MADRID, THE CAPITAL, A COSMOPOLITAN CITY
Madrid is the capital of Spain and one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Spain, and yet is one which is able to maintain its traditional favour.
DESCRIPTION DE OF THE TRIP
In the morning the trip begins with a walk from the Plaza de España to the Prado Museum, with explanations from the teachers. At the Prado, there will be a guided tour with the accompanying teacher, visiting the rooms dedicated to Goya, Velázquez, El Greco, and El Bosco. Later, at lunch time and in the afternoon, there will be free time to visit other places of interest.
TOUR OF THE CITY
Madrid offers visitors a wide range of options. These are some of the most prominent places we have chosen for our trip:
- Plaza de España: where such emblematic buildings as the Tower of Madrid and the Edificio España (Spain building) can be found, both from the 1950s, together with the statues of Don Quijote and Sancho, and the monument to Cervantes, erected to commemorate the third centenary of the publication of the second part of Don Quijote in 1915. The pond in front of the monument offers one of the most typical views of the city.
- Royal Palace: a building of enormous artistic wealth, which spans the city’s whole history and was the former residence of the Spanish monarchs. Today it is used by the monarch for official ceremonies. Next to the Palace are the monumental Gardens of Sabatini, one of the most beautiful of Madrid’s public parks.
- Plaza de Oriente: situated between the Palace and the Royal Theatre, its gardens house an enormous collection of sculptures of many Spanish monarchs. The Theatre, opposite the Palace, is felt to be one of the most important in Spain and Europe, and each season stages major dance and music shows as well as other events.
- Madrid de los Austrias – Hapsburg Madrid: We will be taking a walk down the Main Street, the Plaza de la Villa, a delightful corner of the city boasting one of the best preserved ensembles of monuments in Madrid (15th to 17th century buildings), and the Main Square, a porticoed square, home to the town’s old market and today one of the most popular tourist areas in Spain.
- La Puerta del Sol: Since 1950, where so–called “kilometre zero” is to be found, the point from which distances to the capital are measured on Spanish roads. There is also a statue of the symbol of the region of Madrid, the Bear and the Strawberry tree, a meeting point for the townsfolk. Every New Year’s Eve, the clock on the Post Office building rings in the New Year.
- The Prado Museum: during the reign of Charles III, work commenced on what has become one of the world’s leading art galleries. It houses works from the Spanish School (Las meninas by Velázquez, El sueño de Jacob by Ribera or Los fusilamientos by Goya.) as well as the Italian School (The Annunciation by Fra Angélico, El Lavatorio by Tintoretto) and Flemish School (The Descent from the Cross by Roger van der Weyden).
There are also a further two major museums that form the so-called “triangle of art”:
- Queen Sophia Museum, housing a collection of contemporary Spanish art
- Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, a collection of international art spanning all periods
For further information on the city of Madrid, you can visit these websites:
http://www.esmadrid.com/es/portal.do http://www.turismomadrid.es/
