by Isabel Eva Bohrer
With family ties to Madrid, I had always viewed the Spanish capital as my second. And, as tends to happen when you consider a place your home, you don’t take time to indulge in what the tourists do. “Leave that museum exhibition for another day,” many people think, and by the time they know it, the exhibit they really wanted to see has moved on to another city. In fact, I have even heard of people traveling to another city far away, to then see a museum exhibition or a theatre show that was in their very hometown only a few months earlier.
As an art lover, I was not going to let this happen with Soledad Sevilla’s exhibition “Written on the Celestial bodies,” on view at the Palacio de Cristal in the Retiro Park in Madrid. The Palacio de Cristal, which literally translates to crystal palace, had always been a favorite building of mine. No matter whether it was early morning, midday, late afternoon or getting dark in the evening, I enjoyed seeing how the sun rays changed the appearance of the palace. The fact that there is a fountain and small lake right in front of the palace makes it an even more pleasant sight to return to time and again. I was now curious to see what Soledad Sevilla had done to the palace; after all, the palace’s exhibitions were put on in conjunction with the Reina Sofia Museum, an art institution whose modern art collection I had admired for a long time.
I had returned from my Christmas vacation abroad on a Friday, January 6th, and still had the weekend off before returning to the hustle and bustle of working in the Spanish capital. The Spaniards themselves were still celebrating; after all, Christmas in Spain takes place on the Día de Reyes, the 6th of January. The sun shining as if spring was about to break out, it was the perfect day to head to the Retiro Park.
Before leaving the house, it also occurred to me that this might be a good opportunity to see if there were some apps that would teach me more about the Park as a whole. I had gone there day after day for my morning runs, but didn’t know a thing about its history. For this particular excursion, I armed myself with the Madrid Walking Tours and Map by GPSmyCity ($4.99 on iTunes).
There are several reasons why I chose this particular app. First, it included a tour of the location I was going to: the Retiro Park. Second, it comes with turn-by-turn directions that are useful for tourists and locals alike. And third, GPSmyCity just recently added a “Create My Own Tour” section, where you can create a custom tour tailored to your needs. Thus, you can start and end your own tour at the hotel you’re staying at, or the nearest metro stop.
I myself decided to test the “Create My Own Tour” function to get from the nearest metro stop, Diego de León, to the first stop on the Retiro tour, the Casita del Pescador. Creating a tour is easy; you just select from the monuments and attractions listed by GPSmyCity. However, to select a location that isn’t listed, such as the metro stop Diego de León, you will need to find it on the map. You then save all the points on your tour and voilà, the task is done. Be aware, however, that you only have 50 attempts to create a custom tour. Chances are that you won’t use all of them, but I still believe that if you buy the app, you should have unlimited chances.
Your tour will show up in the custom tour section, along with a map, turn-by-turn directions and a reverse tour function. The reverse tour function is available for all tours and is indeed very helpful – this way, you’ll know how to get back to the last sight or to the very beginning of the tour without a problem. You can also add a tour description if you want, and the app will automatically calculate distance and time for you. For my particular tour, the calculated distance was 1.72 km and the time 44 mins.
Following my custom tour, I headed west on Calle de Juan Bravo, and continued the turn-by-turn directions all the way to the Puerta de O’Donnell (O’Donnell Gate). I’m a fast walker and it took me less than 30 minutes, so I figured I would keep in mind that all of the app’s tours would take me less than the calculated time.
When I entered the Retiro Park, I quickly realized that I would pass by many sights that were not included in the GPSmyCity walking tour. On my way to the Casita del Pescador, I passed by the remnants of what appeared to me to be a former Roman theatre. However, I cannot say this for sure, and would have appreciated some help from the app.
At the Casita del Pescador, located directly behind these Roman Ruins, I got more of an explanation. It was built by King Ferdinand IV as part of a private garden, the app told me. I tried to imagine what it must have been like to have part of the Retiro as a private garden, but did not succeed – it seemed too good to be true! I guess you have to be part of the Royal family to get such a privilege.
