Plaza Mayor walkabout

MADRID’S Plaza Mayor is a place you can spend all afternoon doing nothing at all. Take a siesta here, right in the open. This is quite the “authentic Madrid experience,” says the Insider City Guides of UK.

Don’t worry, no one will bat an eyelid. The short afternoon nap from a quarter of an hour to a half hour has been the local culture for ages.

Usually the locals have a shut eye between 2pm and 5pm to rest in the hot afternoon after a hectic morning and prep themselves up for another busy time in the later part of the day.

You may sigh in frustration when you are up and about shopping in this sizzling city only to find shops closed in the afternoon.

Don’t spoil your mood; know that having a siesta is serious business for the Spanish. Take heed of the Malay proverb

which has similar meaning to “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. Follow the laws and culture of where you are.

PLAZA MAYOR

While you have a choice to take a siesta yourself in the comfort of your hotel room, you may want to linger in the heart of the city.

Join throngs of locals and tourists at Plaza Mayor with its open and sprawling grand central square.

Tucked in the tightly squeezed streets of central Madrid, the cobblestoned square is one of the loveliest open spaces in Spain.

If you don’t feel like having a siesta here, walk about instead and discover outstanding architecture, imposing statues and dancing water fountains.

Join the walking tour, which begins from the square, and you’ll get to listen to the city’s historical tales and see the vibrant street life coursing across the open square and then to the lanes leading out into the labyrinth that makes Madrid an enchanting city.

Ochre-hued apartments with 237 wrought-iron balconies and slate spires dominate the skyline at Plaza Mayor, lending an air of grandeur.

These apartments stand uniformly on three sides, enclosing the square that dates back to the 17th century.

Offsetting the balconies are the century’s exquisite frescoes — large murals painted Italian Renaissance-style and produced to be part of the buildings.

In 1992, artist Carlos Franco worked on new frescoes bearing the images from the signs of the zodiac and gods that further add to the striking backdrop of the plaza. That year, Madrid was inaugurated as the Part of the more than 200 wrought-iron balconies, offset by large Italian Renaissance murals. The open square of Plaza Mayor is perfect to spend a lazy afternoon or have a siesta like the Madrilanos.

European Capital of Culture.

The first public ceremony was held in 1619 to mark the beatification of San Isidro, the patron saint of the city. But the site has also witnessed gory scenes.

Tried and executed here during the Spanish Inquisition were supposed heretics, accused of not conforming to established beliefs. They were burned at the stake. Many were hanged, with hangings done in the south of the square while others died by garrotte on the north side. These lasted until 1790. A fire then ravaged the square.

The city authorities had it rebuilt under the supervision of Juan de Villanueva, largely credited to the building that now houses the Museo del Prad, the main Spanish national art museum that features one of the world’s finest collections of European art.

The plaza later hosted mind-numbing bullfights, attracting some 50,000 spectators. Members of the royalty watched from their privileged balconies around the square.

Bullfights were often held to celebrate royal weddings or births. It’s not hard to imagine the scene as you sit or walk around the square.

OTHER PLAZAS

Go down the hill to the west of Plaza Mayor, you’ll come across Plaza de la Villa, an excellent example of 17th-century barroco madrileno architecture.

Particular to Madrid, it is a subdued but pleasing fusion of brick and stone. Moving to the square’s eastern side, you can’t miss the commanding Gothic tower, Torre de los Lujanes. It bears traces of Moorish design, a reminder of Spain’s seven centuries of Islamic rule.

Southeast of the Plaza Mayor is the Plaza de Santa Ana, which was once another popular spot for Madrid’s bullfighting.

Today, it is a vibrant hub of the Spanish barrio life - the daily life of the locals as they go about their routines in the neighbourhood.It’s also the hub for informal fiestas that ripple out across the city each night.

The Spanish fiestas, like their siestas, will also give you the authentic Madrid experience. You won’t want to miss it, for if you do, you won’t really know what makes the throbbing city tick. Tourists gather at the grand square before they go on a walking tour of

the city.