Visiting Madrid is a culture explosion. Not only is it great to see the mix of modern and traditional, it’s easy to see why it is the beating heart of a vibrant Spanish culture. Wandering around the vast metropolitan city there is such a diverse choice of sights to see, with plenty of cafes and restaurants around, allowing you to do the Spaniards favourite thing… chat animatedly, people watch and drink coffee… or wine with a few dishes of tasty tapas.
Their art galleries are world class with the El Prado, the Reina Sofia to the Thyssen-Bornemisza… all within a short walking distance of each other too. Whatever your preference is you can see art from every century, every genre and every major art period.
Madrid is also renowned for their outside spaces too, from the El Retiro park to the Real Jardin Botanical garden. Along with their amazing weather (28 degrees in October) you can enjoy the gardens to the fullest and it is the Real Jardin that I later focus this blog on.
Firstly I must admit some of my personal highlights from the other art galleries… the internal garden at the Reina Sofia is so peaceful and relaxing with an amazing moving Alexander Calder sculpture at its heart, followed by the absolutely magnificent Guernica by Picasso. Not to be missed. Their Surrealism collections featuring plenty of Dali are well worth visiting. A top tip of mine too is to refer to your guidebook as to when the free Gallery times are so you can get in free on certain days and evenings which will save you a small fortune.
So back to the Real Jardin… located in a perfect spot next to the Prado gallery it contains plant species dating back over 2 centuries, spans 8 hectares and is a space of complete peace and quiet whilst in the centre of Madrid. It is also one of the perfect places to eat your lunch.
Concave canvas structure |
On until 10th November
www.rjb.csic.es/jardinbotanico
Leave a Reply
Thanks for your comments. Your email is safe with me.
You must be logged in to post a comment.