From here, I followed the app’s directions and headed south on Paseo del Duque de Fernán Nuñéz. 446 meters to the next stop, the Monument honoring King Alfonso XII, the app told me. On my way, I came across the “Parque Para Mayores, Zona de Ejercicios,” a kind of outdoor gym that adults can use to stay in shape. There are several of these throughout the Retiro, as well as in other parks in Madrid. After eating all that Iberian ham, what a great way to stay in shape and enjoy nature while you are at it!
Walking briskly to stay in shape myself (and because it was getting cooler), I reached the Monument of Alfonso XII. “The back of the monument is covered by a semi-circular colonnade, making the site a popular place for visitors to learn about Spanish history,” the app told me. To be quite honest, I was disappointed with this brief description. The imposing monument leaves one asking: Who was Alfonso XII? Why was he honored? What is it about Spanish history that we can learn here? All of the questions, and more, remained unanswered by the app, which merely described that the statue was made of bronze and stone.
I headed along to the right of the monument, where I caught sight of rows and rows of rowing boats. On my morning runs, I had seen couples row romantically here and made a point to do the same here some time in the future.
From the Monument of Alfonso XII, I again followed the app’s directions. This time, I needed the help of the map as the turn-by-turn directions didn’t exactly specify the street names (understandable, since I was located in a park and not all of the paths are labeled that clearly). Combining the written directions and the map, I reached the next sight, the Jardines de Cecilio Rodriguez.
The app informed me that the gardens of Cecilio Rodriguez were a new addition to the Retiro. I, too, had never been inside and enjoyed the sight of enormous trees, one of them so big that it had to be supported by a metal rod. The garden is also replete with sculptures, fountains, greenery, and animals – a fact that the app hadn’t revealed. On my visit, I saw not only several cats but peacocks, too. You do have to walk about a little to find them.
Getting to the next stop, the Palacio de Velázquez, was easy. It only involved 395 m, during which the compass function of the app came in particularly helpful as the first thing I had to do was head north for 8m. Upon arrival, the app told me that the Palacio de Velázquez is not, as many people think, dedicated to Diego Velázquez the painter. Instead, it carries the name of Ricardo Velázquez Bosco, an architect. The building was initially intended as a “national exhibition to celebrate the metallurgy, ceramics and water industries.” Now, however, it is another one of the Retiro’s museums, which changing exhibits on view.
From here, I headed to the museum that I had come here to see, the Palacio de Cristal. You can almost see the Palacio de Cristal from the Palacio de Velázquez, so getting there is no problem. But if you do need help, the app can show you how to get there in one minute.
The Palacio de Cristal is labeled by GPSmyCity as a “must see,” which I certainly agree with. Neither the palace nor Soledad Sevilla’s disappoint; quite the contrary – the latter significantly enhances the glass structure and does what it sets out to: to enter in a dialogue with the spectator. “Every one of [Sevilla's] installations contains an internal poetic logic that makes it unique, and deals with a specific theme through direct dialogues with space and light,” said the English broshure accompanying the exhibit. I myself reveled in the play of light within the glass space, fascinated by the Sevilla’s use of geometry, grids and themes in relation to cultural memory, calling to mind numerous aspects of Spanish culture, from the traditional bulls to Velazquez’s Meninas. If you’re looking to visit the exhibition, note the opening times – during winter (October to March), it closes at 6 p.m.
The tour continues to the next stop, the Rosaleda, via the Paseo Julio Romero de Torres. The Rosaleda was designed thinking of the Roseraie de Bagatelle, a similar rose garden in Paris. Replete with different kinds of roses, it is a romantic’s, as well as a photographer’s, dream. I was not the only one of who had noticed that; there was a couple kissing passionately in one corner, and several photographers had set up their tripods to shoot the roses in another corner.
