Jian Ping's column
A Visit to Madrid, Spain
A Visit to Madrid, Spain
By Jian Ping
I’ve been to quite a few cities in Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam,
Prague, Florence, and Milan, but never anywhere in Spain. So during a recent weekend when
my husband Francis and I sat in front of his computer to make travel plans, we selected Madrid.
Compared to Barcelona, we believed Madrid had more cultural and historical heritage.
We flew from Chicago to Madrid right before Thanksgiving. I read a travel guide on the seven-
plus-hour flight and was ready to check out the city when we arrived early the following morning.
As we always did when visiting London or Paris, we bought two ten-ride tickets for the Metro and
took the train to the Regente, a local hotel on Gran Via in the center of town. Madrid was much
cooler than we expected. We did not bring heavy overcoats and resorted to wearing multi-layers
of clothes. Without much rest, we set out to roam the streets around the Prado Museum, the
Botanic Garden, and the Atocha Railway Station. I was very impressed by the broad streets,
much grander and open than the tour book described, and the city buildings decorated with
elaborate statues and carvings. I also noticed a surprisingly pleasant phenomenon: Madrid’s
bright blue sky—I had never been to a city with a sky so brilliantly blue! I pointed my camera
upwards and tried to capture the pure, fascinating color.
We spent two days in Madrid, walking all over the city. The Egyptian Temple of Debod, the
Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, the Almuden Cathedral, and of course, the Prado Museum
where many paintings by Diego Valezquez, Gredo and Goya were exhibited, and the Plaza de
Espana where a statue of Miguel de Cervantes, along with his two protagonists in Don Quixote
de la Mancha, stood prominently. I also selected a “literary walk” from the tour guide and wanted
to trace the footsteps of Hemingway, Federicao Garcia Lorca, and Cervantes. But the streets in
Madrid were so irregular and the turns so confusing that we soon gave up the attempt. Instead,
we marked the area we wanted to visit each day and guided our walk by checking the city map
posted on a panel above each Metro station. “You’re here,” a red dot indicated. We used
I’ve been to quite a few cities in Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam,
Prague, Florence, and Milan, but never anywhere in Spain. So during a recent weekend when
my husband Francis and I sat in front of his computer to make travel plans, we selected Madrid.
Compared to Barcelona, we believed Madrid had more cultural and historical heritage.
We flew from Chicago to Madrid right before Thanksgiving. I read a travel guide on the seven-
plus-hour flight and was ready to check out the city when we arrived early the following morning.
As we always did when visiting London or Paris, we bought two ten-ride tickets for the Metro and
took the train to the Regente, a local hotel on Gran Via in the center of town. Madrid was much
cooler than we expected. We did not bring heavy overcoats and resorted to wearing multi-layers
of clothes. Without much rest, we set out to roam the streets around the Prado Museum, the
Botanic Garden, and the Atocha Railway Station. I was very impressed by the broad streets,
much grander and open than the tour book described, and the city buildings decorated with
elaborate statues and carvings. I also noticed a surprisingly pleasant phenomenon: Madrid’s
bright blue sky—I had never been to a city with a sky so brilliantly blue! I pointed my camera
upwards and tried to capture the pure, fascinating color.
We spent two days in Madrid, walking all over the city. The Egyptian Temple of Debod, the
Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, the Almuden Cathedral, and of course, the Prado Museum
where many paintings by Diego Valezquez, Gredo and Goya were exhibited, and the Plaza de
Espana where a statue of Miguel de Cervantes, along with his two protagonists in Don Quixote
de la Mancha, stood prominently. I also selected a “literary walk” from the tour guide and wanted
to trace the footsteps of Hemingway, Federicao Garcia Lorca, and Cervantes. But the streets in
Madrid were so irregular and the turns so confusing that we soon gave up the attempt. Instead,
we marked the area we wanted to visit each day and guided our walk by checking the city map
posted on a panel above each Metro station. “You’re here,” a red dot indicated. We used
| Jian Ping |
time we heard a car coming, we had to flatten ourselves against the wall to stay out of the way of the fast moving vehicle. What
was truly magnificent in Toledo wasthe Gothic Cathedral, which took more than two centuries to complete. I had visited the
marvelous Duomos in Florence and Siena in Italy and even climbed to the top of the buildings. But this grandiose Cathedral—
390 ft long, 194 ft wide and 146 ft high, with its extravagant sculptures in multi-layers and gold plated panels, surpassed
anything I had seen. I was awe-struck standing under its enormous arches. I could hardly imagine the power and awe it would
strike over the commoners in mediaeval time.
