We arrive in Europe: Madrid Day 1 (21 Aug 2013)

Watching the landscape as we flew into Madrid in the middle of the day, I was reminded of Margaret Preston‘s Flying over the Shoalhaven. Different landscape, really, but there was something about the patchy colour and the scattered vegetation that was very reminiscent. Perhaps though it was all in my imagination and was simply about my preparing mentally for our three-gallery day. It was a nice feeling though …

I think we’re going to like Spain. Despite all the news about its economy falling apart, it feels – here in Madrid anyhow – to have a lovely mix of efficiency and relaxed informality. For example, the process from the plane to the metro and thence our hotel was amazingly painless. The weirdest thing was that in moving from the plane to immigration to baggage claim to “nothing to declare” customs exit to the metro we saw barely a staff member. Immigration was of course staffed but after that, it was all self-help – just follow the signs. And it worked. We caught a bus into the galleries the next day. (Watch for Day 2). It is too easy with the bus-stop “telling” us when the next bus on our route was due, and then signage on the bus telling us not only which stop was next but which other buses connect at that stop.

I was particularly struck on the metro – we had to make one change onto a more commuter route to get to our hotel – by the number of people reading on the trains. A few were “playing” with their mobile phones but many were reading. Some were reading e-books (and who knows, maybe some of those smart phone users were reading books too) but many were reading printed books. I guess I noticed it because I don’t recollect seeing anyone read on the metro in Dubai.

By the time we’d settled into our hotel, it was early evening so we set out in search of some refreshment. I’d found a nice sounding place on Trip Adviser so we set off for it – just a couple of blocks away – but it was closed (as in not open when we went by, despite their website’s posted hours). So we stopped for a drink – and the gratis tapas/nibbles (which on this occasion was a little potato salad) – at the Cafe Legazpi (Legazpi being the name of the square and our hotel). It was HOT. A thermometer in the vicinity said it was 39°C and people were sitting outside!

The find of the day, though, was Antigua Matadero. Hidden behind walls on Plaza de Legazpi opposite our hotel was an old  building complex comprising gorgeous old brickwork and some decorative tiles. As we ventured in, it gradually appeared that it might be an arts precinct with signs indicating a Cineteca and various shows. A few people were around, but not many, until we heard a buzz of voices coming from a building. It turned out to be a rather stylish Bar-Cafe-Performance Space, Las Naves del Espagnol. We had a lovely drink and a couple of shared dishes there and learnt from the waiter that the building was an old abattoir. Love old buildings being re-purposed, and we thank the closed restaurant for sending us on a hunt cos we found a little treasure.

Three-words-of-the-day (of two days, on this occasion)

LEN: Back In Madrid
SUE: Mediterranean, Casual, Friendly

and the stills…

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