Madrid will always be the real heart of Spain
It is one of the simplest memorials you will ever see. A small tower that glitters in the sunlight, fashioned from some 15,000 glass bricks. To appreciate the full effect of this elegant 12-metrehigh cylinder you need to stand underneath – as you can – and look up. That’s when you see all the inscriptions – messages of condolence, one after another, messages received on the days after ten bombs exploded in Madrid, killing 191 people from 17 different countries, and injuring a further 2,000. One of the darkest days ever experienced by a country with its own already dark past. It was the morning of March 11, 2004 when the bombs went off. Exactly 14 years ago today.
I’d been there a few weeks before on a visit to this, my favourite city in all of Spain. I’d actually been there a number of times before 2004, and I’ve been many times since, the last occasion being in October 2015.
The bombings on that awful day in 2004 targeted commuters on trains, and the city’s main Atocha railway station witnessed four of the blasts. The place was decimated.
When I was back there two and a half years ago I did what I hadn’t really done in the intervening years – I treated Atocha as one of the city’s attractions (which it actually is) and wandered along there from the Prado Museum (a fiveminute walk) on a weekday morning to see just how successfully Atocha had risen from its al-Qaeda ashes.
The answer? Magnificently. The bottom of the glass cylinder can be accessed from the station and is a poignant and lasting reminder of that awful day in 2004. But the real surprise was the station itself which is simply beautiful, and comes with its own stunning tropical botanical garden in the lower concourse. I wandered here, amid the gigantic Triffid-like tropical plants and the water features, admiring the turtles and the overall effect of this stunningly-designed station. How stunning? Well, Heuston or Connolly it certainly ain’t.
As regular readers will know, I really love Madrid. So, today, to mark the anniversary of its terrible terrorist atrocity, and to celebrate its resilience and its can-do spirit, here, apart from Atocha itself, are my other recommendations for your ‘Must-see/do List’ if you happen to find yourself in the Spanish capital.
Spend a Sunday afternoon in the city’s Retiro Park. Just wander here among the locals in this, Madrid’s answer to New York’s Central Park. Walk, stop for coffee or ice-cream, or hire a boat and potter about on the lake. Only a ten-minute walk from the Prado.
Obviously the Prado is on many people’s radars when they visit Madrid and, yes, it’s magnificent. (I love the Goyas and the paintings by Velazquez.) But if I had to recommend only one art gallery in the city I’d plump for the modern and contemporary collection of the Reina Sofia. Picasso’s Guernica apart, this gallery has so much to offer – and a trip in those exterior glass lifts is enough to keep the kids happy for a while!
Okay, so this is a must-do that only applies to prawn-lovers, but if that’s to your taste then don’t miss Casa del Abuelo. It’s a spit-and-sawdust tapas bar on Calle de la Victoria, close to Puerto del Sol and Plaza Mayor. Stand at the bar (there are no seats) and choose from their selection of prawn tapas (the sizzling pans of garlic-infused prawns are fantastic), washed down with a glass of their own-label (no other choice) red or white wine.
Go window shopping in the city’s upmarket designer shopping district of Salamanca, especially around Calle de Serrano and Calle de Goya. This is serious Gucci, Armani and Tiffany territory. If that’s all too much for you to contemplate then there’s also a branch of the more accessible El Corte Ingles department store in this neck of the woods.
Plaza Mayor, the city’s vast 16th century square, is undoubtedly stunning and great people-watching territory. I prefer to sit at one of the outdoor cafe bars in Plaza Santa Ana, however. Still a bit touristy, of course, but more intimate, and with better food.
Get up early and mingle with the Madrilenos and the tourists at El Rastro. This is the biggest flea market in Spain and spills out over myriad streets in the Madrid’s city centre every Sunday. Antiques, bric-a-brac, clothes, jewellery, memorabilia... it’s all here. Lots of cafes are open along the route where you can stop for a break. Great atmosphere, but watch out for pickpockets.
Wander through La Latina after dark. The oldest district in the city, it’s characterised by its narrow streets – and profusion of bars and restaurants. VERY lively at weekends, it’s also here that you’ll find some authentic flamenco bars of the singing, rather than dancing, variety. La Solea – two rooms, a simple hatch set-up for serving basic drinks, and with locals singing spontaneously – was the daddy of them all back in the day. Confusion abounds nowadays as to whether it has closed temporarily, or moved to different premises. Worth a walk along to its original premises in La Latina at 27 Calle Cava Baja to check out the current state of play. It only ever opened at around 11pm – and didn’t close until dawn. You have been warned!