Having relatives visit is almost always stressful, but in a shocking twist, a back-to-back, grandparent-filled weekend offered me peace and many new fun-facts to dish out. As any grandparent loves a good tour – from food to culture – my days were filled with activities. After a childhood crammed full of museum visits in an effort to teach me something (it didn’t work), I meet the idea of tours with disdain- I find them boring. Yet today, I am happy to report that once I accepted my new weekend job as a tourist in Madrid, I learned that this city not only has an interesting contemporary scene but also a fascinating past. With my combined knowledge of both new and old elements, I consider myself somewhat of a tour guide now, just without the formal education Spain requires. Now, let me take you on my tour of Madrid, and hopefully, you can use some of these ideas to get excited about the city.
If you are more like my grandfather, Marc, you resonate more with history, something Madrid has both explicitly and implicitly. Here, I offer you the two great historical places we visited and a list of others to check out.
Historical Sites
Gran Via
My tour began on Gran Via, and so will yours! The construction of the road itself dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries when buildings were destroyed in attempts to provide Madrid with a large main road. The global influences that mainly shaped the city and this street can be seen in the primarily French-style architecture. Sticking out like a sore thumb are the ‘American fashioned’ buildings, which found their way to the city as jazz blossomed and influenced Madrid bar scenes, converting them into live music spots. A perfect example of American and French presence on Gran Via is the highly unique McDonalds. Upholding the historic roots of French architecture, McDonalds maintained the marble stairs and columns previously created while still pushing American supersized fast food on the Spanish.
Royal Palace of Madrid
You may not know that Madrid is derived from the Arabic word ‘magerit,’ meaning place of water – I didn’t. You may also not know that much of Spanish architecture is influenced by Islamic style choices. However, this is all reflected in the history of the Royal Palace of Madrid. Originally called the Royal Alcazar, the structure served as a fortress to protect the area where the controlling Muslim empire resided. It remained under Muslim control until the Christian empire conquered the area in around the 11th century. Unfortunately, Alcazar burned down on Christmas Eve and was later reconstructed, over 26 years, into the Royal Palace of Madrid.
Other Historical Sites:
- La Almudena Cathedral
- Plaza Mayor
- De La Via Square
- Puerta de Sol (Kilometer Zero)
But maybe you’re more like my Grandma, Eva, who fancies the beauty of a place more than its past. If so, I also acquired some ‘natural knowledge,’ if you would.
Nature
Casa de Campo
Constructed initially as a hunting area for King Philip II, it is currently open to the public as an entertainment park with a zoo and an artificial lake. Measuring around 4,200 acres, the park more than rivals New York’s famous Central Park, in size at least.
Royal Botanical Garden
Located near the Prado and Thyssen museums, this garden offers a total escape to the hectic tourist crowd outside while still centrally located. It’s a perfect post-museum activity containing plants from all over the world, my favorites being their array of chiles and peppers. And the best part is the mere one euro admission fee for students.
Food
Finally, perhaps you align mostly with my other Grandma, Letty, and me. When we go on vacation, we tend to jump at any food-related event advertised on Trip Advisor, especially if it has the word ‘Bottomless.’ And that’s precisely what we did (and what I’ll promote today): the bottomless paella cooking class hosted by the Cooking Clubhouse.
Offering a respite from traditional tapas, this class provided a perfect setting to learn how to cook Paella… (slightly tipsy). The ingredients were pre-cut to save time, but the essential cooking techniques for a perfect paella relied on us. The us being my grandmother and I, who at this point were already drunk from the wine offered at the door. Regardless, after excellent explanation and handholding, everyone made different paellas (meat, shrimp, squid ink, and ours – easily identifiable as the overly salted vegetable). Then, you could sample everyone’s dishes and other appetizers the chef cooked in a beautiful and historic cave that used to be a coal factory. Maybe the bottomless cooking class is the friends we make along the way, as I now have the numbers of two Americans living here and one set of Mormon missionaries (don’t ask. I don’t know why). Overall, it was a 10/10 experience, and I don’t think it was just the wine.
Madrid as a tourist destination is quite excellent. Coming from a young country myself (shoutout U.S.A), it’s not every day you stumble upon ruins from the 16th century or earlier. And coming from an incredibly overpriced state (shoutout California), it’s not every day you can do a cooking class without breaking your bank – or even go to the botanical gardens without paying an arm and a leg. So take advantage of Madrid’s many promises and understand these are just a few fun ideas, but if you take anything away from this, go to the bottomless cooking class and bring your elderly family.
Featured Image Courtesy of Madrid Sensations Tour (2017)
