Paris1972-Versailles2003

I came into some older personal pictures of my dear Madrid , and decided need to have them here for the memories of always, I spent a wonderful time as an early child here with my dear late mother Gladys and always in my heart, as from Madrid to heaven and a hole in it to look down on it everyday !!!, Therefore, here is my humble thank you rendition to my personal memories of Madrid !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

When I arrived in Madrid as a 10 years old boy with my dear mom Gladys we lived in a modest apartment or piso at Calle de Alcalà 331, 2do A , Bùzon 67, Madrid 27, or at the 331 Alcalà street, 2nd floor apartment A, mailbox 67, Madrid zip/postal code 28027. The door of the apartment building was right there by metro Quintana ,line 5 , This was past the Ventas monumental bullfight ring into working class Madrid. Memories that will never go away even if in those early days of the 1970’s with my Mom Gladys,so poor had no camera no photos to show; it is all in my mind. This is  Calle Alcalà, where the world seems different and harder to understand from an early teen point of view. I have come many times, a must like a pilgrim back to the source! Across diagonally was the Plaza Quintana at Calle de Alcalà, 339 , It is for short between Calle de la Argentina and Calle Virgen del Sagrario, The neighborhood of  Quintana  is in district Ciudad Lineal  of Madrid.  The neighborhood have change a lot since my times there, but I always make a point to stop by when in the city. Memories forever with my dear late mom Gladys!!! Several buses passes by it such as  The No 113 (this was my bus !!! when it was called the P13) connects Quintana Méndez Álvaro bus Station and with Ciudad Lineal. As well as my old baseball park La Elipa,still there and home to Madrid baseball association (see post) No web not a tourist area !

Another one that comes to mind is the wonderful Paseo de Recoletos ,a wide boulevard leading from Plaza de Cibeles to Plaza de Colón. The center part of the boulevard is a pedestrian walk, lined with gardens, trees, statues, fountains and varied street furniture.It has one of my favorite underground parking there too ! One memorable spot was and is the Café El Espejo  at Paseo de Recoletos no, 31, another quant historical café with an impressive glass pavilion influenced by Art Nouveau. I took my dear late wife Martine and the boys here too as well as my dear late father/mother Elio/Gladys, The Cafe Restaurante El Espejo, is another institution on a well travel road, my first taste of Madrid with my new wife back in 1990 and a sure stop to impressed as well as many more after that. You wont go wrong here while watching Madrid walk by you on the Paseo de Recoletos, Resto webpage:  http://www.elespejonouveau.com/espejodecolon/index.php

The Madrid tourist office on the Paseo de Recoletos :https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/paseo-de-recoletos

The first store we went was El Corte Inglés (English cut), We had a voucher from the Batista foundation (Cuba’s former dictator) who gave every new Cuban arrival 2000 pesetas to buy clothing there, It was good for a nice coat to be ready to face the winter which we were not used to at the time, My dear late mom Gladys took me as a child and I have been coming back ever since even ordering from my new home in France. I have to come back to Calle Preciados. The complex of El Corte Inglés here is huge, after they purchase the whole block from another store we went the Galerias Preciados. The stores covered the entire block square starting at Calle Preciados, 1,2,3 and Calle Abadia 5,and Plaza de Callao 2. The Calle Preciados goes back to Plaza de Callao the store on your left coming towards Puerta del Sol. The chain was formed by the first President Pepín Fernandez, who like Ramon Areces had formed with César Rodríguez the El Encanto dept store in Havana, ( itself copied after the Galeries Lafayette of Paris and the store of my family ;clients for life, now gone of course) , Memories forever and glad was able to bring my parents and boys here several times afterward over the years, Memories forever ! El Corte Inglés Webpage : https://www.elcorteingles.es/centroscomerciales/es/eci/centros/centro-comercial-preciados-callao