Coming out of the Cathedral, we walked up and down the streets to look for a good restaurant to have lunch. There were
many tourists in town and it took us a while to locate a restaurant that looked appealing. I was relieved to take off my backpack.
But before I could sit down, I noticed the zipper of my bag was wide open. My heart skipped a beat. Looking inside, I saw that the
second zipper to an inner pocket where I stored my wallet was also open. “No, no, no! It couldn’t be!” Despite my effort to control
myself, these words sprang out of my mouth with fear and anger. Francis had warned me about pickpockets and asked me to
put my passport and wallet in the front pockets of my fleece jacket, under my raincoat. I did, for one day. But the wallet, stacked
was truly magnificent in Toledo wasthe Gothic Cathedral, which took more than two centuries to complete. I had visited the
marvelous Duomos in Florence and Siena in Italy and even climbed to the top of the buildings. But this grandiose Cathedral—
390 ft long, 194 ft wide and 146 ft high, with its extravagant sculptures in multi-layers and gold plated panels, surpassed
anything I had seen. I was awe-struck standing under its enormous arches. I could hardly imagine the power and awe it would
strike over the commoners in mediaeval time.
Coming out of the Cathedral, we walked up and down the streets to look for a good restaurant to have lunch. There were
many tourists in town and it took us a while to locate a restaurant that looked appealing. I was relieved to take off my backpack.
But before I could sit down, I noticed the zipper of my bag was wide open. My heart skipped a beat. Looking inside, I saw that the
second zipper to an inner pocket where I stored my wallet was also open. “No, no, no! It couldn’t be!” Despite my effort to control
myself, these words sprang out of my mouth with fear and anger. Francis had warned me about pickpockets and asked me to
put my passport and wallet in the front pockets of my fleece jacket, under my raincoat. I did, for one day. But the wallet, stacked
| If you want to make a difference in the lives of our residents, visit our website to view and apply for our current openings. www.oakwoodvillage.net Oakwood Village is a Lutheran church-sponsored, not-for-profit, locally operated organization consisting of two continuing care retirement communities, Oakwood Village East and Oakwood Village West, in Madison, Wisconsin. EOEd organization consisting of two continuing care retirement communities, Oakwood Village East and Oakwood Village West, in Madison, Wisconsin. EOE |
Jian Ping is author of “Mulberry Child: A Memoir of China. “ For
more information, visit www.moraquest.com or www.mulberrychild.
com. Jian Ping’s blog, which she keeps with a couple of other
authors, is at www.smearedtype.com.
more information, visit www.moraquest.com or www.mulberrychild.
com. Jian Ping’s blog, which she keeps with a couple of other
authors, is at www.smearedtype.com.
| Me in front of the Egyptian Temple of Debod |
“squares” such as Puerta del Sol and Plaza de Espana or
signature buildings such as the Metropolis Building as
our compass. Getting lost for a few blocks served as a
nice excursion of adventure that gave us a chance to see
side streets and cafes, and we enjoyed the surprises.
I was warned that Spaniards ate late and no
restaurants would open for dinner until after 9 P.M. I didn’t
take it seriously until I was starving at 7 P.M. and couldn’t
find any restaurant that would serve dinner. We searched
up and down the streets and eventually settled with some
simple tapas and pastry. The following day, despite a late
lunch, I still couldn’t wait until 9 P.M. for dinner and ended
up having a light meal of lentil soup and clams,
consumed with a freshly baked roll of bread!
signature buildings such as the Metropolis Building as
our compass. Getting lost for a few blocks served as a
nice excursion of adventure that gave us a chance to see
side streets and cafes, and we enjoyed the surprises.
I was warned that Spaniards ate late and no
restaurants would open for dinner until after 9 P.M. I didn’t
take it seriously until I was starving at 7 P.M. and couldn’t
find any restaurant that would serve dinner. We searched
up and down the streets and eventually settled with some
simple tapas and pastry. The following day, despite a late
lunch, I still couldn’t wait until 9 P.M. for dinner and ended
up having a light meal of lentil soup and clams,
consumed with a freshly baked roll of bread!
(L-R) Statue of Velesquez; Metropolis Building at night.
