Day 15
Like we had done in Barcelona, the 6 of us joined a free walking tour in Madrid but this time went with ‘Sandeman’s walking tours’. After getting our quick takeaway coffee in a plastic beer cup (our desperate need for caffeine meant we’d take anything) we met up with our group at Placa Mayor. Our guide, Celia, was an interesting character. While her accent resembled that of a British chav, she happened to be a born and bred local.
She also seemed to have a love/hate relationship with her city. She spoke of her obsession with tapas but would go all pursed lipped at the thought of eating the terrible tourist food which lined so many of the streets. The rich history filled with violence and mystery got her excited as she included everyone in on her history lessons but she showed her clear feminist/left political leanings when she criticised so many of the past and present leaders of Spain. She loved her music (she is the lead singer in a blues band) but hated Eurovision (how dare she!!) and how limited she thought Spanish music was.
Celia was selling us her city but she couldn’t help but let her criticisms seep through. This is what made her such a good guide. She showed us the real Madrid (its beauty and its ugly side). It was refreshing to have a more frank description of a city rather than the dolled up tourist version we had already been receiving.
To make things better, I couldn’t help but chuckle every time she got distracted by a dog passing us on the street. She’d try to resist showing her affection but failed to control herself every time. She chased them down the street and would stop mid-sentence to pat them. It was adorable.
But what I liked most about her, is how she discussed all the different cultures and religions which have been a part of Madrid and how they continue to be important today. She did this by showing us a rarely seen perspective of La Almudena Cathedral (on the right). The Church itself was created for Christians. The old wall in front of it is from the period during which Madrid was settled by the Muslims. And in the forefront of the picture is a small park and water feature in the shape of the Star of David to represent the Jewish community and the role they played in Madrid’s past, present and future. There was true respect for this diversity. Each culture had played a role in Spain’s art, literature, language, food and architecture.
But she also pointed out how these sentiments are not shared by everyone in Madrid. To her, many politicians and those from older generations are far more ignorant and unable to appreciate how this mixture of cultures is good for the city. Oh how these sentiments took me back to Australian politics and our treatment of refugees. But I digress (this blog isn’t meant to be full of my political rants).
I had learnt so much from this little walking tour but was still left a little underwhelmed by what I saw around me. It just wasn’t as nice a city to look at as Barcelona. It was louder and less clean. It was hot and had very little breeze. I was intrigued but not won over by Madrid at this point. Maybe I just haven’t seen the good bits. At least I still have 3 more days to truly appreciate it all. I just need to give it some time.
Tales of an Aussie Traveller 