Madrid was definitely not a love at first sight like Italian cities, nor did it give me an ambivalent feeling like London.Only strange feeling I had was that I somehow felt like I've always lived there. It helped that Madrid felt so much like my native Seoul. It is strange why I felt that way, but I felt it nonetheless.The very first site I saw on foot was the Temple of Debod. An Egyptian temple smack in the middle of the city. Jardin and Back of Palacio Real
Madrid is full of these little plazas...We walked without map, without direction in our minds, but somehow, these little plazas found us. Catedral de la Almudena
This is just one of random building in Madrid. There are many such buildings crowding the street. It is fun just looking at the buildings and speculate when and how it came to be. Post Office
I believe this is close to the famous hotel Ritz. It looks like another historical building, but this is some sort of hotel as well.As old as this clock looks, I believe it was still working in perfect order. Something to be said about the craftsmanship of old aged things... Bolsa de Madrid
No one would guess what this place is...It looks something like a indoor garde, but it is actually a train station! Whatever the weather is outside, inside, it is always warm and humid, like a tropical jungle. There is a really quaint little restaurant/coffee shop upstairs that one can relax while drinking cafe solo. Plaza Mayor |
Temple of Debod
Palacio Real...it
is a royal palace, but since it seems to be younger than any palace I
have seen so far, it felt less impressive to my eyes. It was also
relatively small compared to some of the palaces in France or Italy.The Jardin leading to the Palace was quite lovely...
Plaza Oriente
 This Cathedral was
rather strange. From the outside, it looked almost like an old Gothic
Cathedral, but once inside, it is easy to tell that it was not built
long ago, but only recently.
Of course, recently in terms of the history of Spain. It is still much older than anything I would find around my house.
Madrid Edificio...
No one would
believe this beautiful and huge building is nothing more than a post
office. It almost seems a waste, but at least the building exists with
some purpose...
I have a feeling that such building would have turned into a historical landmark it were to exist here.
The clock building near Ritz
Estacion Atocha
 This is supposed to
be one of the oldest plazas in Madrid El Centro. I must have bumped
into this plaza about dozen times during the walk.During
the day, there were street performers and plaza was filled with
people...mostly tourists of course. There are many outdoor tables where
one can enjoy food or a cup of cafe. |
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