Suckling pig in a Segovia restaurant
with more than five hundred dollars and some Euros, plus
all my credit cards, driver’s license, insurance, library and
CTA cards, turned out to be too bulky. So I moved it to the
backpack, thinking two zippers would keep it safe. I felt like
an idiot that I had all my valuables on me, all in one place. I
was rendered literally penniless. My stomach churned and
my hunger disappeared. We barely touched the chicken and
beef entrees that we ordered.
“At least, you still have your passport,” Francis tried to
comfort me. I winced.
We visited a few sites in the afternoon, but I could no
longer enjoy the sightseeing. I was a frequent traveler and
had never had my wallet stolen before. Besides kicking
myself for being careless, I felt my sense of safety and
security had been violated.
all my credit cards, driver’s license, insurance, library and
CTA cards, turned out to be too bulky. So I moved it to the
backpack, thinking two zippers would keep it safe. I felt like
an idiot that I had all my valuables on me, all in one place. I
was rendered literally penniless. My stomach churned and
my hunger disappeared. We barely touched the chicken and
beef entrees that we ordered.
“At least, you still have your passport,” Francis tried to
comfort me. I winced.
We visited a few sites in the afternoon, but I could no
longer enjoy the sightseeing. I was a frequent traveler and
had never had my wallet stolen before. Besides kicking
myself for being careless, I felt my sense of safety and
security had been violated.
I was amazed, however, to see Gran Via came alive at night, after 9 o’clock.
Streams of smartly dressed people of all ages strolled along the streets—it was so
crowded that I sometimes had to say “Excuse me” to pass by. People appeared patient
and good natured and all the shops were open. There was a Starbucks and a
MacDonald by our hotel and each night before going to bed, I took my NetBook to one
of these places—I was too cheap to pay the hefty fee charged at the hotel for Internet
access. I used the free Wi-Fi at Starbucks or MacDonald to get online and check my
emails. Both places were packed with so many people at night that each time we
stopped by, I had to look for an empty table like a hawk while Francis stood in line to
buy pastry and drinks. There was no sign of Spain going through their financial crisis,
in these places or the crowded shops along Gran Via.
Another surprising scene that drew my attention every day was the long line of
people purchasing lottery tickets (left). A small store front near our hotel sold a special
“good luck” Christmas lottery and every morning, before the store was open, a line
would form. During the day, when we came back to the hotel to take a break, I saw the
line extended more than half a block to a side street, and in the evening, before the
store was closed, the constant line didn’t get any shorter. It was fascinating to see
people, young and old, patiently waiting in the cold! I wondered if it was a manifestation
of optimism or desperation.
We took Madrid as our base and made two side trips to Toledo and Segovia. The
fast train took about 30 minutes to each of these cities, one in the south, and the other,
north. Toledo looked like a city frozen in medieval times, when it was most prosperous.
Dark streets with cobble stones and old gray buildings hovering over the winding
roads looked ancient and suppressive. Most of the streets were so narrow that each
Streams of smartly dressed people of all ages strolled along the streets—it was so
crowded that I sometimes had to say “Excuse me” to pass by. People appeared patient
and good natured and all the shops were open. There was a Starbucks and a
MacDonald by our hotel and each night before going to bed, I took my NetBook to one
of these places—I was too cheap to pay the hefty fee charged at the hotel for Internet
access. I used the free Wi-Fi at Starbucks or MacDonald to get online and check my
emails. Both places were packed with so many people at night that each time we
stopped by, I had to look for an empty table like a hawk while Francis stood in line to
buy pastry and drinks. There was no sign of Spain going through their financial crisis,
in these places or the crowded shops along Gran Via.
Another surprising scene that drew my attention every day was the long line of
people purchasing lottery tickets (left). A small store front near our hotel sold a special
“good luck” Christmas lottery and every morning, before the store was open, a line
would form. During the day, when we came back to the hotel to take a break, I saw the
line extended more than half a block to a side street, and in the evening, before the
store was closed, the constant line didn’t get any shorter. It was fascinating to see
people, young and old, patiently waiting in the cold! I wondered if it was a manifestation
of optimism or desperation.
We took Madrid as our base and made two side trips to Toledo and Segovia. The
fast train took about 30 minutes to each of these cities, one in the south, and the other,
north. Toledo looked like a city frozen in medieval times, when it was most prosperous.
Dark streets with cobble stones and old gray buildings hovering over the winding
roads looked ancient and suppressive. Most of the streets were so narrow that each