Winter snapshot of Madrid, Spain

Flying is such a great way to travel! One usually has a glimpse of the land of one's destination and flying over the Spanish countryside, over the 'swirly' mountain ranges, which looked as if they had been 'combed' in white snow, we reached the different shades of brown flattish countryside around Madrid. That's interesting, I thought, no snow! A few days ago I had received an email from a Swedish relative wondering if we had encountered a blanket of snow in Madrid. From the air the city did not look as if it had suffered from any snow at all. It was not until we taxied into the airport that we noticed that there were quite a few large clumps of snow on either side of the runway.

Madrid Barajas International Airport is huge. Situated about 13 kilometers from Madrid, it is a central hub for travellers, including to South and Central America, and Cuba. In 2006 a new extension was added to the airport, doubling its capacity. The terminal we arrived in and travelled to Cuba from, was light, airy, spacious and clean, and pleasantly free of travelling crowds. It even had a few sculptures here and there - some of which are in the slideshow. Our first glimpse of Madrid while travelling in from the Madrid Barajas International Airport, was a city of low buildings, apart from 4 skyscrapers on the horizon. Apparently these buildings, all individually architecturally designed, are part of Madrid's new business centre in the north of the city. Soon they will be joined by Spain's biggest, and brand new convention centre which will be shaped like the rising sun, reflecting Madrid's growth.

It was most pleasant to stroll around Madrid's City Centre, enjoying the large silvery fountains and feeling of light airy space. The temperature was a cool but dry 6 degrees and we were able to shed more layers of winter clothng. The city is around 100 years old, so the buildings are not too tall, plain with decorative features near the tops (sorry don't know the style) and the footpaths and boulevards wide. Madrid citizens are great walkers, and indeed the later in the day it became, the bigger the crowds grew in the shopping streets. However the wide boulevards in the middle of other wide streets were not too crowded as to make walking a mission, as it was not quite warm enough to sit outside in the cafes.

Yes, I know we said that we had had enough of museums!!! But we could not resist a peek at the Titanic exhibition which, even though most of us know the story inside out, was well worth the visit. As a result I and Daughter-in-Law each now own a necklace featuring a piece of coal off the Titanic!! And yes, we had a look through the Royal Palace, with it's luxurious velvet hangings and drapes, and inspected the huge and most impressive Armoury. Not only that, we just had to visit the Museo Nacionale de Prado. We spent about 3 hours in this world renowned National Museum, which, in its programme, had noted all the 'must see' art works and sculptures in its huge collection, which was very useful. Works by Spaniards Goya, Greco, Rembrandt, Rubens and Gainsborough have been beautifully restored and displayed in large spaces. Ideal for viewing, especially as it was winter and not the tourist season so we could see everything at our leisure. When we left the Museo Nacional late in the day we noticed a very long queue of people outside the entrance. We found out that the museum offers free entry on Sundays at 5pm and one weeknight free of charge, to residents who are unable to pay the entrance fee.

But the most interesting and eyecatching exhibition was an outdoor public event, the Cow Parade! They have done quite a bit of travelling since their visit to Auckland, New Zealand, a couple of years ago. These fibreglass, lifesized cows travel the world and are painted by artists in the various locations. At the end of each exhibition the cows are auctioned off for charity. After their Madrid sojourn they will be on display in Hong Kong.

Now, after 6 weeks of travelling to Europe in winter I am hankering for some sunshine and warmth. Thank goodness we are travelling to Cuba tonight......