros y Cava Baja (E) Mercado San Miguel (F) Plaza de la […]
TAF Automotive 9522 (Fiat, Italy, 1952) The TAF 9522, was an Italian designed automotive train, which became operational in 1952 with the aim of modernizing the most important RENFE daytime fast long-distance lines. Its introduction was aimed to replace old vehicles on some of these routes. These trains could run on all lines because of […]
1615 Diesel Locomotive (American Locomotive Company, USA, 1955) This train engine, deserves special attention for several reasons. First, it was the first diesel locomotive that circulated in Spain, because until then, the diesel locomotives that existed, were intended for shunting rail operations. Second, because it was a prototype acquired to the U.S. company ALCO, to […]
Steam Locomotive “Tardienta”. (John Jones & Son, Great Britain, 1862) Steam locomotive, of the type 1-1-1, built by John Jones for Tardienta-Huesca Railway in 1864. Then it became part of the Railway Company of Zaragoza to Pamplona and Barcelona. In 1910 this steam train engine, was sold to a private company called Industrial Azucarera S.A., […]
This locomotive was one of the first with four axles in Spain, which gave it more power. It was also the first to use steam brakes. As for its appearance, it is characterized by the short height of the steam boiler, which is due to the fact that all its mechanisms are external, and also, […]
Locomotora de vapor 141-F-2416. Rodaje tipo Mikado (Talleres Euskalduna, España, 1960) These train engines correspond to a batch of 217 produced entirely in Spain. They are of the type called Mikado, because of the construction and disposition of the axes, in a 1-4-1 way, a guidance front axle, 4 motor and traction, and a final […]
6101 Electric Locomotive (Westinghouse and Baldwin, United States, 1924) In the early days of electric traction at Pajares Ramp in Asturias, Spain, this locomotive (as well as the 6005) made the journey through this difficult mountain pass, on the way to Busdongo Station in León. From Busdongo, a change was made to a steam locomotive […]
4020 Diesel Locomotive Krauss Maffei and Babcock & Wilcox, Germany – Spain, 1966 The 4020 is a Diesel locomotive of great power, that derives from the V-200 series of the German railways. These locomotives were the only diesel with hydromechanical transmission Mekydro that circulated in Spain. When RENFE incorporated them into their engine park, these […]
On one of the corners of Plaza Cibeles, you have the Palacio de Buenavista, where the Cuartel General del Ejército, (Army Headquarters), is located. This picture was taken from Alcalá Street, and it shows the sculpture “El Valor” (Courage) , the soldiers in the garden overlooking the main (south) facade of the Palacio de Buenavista. […]
Europa Tower, measures 121 meters in height, and ranks seventh tallest skyscrapers in Madrid. It has 30 floors, and it is located on one of the corners of the rectangle formed by the AZCA business complex, on Paseo de la Castellana, 95. The building houses offices of various companies. This building is just across the […]
The Mahou Tower, with its 85 meters and 29 floors, it is the seventeenth tallest building in Madrid. It is located in the AZCA complex, near the new Windsor building, and El Corte Inglés in La Castellana Avenue. The Torre Alfredo Mahou, as it is also called in Spanish, was built from 1987 to 1990. […]
The Municipal Transport Company of Madrid, EMT for short of (Empresa Municipal de Transportes), is a corporation owned by the Madrid City Council, responsible for the provision of public collective urban transport for the city of Madrid. The EMT is integrated into the Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid, the institutional entity responsible for the […]
The intercity bus network of Madrid, called “Autobuses Interurbanos, is composed of a set of lines connecting the municipalities of this region each operated by public or private companies under a government concession from Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (Regional Transport Consortium of Madrid.) This network was integrated on December 31, 2007, by 459 […]
The Madrid Metro is the sixth longest underground passenger transport in the world, although the city of Madrid, is just the 60th, in the ranking of population. The growth of Metro de Madrid in the last 20 years, has been very rapid. The first line of the Madrid Metro started operating on the 17th, October […]
The central station for the AVE (Spanish High Speed Rail), is Atocha Station. As seen in the picture, inside the old station, with an area of 4,000 square meters (4,783 yd²), is a large greenhouse containing an interesting botanical garden with 7,200 plants of 260 different tropical and subtropical, species. Some notes to mention, of […]
The Walls of Avila are a Romanesque military fence surrounding old city of Avila, which is 115 Kms. (72 Miles) from Madrid. Avila is the capital municipality and province of Castile and Leon, Spain. The importance of this walls, is derived from the fact that they are the best preserved medieval wall in Spain, and […]
The Convent of Santa Maria de las Dueñas in Salamanca, was founded in 1419 to house the nuns of the Dominican Order. The original building, was donated by Doña Juana Rodriguez Maldonado, with the intention of creating a place of worship for the noble ladies. This gave the convent, the nickname of Las Dueñas (The […]
Esta ruta de paseo, es de 3.4 Km, para recorer desde Plaza Callao, pasando por los lugares que se definen abajo hasta volver a Callao. En este paseo, podrás ver: A- Plaza Callao B- Caminando por La Gran Vía C- Plaza de Cibeles D- Paseo del Prado E- Plaza de Neptuno F- Congreso de los […]
El Prado Museum has one of the world’s finest collections of European art, from the twelfth to the nineteenth century, and undoubtedly the best single collection of Spanish art.
Next to the Thyssen Museum, we are crossing the Paseo del Prado, towards the Ritz Hotel, and to the right we can see one of the entrances to the Prado Museum.
This picture above, is the beginning of Alcalá Street, close to Puerta del Sol. To the right of the picture, is what was known to be the building of Banesto, Spanish Bank of Credit, and to the left, the Casino de Madrid. On the block where we have the Banesto building, a large shopping complex […]
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