After a great sleep, and slowly getting back to our normal schedule, we set out by 7:30 AM for Plaza de España, our meeting spot for the morning events. As usual, we arrived early and toured the area locating our eventual pick up spot. Plaza de España, like so many European squares, hosts a large popular monument. In this plaza we found a dedication to Miguel de Cervantes, writer of the world famous story of Don Quixote.
We had arranged through Viatour (Julia Tours) a half day (5 hr) excursion outside the city to El Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen. By coach bus, we wound our way the 40 minutes west past mountain vistas towards El Escorial. Our relaxed and knowledgeable tour guide, who gently strolled the grounds of both these sites, kept us in tune with information on the trek out of the city and organized when we arrived at The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo of El Escorial, the historical residence of the King of Spain and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Palace was built by the austere, religious Philip II of Spain. The buildings seemed to be two-fold in purpose, meeting requirements of the royal seat of government while maintaining a cathedral and working monastery. Although vast in size, it’s minimalist furnishings and fixtures provide stark contrast for visitors. While there we toured the quiet courtyard, rooms of the palace, crypt and cathedral.
Several things stood out during the tour. The highlight may have been the crypt. This Pantheon of Kings hosted Kings and Queens of Spain, all neatly arranged and “stacked” in a round, stone room was impressive. We also noted that the attachment of the separate bedrooms of both the King and Queen to the Cathedral were unique. Very indicative of the strong link between the Catholic church and the monarch.
For something very different, the second stop of the tour saw us at the doorstep of dictator Francisco Franco, the Valley of the Fallen (Valle de los Caídos). The monument, intended to commemorate all those who died on both sides during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), is inevitably associated with Franco’s regime since the late General is buried inside the basilica and he ordered its construction. Some 40,000 Republican and Nationalist soldiers are said to be entombed in the side alters which burrow deeply into the mountainside location. It is an impressive site, being one of Europe’s longest places of worship and hosting one of the largest crosses in the world. Our guide told us that many visitors refuse to enter after learning of Franco’s involvement with the site, and we got the sense that passions still run high when he becomes the topic of conversation, some 40 years after his death. Interesting visit… for such a vast room it had a very strange, almost uncomfortable feel! This BBC article captures the predicament nicely.
Upon our return we set out to walk back to Hotel Europa and catch an afternoon siesta! Choosing a different route from the morning, we took a short cut through Gardens outside Palacio Real. Gorgeous walk through… reminiscent of an ancient roman garden with pruned trees and large white marble statues. We were to return at a later point to visit the palace, which sharply contrasted the modest interior of El Escorial. Of note, on our way home we stopped to splurge on two fun calamari sandwiches in a very busy eatery. After squeezing our way to the front, we ordered up sandwiches and cerveza. Although not in the leaflet for Canada’s Food Guide, these babies hit the spot and we enjoyed the noisy, stand up ambiance! Neat… wrappers and left over sandwich never found a place on the counter, instead finding the way directly to the floor as patrons finished and left. Then… siesta!
Special treat for this evening… football at Stadium Santiago Bernabéu with Real Madrid facing Levante, out of Valencia. Football in Europe is always an experience, this being our third such visit to games abroad. We hiked out via subway (totally clean compared to the sandwich bar) and stopped just south of Bernabéu Stadium. Ticket louts and merchants hawking scarves, t-shirts and all manner of product surrounded the stadium.
Inside we climbed to our Level 5 seats that gave us a decent view of the expanse of the pitch. Of note, the stadium is dry, with no liquor sales during the event. It felt much safer than our previous football match visits, almost having a family atmosphere. This was also the first and only time I was cold during the trip, as a cool breeze rolled from the open back of the stadium around our seats. I was dreading having not pulled a sweater on. To my surprise, just minutes before the game, I could feel heat hitting my face. They had turned on the above heat lamps (a la Antigonish Arena) and all was good.. felt like a Big Mac for the rest of the evening!
As for the match, we saw the home team soundly defeat the visitors 2-Nil with some 64,500 happy fans in attendance. Ronaldo was on the field, but his effort was largely ineffective. Regardless, Levante was overwhelmed by the home squad and the outcome never seemed in doubt. We departed with about 10 minutes left to get the jump on the subway and avoid the throngs that would surely arrive in short order. Great trip home and awesome evening!