Tag: madrid

Postcard from Madrid, Spain: No Cibeles selfies posted here

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The star spot for selfie-snappers visiting Madrid, Plaza de Cibeles, was a block from our apartment. So many people pause for photos on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the plaza from Palacio de Cibeles that there is always someone nearby hawking extender sticks to improve the composition of selfies.

We circled the enormous plaza so many times during our stay, I thought we forgot to even take a photo of the gleaming off-white building erected at the beginning of the 20th century. Originally housing the main post office and telecommunications, the elegant building recently was remodeled dramatically to serve as City Hall and a cultural center, Centro Centro, showcasing contemporary art exhibits and offering sofa-filled areas with Wi-Fi access. The wedding cake center is topped with terraces offering commanding views of the city.

At the center of the plaza is a fountain and sculpture of Cybele driving a chariot drawn by a pair of lions, formerly a lusty human couple who dishonored the goddess by having sex in her temple. Cybele’s followers in ancient Greece were cult-like, and she continues to earn many exuberant fans during her residency in contemporary Madrid.

The soccer club Real Madrid considers her a patroness, honoring her by draping her with their team flag when they are victorious. Players and their legions of fans swarm into the plaza for rambunctious post-game celebrations.

Hope they all keep their passions in check, lest their inappropriate behavior offend the patroness capable of transforming them into another pair of stony lions permanently harnessed to her chariot.

As for us, our-selfies never managed to slip into camera range.

Postcard from Madrid, Spain: Trying to absorb the history of man in a day

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In 1867, Queen Isabella II (1830-1904) founded the Museo Arqueologico Nacional (MAN), partially in recognition of the need to protect Spain’s historical artifacts from political turmoil. The preservation of the cultural heritage of the country proved easier than the protection of her own rule. A revolt pushed the queen into exile in France the following year, and she wound up abdicating the throne in favor of one of her sons.

MAN traces the history of man in Spain from his earliest known origins and also includes extensive displays of ancient archaeological treasures from Egypt, the Near East and Greece.

The featured image is known as the Lady of Elche, dating from the 5th or 4th century B.C. The “lady” was found in Elche, located on the Mediterranean coast of Spain and continually impacted by waves of invaders from Greece, Carthage, Rome and the land of the Moors.

The main structure housing MAN dates from the 19th century, but the museum was closed for five years beginning in 2008 to dramatically modernize the space displaying more than 15,000 items.

Yes, it is totally overwhelming. Not realizing the immensity of the collection, we squandered time in the prehistoric section of relatively little interest to us and felt rushed in viewing the rest, all of it masterfully displayed.

Postcard from Madrid: Gaze upon Galdiano’s treasures away from hordes of other tourists

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Madrid is famed for enormous museums filled with incredible collections attracting swarms of visitors.

But there are numerous oft-overlooked others housing artistic treasures where tour guides and their zombie-like followers rarely intrude. In fact, you virtually have the places to yourself. Museo Fundacion Lazaro Galdiano is one of those amazing spots.

The career in banking of Jose Lazaro Galdiano (1862-1947) was sidetracked by his interest in publishing literary and art magazines and a love of collecting. Obsessively collecting. Traveling the world to add to his holdings.

He commissioned his home on Serrano, a broad boulevard in downtown Madrid, in 1903, the year of his marriage to an Argentinian, Paula Florido. He named his sumptuous palace Parque Florido in her honor.

At the time of his death, he bequeathed the more than 12,500 items in his collection to Spain. Paintings include works by Hieronymus Bosch, Lucas Cranach, John Constable and El Greco. And Goyas, with no one elbowing you to get closer. The two Goya “brujas” canvases exhibited surely must contain the most frightening wicked witches ever depicted.

There is a glittering “treasure room” filled with rich religious artifacts and the royalty-worthy jewels of his wife. There are cases upon cases of specialized passions – miniature portraits, ivory carvings and beautifully preserved textiles. And there are hundreds upon hundreds more items that could not fit in the glass display cases but can be viewed close up by pulling out drawer after drawer below at your own leisurely pace.

As though Galdiano left them as a private feast for your eyes alone. Hidden in plain sight right in the heart of a city of more than 3-million people.