My plan was to nap just a wee bit, having slept fitfully on the flight over, then visit the Parque El Buen Retiro (literally Park of the Pleasant Retreat), which must be about 2 square miles, to walk off my jet lag. I remember setting the alarm for 1 hour but woke up at 3:30, past the hottest part of the day. Thank goodness Madrid is a city that stays up late. Everything I wanted to visit stays open until 9 or 10 p.m. so my over-sleeping was perfect.
From the air, Madrid seems to be on somewhat of a plain, you know, the one the rain stays on. But as I began walking, I realised that the park was UP from my hotel. As I approached the city's largest park, soulful R&B, mostly B, came blasting my way. At first I thought it might be coming from the various cars on the road but the music, loud and consistent in decibels appeared to come from the Park. Following the music I walked all the way up to the Monument of Alfonso XII, a rather large lake with a many-columned amphitheater on one side. Strong, good-looking young Spanish boys, splashing and laughing, rowed small blue boats all over the lake. A larger excursion boat deftly lumbered its way among them like a graceful dowager with a much younger court.
The music, coming from large speakers on the steps in front of the columns, suddenly ceased abruptly. I will probably never know exactly why the music called me there but I snapped my way around the lake, taking many pictures of the green oasis and its local ducks and swans. Several small cafes around the lake tempted but this was my first night in Madrid and I was determined to see as much of the Park as possible on this night. How a city treats its outside spaces tells me a lot about the people of the place and this Park was telling me that Madrelenos are comfortable with the outdoors. Madrelenos are careful with their Park, proud of its deep and inviting shade and ancient trees. I saw very little litter or graffiti for so many people about.
I enjoy a city that commandeers so much valuable land for its main city park. Madrelenos were everywhere on the spacious grass lawns, visiting the exhibits in the Palacio de Velaquez and its sister building the Palacio de Cristal. Lovers, young and old alike, were entwined with the familiarity of love, embracing each other with their eyes, their legs, their arms. A young father kept a tender eye on his toddler as he attempted to perform crunches on the lawn. Small packs of young students wandered with their elbows entwined or sat on the grass talking and laughing as happy young people do.
Alfonso's monument is only one of the several public buildings in this Park and has I rounded the lake, I saw the beautiful brick Palacio de Valequez, with very clean marble steps and very old tiled frescos painted at the entry and along the base of the building. The Palacio currently hosts a retrospective art exhibit for Carlos Andre, a minimalist artist who sought to explore the essence of an object 'by employing industrial materials and processes that allow serial reproduction, eliminating the subjective trace that most artwork would refer exclusively to itself' (brochure). His stark, almost industrial, pieces were precise and engaging at the same time. I took many more pictures.
Conscious of the time, I sought out the Crystal Palace, a glass structure reminiscent of an enormous and beautiful greenhouse. As I approached, I was awarded with quite a surprise as a giant Berber tent had been set up inside the pavilion, brightly dyed cotton sheets moving in the light breeze. Inside the tent were Madrelenos, old and young, lounging on the comfortable cubes and rugs set up inside the enormous tent. Some were listening to an explanation of the exhibit on a TV screen; others were lounging, or talking animatedly with their little ones playing in this delightful space. The exhibit, called 'Tuiza', refers to an act of gathering, participating and constructing something with everyone's collaboration. In a very real sense, all visitors to Tuiza are 'performing', becoming part of the exhibit on how space can be designed to encourage hospitality and conversation among cultures. I stayed briefly, becoming part of the performance myself. As I left, I saw a young man performing handstands to impress his laughing lady love.
I continued around the small pond in front of the Palace. Without boats to discourage the wildlife, the pond teamed with ducks and swans, one Mallard so fat he wobbled along the edge of the pond. A large sunny rock protruding into the pond provided a comfortable roost for quite a few turtles. The Park, with its deep shade and ancient trees, truly does emit a wonderful peace and tranquility and is a well used space by a people who love their outdoor spaces.
As I walked down the hill toward the Btanical Gardens past attractive apartment blocks, I thought about what it must be like to live in such a city as Madrid. As densely populated as it is, its people have determined that outdoor spaces are important. Many of the apartments had lovingly tended balconies with potted greenery and flowers. I see the lure of the city such as Madrid. I'm sure Madrid has its ghettos and barrios but in this part of Madrid the attention to beauty is obvious. And lucky are the apartment dwellers whose tidy balconies overlook the Botanical Gardens!
The Garden is in transition right now-the roses have already flowered, the peonies on the wane. But the blossoms that remain are full of colour and beauty. This Garden not only displays florals also herbs and vegetables that might be found in the surrounding countryside. I didn't really expect this and was so pleased to be assaulted with the scent of not only roses but mint and dill and garlic. A sensuous feast for sure.
I wandered around the Garden, open in the summer in till 9 p.m., until a fit of coughing reminded me that the pollen count had to be very high in that verdant place. The wind had picked up and I could see a vague fog of dust and pollen in the remaining beams of the sun. Time for me to get back to my hotel for a bit of dinner and bed. As I left the Garden and approached the venerable Prado, my heart beat more quickly with the promise of tomorrow-an entire city block devoted to art. Beauty stirs my soul and my soul, having had a taste of beauty all afternoon, was yearning for more.
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