Cordoba to Madrid

Today we took the AVE train from Cordoba to Madrid. AVE, which stands for Alta Velocidad Espanola, is the high speed train that can go up to 310 km per hour. It got us back to Madrid in less than two hours.
The Renfe, or Spanish train system, is known for a difficult website, though the web fares offer a significant discount. We found it not too bad, with some research and preparation. Your best bet is to read this extremely helpful article: A Beginner's Guide to Train Travel in Spain, which has a section on How to Use Renfe.com

AVE train, by rofi

It has invaluable information, and walks you through step by step, from setting up an account, why you want to have one, to searching for the train you want, and actually purchasing tickets; it was written byThe Man in Seat 61.



Street art in Madrid



Train from Madrid to Granada

Atoche train station, Madrid, by alanak CC
 

Today we got a taxi to the train station, went through security, found out which platform we needed to be near, and just had time to get some coffee and food to go before it was time to board. We'd been able to buy and print our tickets before we left home, so it was only a matter of having the attendant scan our printout and minutes later we were in our seats.
It was a comforable 4 1/2 hour ride to Granada. We passed fields of sheep, and row upon row of olive trees. After Cordoba the landscape became hilly, and as we approached Granada we could see the snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains in the distance.

Sunday in Madrid

We spent a good portion of the day in the Prado; with our map and audio guide, we roamed from room to room in this incredible art museum. It's a good thing the building itself is huge, as a lot of the canvases are enormous. We made sure we saw Velazquez's Maids of Honor, Goya's work, Rubens and Titian. There are also several of Durer's paintings, including his self-portrait. Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights triptych is also there.
There was so much to see we had to visit the cafe to restore our energy, where a 250 ml bottle of orange juice cost an astonishing 5 euros! That's $6.76 CDN!

The hanging garden outside CaixaForum
 

Next we walked down the wide boulevard Paseo del Prado, where the demonstration had been the night before, to the modern art museum CaixaForum. Before going in we had a look at the "hanging garden" outside. Inside there were exhibits on food insecurity, maestros of chaos, and, the best one: cartographies (artists interpret maps of all kinds).
We ended the day by searching out the famous Chocolateria San Gines, where the hot chocolate is so rich and thick you don't drink it, but dip your churros in it; they're long deep-fried crispy donut-like bites of heaven. A popular place, the line-up to get into the tiny place was to the door; you pay, and then take your receipt to the counter to pick up your order, then move to a ledge to enjoy your treat. It's a standing room only place, unless you want to wait for a table in the back room.

Saturday in Madrid

Plaza Mayor
 

It was crisp, clear and sunny as we set off on a self-guided walking tour. First stop was Plaza Mayor: a vast, cobbled square that's seen a lot of history, including "trials" during the Inquisition. We looked in some of the shops: a hat store, coin and stamp shop, a bar full of bull's heads and bullfighting memorabilia.
Next we went into the San Miguel public market, a steel and glass structure from 1916 - it was packed with people at the wine and cheese bars, deli stalls, fruit stands and so on. Around a few corners and up a narrow lane we found the oldest door in Madrid, made of wood and iron, in the oldest building in the city, built in 1480!
Soon we were at the Almudena Cathedral, an enormous one only finished in 1993; it took 100 years to finish! Inside we enjoyed the sun lighting up the large stained glass windows, the Neo-Gothic interior and painted ceilings.

The Royal Palace

Next door, we lined up for tickets to the Royal Palace, at 1.5 million square feet, it's Europe's largest. We moved from one over-the-top room to the next. While not lived in by the royal family anymore, it's still used for formal occasions, ceremonies and dinners. One highlight was the Gasparini Room, the King's dressing room: Rococo in style, with a frescoed ceiling, silk-embroidered walls, chandeliers, and multi-coloured marble floors.

After all that we actually thought we would carry on down to the Prado, but each road we tried was blocked by police barricades, and we eventually realized there was a huge demonstration going on - thousands protesting the government austerity measures. People coming up the hill were carrying" No Cuts" signs.

Arrived in Madrid Spain

Our flights were fine; we both watched the movie Lincoln and were able to nap so the time went by quickly. It was -3C and snowing lightly in Frankfurt when we arrived. After a crowded bus trip between terminals it was a long walk to our next gate and along the way we passed a Camel glassed- in smoking room full of smokers standing (no chairs). Employees on small bicycles was another sight we hadn't seen before in an airport.
Madrid was warmer: 12C but raining, so when we got off the express bus into the city, the walk down the Gran Via to our small hotel was a wet one. Our room looks onto Plaza del Carmen on the edge of the historic part of the city, and we'll be able to walk everywhere.
Tonight we walked to Puerta del Sol, the centre of town, where on New Year's Eve people gather below the bell tower and eat a grape for every toll of the bell at midnight, for luck in the new year.
We went into three tapas bars full of antique curios, historic photos, bullfighting momentos and more.




Gran Via Madrid by Demitry B CC