Once coming to Madrid and with boys as little as 6 mos old we took them around once able to walk we took them to the Parque de Atracciones or amusement park, you will enjoy our favorites Nickelodeon Land, Lanzadera ,Tornado and Abismo that are rollercoasters, and the Walking Dead Experience rides. The Amusement Park is in the Batán area of Casa de Campo. It has two entrance doors: by the Tranquility Zone and by Nickelodeonland, 50 meters from the Batan metro/subway station. The park can be accessed by car on the M30 beltway direction Badajoz exit/Salida Parque de Atracciones / Casa de Campo, although it is also connected to public transport by the Batán Metro station line 10 and by bus lines 33 (Principe Pio-Casa de Campo ), 55 (Atocha-Batàn) and 65 (Plaza Jacinto Benavente-Colonia Gran Capitàn. However, when I came with the family we went there by taking the cable car or téléferico de Rosales (see post) from Paseo del Pintor Rosales in Parque del Oeste. We of course, needed to come several times with the boys, Memories forever !!! Official webpage : https://www.parquedeatracciones.es/en

The Plaza de Colón is named after Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon). Located at the intersection of the districts of the Centro, Chamberí and Salamanca, the square has a large open space known as the Gardens of Discovery  I first took my girlfriend  in September 1990, later wife and now dear late wife Martine. It was a moment to impress the new girl and book the Fénix Tryp hotel at Calle Hermosilla, no 2  just after the Plaza de Colon with windows looking over it. Now it is a Melia Hotels property. The hotel is an icon for us as well. We even have visited couple times afterward! Decorations inside are the same! Other memorable moment of this Plaza de Colon is that upon visiting with my girlfriend we needed to take money out, first time needed to do this in Spain for me!.This was back when there were French Francs and Pesetas !!! Looking ,asking finally at the hotel there was a Barclays bank across from Plaza Colon, 2  and we did!  Well the Barclays left ,after 50 years at this location, The new owners of the Torres de Colon building is Mutua Madrileña (ins co) ,,and they are preparing a renovation that is presume to be finish in 2023. The towers are 107 meters high and with the canopy roof is 116 meters with 23 floors serve by 12 elevators/lifts that moves at 3,5 meters per second The Madrid tourist office on them : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/torres-colon

The Plaza de Espana. Many times came here with my dear late mother Gladys to seek history of our Spain, and play and get some refreshing afternoon splash on the fountain , and more… All again repeated bringing my girlfriend and the then dear late wife Martine, as well as the boys. The ladies always in our hearts.  The square is very central to many nice things to do and gorgeous parks , as well on the ending of the Gran Via and continuation into Calle de la Princesa all the way to the Faro de Moncloa and Arco de la Victoria, many times walk the beat , gorgeous just thinking about it. It is best known for the statue at the center dedicated to the Spanish  writer Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra and for the skyscrapers that border it that are the Edificio Espana (built 1953 with 117 meters/ 384 feet)  and the Torre Madrid (built 1957 with 142 meters/ 466 feet).  In front of the statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, a pond of rectangular form is located that forms one of the most typical views of the Spanish capital, since just behind it see the buildings of Torre de Madrid and Edificio España. The Madrid tourist office on the square : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/plaza-de-espana

I have to come back to the Parque del Buen Retiro park,each time in Madrid, This is a must for the memories’ sake of always, This was my playground per se when a young boy in the City, and later visits, It was/is not far from my apartment/piso when lived in Madrid and many times thereafter, chasing,and eating , playing you name it in it. The park of my first loves, my youth, my adolescent my early days of free life in my dear Madrid. Even here, my journey with what later became my wife started, my dear late wife Martine (our first trip out of France with her I had to take her to Madrid and the Retiro was grand ) she always loved to come here each year with me and then with the boys. I can say my life can be resume with one word Retiro. It was home away from home and just love it enormously, can’t visit Madrid without been at the Parque del Buen Retiro!  The Madrid tourist office on the Retiro park : https://www.esmadrid.com/en/tourist-information/parque-del-retiro

From Madrid to heaven and a hole in the sky to look down on it everyday!!! yes!! There you go folks a bit more about me, my blog and my beautiful experience in my Madrid! Always thankful and always remember it. I always thanks my Mom Gladys for taking me there first !!! Again, hope you enjoy this nostalgic post on my personal memories of Madrid !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!