Gran Via

We love downtown Madrid.

Sol metro (subway) entrance

A few weeks ago we took the subway to "Sol", the heart of the city, and from there walked to Plaza Mayor--the old city market place, then out one of its portals and up a crowded street to Gran Via.

Plaza Mayor

One of the six portals to the Plaza Mayor

One hundred years ago Madrid's city fathers decided to clear a swath through narrow streets laid out during the 16th century to create a grand boulevard through the middle of Madrid, and named it Gran Via.  Lined with theaters and high-end shops, it is one of the prides of the city.

Gran Via looking toward the Telefonica Bldg.

Telefonica--Spain's first skyscraper

A McDonald's on Gran Via had fascinated us from the first day we noticed it, it looked so classy with its black iron and shiny brass facade!  So this day we finally checked it out--the first two stories of a tall office building, wide marble stairway leading to the upper floor eating area, the menu of hamburgers and fries supplemented by some fancier items, and china plates instead of paper if you "eat in."  We ordered a piece of chocolate cake encrusted with chocolate chips, and it came on a fancy plate embellished with a flower drawn in caramel sauce--at McDonald's prices!  And the smiling server gave us two forks without our even asking!

fashionable ladies walking past fashionable McDonald's

inside McD's

enough calories for two!

In the photos above you can probably see that winter fashion in Madrid dictated a long scarf knotted at the neck, tunic sweater under a jacket or coat (with perhaps a fur lined hood) falling to just below the hip, black tights or skin-tight jeans, and boots (high or low, flat or high heeled).  Now that it's spring the black tights have given way to patterned ones and the hip length jacket to a hip length frock or skirt. We used to see all the younger women in high heels, but more and more are wearing little slip-ons or sandals.

looking back up Gran Via

looking down toward the triumphal arch, Puerta de Alcala, barely visible through the trees

From Gran Via we walked down to the Puerta de Alcala, which is a large triumphal arch in the middle of the boulevard, near the entrance to Retiro Park, Madrid's central park.
We walked through the park, and  caught the subway home.

We haven't been back to downtown for awhile, because we have been walking a cycling-walking path that circles the outside of the city--40 miles--a few miles at a time.  We are almost done with it, and it will undoubtedly soon show up as the subject of a post or two.  There is so much to share!