From here, it just takes two minutes and 205 m to get to the next stop, the Fallen Angel statue, the Ángel Caído in Spanish. This is a very special statue, as it is the only statue on the world depicting Lucifer. While noone was paying particular attention to it at the time of my visit, I imagined that when it was created, it must have caused quite an uproar. Now, there were only a bunch of gardeners and park employees around, who were more dedicated to repainting the park benches than they were to seeing Lucifer.
From the Rosaleda, I made my way down the Paseo de Cuba towards the Fuente de la Alcachofa (literally meaning artichoke fountain). Given the fountain’s unusual name, I was eager to find out more about it. However, the app once again left me in the dark. “The Fuente de la Alcachofa is a baroque style fountain that was designed in the 18th century by a famous Spanish architect. It consists of a column embraced at its lower level by two Tritons holding the shield of Madrid and at its highest level by children sustaining a circular basin.” I was more than disappointed by the description. Who was the architect? Why did it carry the name of artichoke fountain? I made a point to manifest my discontent with the app in this article.
Getting to the next sight, El Parterre involved continuing on Plaza de la República de Honduras, turning left at Paseo de Paraguay and turning right and then left again. Again, I was standing in front of another wonderful place for photographers, as the app itself told me.
From here, I headed to the next stop, the Paseo de las Estatuas, literally meaning the alley of the statues, followed by the Estanque. The latter trajectory involved just 339 m, where I passed by the Teatro de Vacas, another exhibition space inside the park. Once I arrived at Paseo de Colombia, the app told me basically what was visible upon standing there: “In the middle of the park lies a large artificial lake called El Estanque. Canoe rentals are provided so you can take a boat ride and relax while enjoying the surrounding views of fountains and monuments, including the Monument of King Alfonso XII located on the other side of the park.” And again, I was disappointed. What was the idea behind the Estanque? Was there are reason it was orientated the way it was? Who used to enjoy this view in former times? The app certainly didn’t tell me.
From this point on, I decided to question how much the app would actually teach me. From the Estanque, I walked to the Plaza de Nicaragua with the Fuente de los Galápagos (Fountain of the Turtles). Here, the app did in fact enlighten me with some new facts: the Fountains “was built in 1832 to celebrate the birth of Isabella II” and “depicts a column embraced by four children and dolphins, and at its lower level stand two frogs and two turtles, from which came the name.” I was thankful for this explanation, especially since it was getting so dark that I could hardly make out the sculptures in the fountain.
Despite the fact that it was getting dark, there were plenty of people, including children, still in the park. Some of them stood in line to buy golosinas, meaning sweets, at one of the stands, while others made big soap bubbles. Seeing them munch on their sweets, I realized I wouldn’t mind some tapas myself and decided to head towards the nearest exit.
The nearest exit happened to also be the last stop on the tour, the Puerta de Alcalá, a Neo-Classical monument whose name originates “from the old path from Madrid to the nearby town of Alcalá de Henares,” the app informed me. I myself noted that any visitor coming to Madrid should also take a day-trip to Alcalá. There is some great food to be eaten at the Parador Nacional, and you can visit Cervantes’ former home in Alcalá, too.
I admired the gate, which was now decorated in Christmas lights and stood there in its entire splendor as the traffic rushed past. “Not bad” would be an understatement for the beautiful site of the gate, which dates all the way back to 1778. To get back home, I consulted the app for the nearest metro stop. All you have to do is hit the City Map function and zoom in on your location. Using the buttons up at the top, I could choose the nearest amenities and services, including restaurants, hotels, and public transportation, which is what I was looking for in this case. “Retiro” was the nearest stop and all I had to do was head up Calle Alcalá. On my way, I discovered the store Moulin Chocolat. I picked up some macaroons; this way, I would have a gift for some friends for Día de Reyes. The tour had ended in a successful way after all.
