Visiting Madrid, Spain
With a 2008 population of 3.2 million, Madrid is the largest city as well as the capital of Spain. It is located on the River Manzanares in the central part of the country. It is the cultural, financial and political center of Spain, and is the headquarters of most of the major companies of Spain.
Madrid no doubt possesses a very modern infrastructure, and has a youthful vibrancy that is evident in the bustling squares, tapas bars and marketplaces as well as the nightlife that flows well into the morning hours. It is not uncommon for the youth to dance and party all night on the weekends, go home to freshen up and then head off to work.
But with all its modernity, Madrid has a well-preserved historic look and feel in many of the local streets and neighborhoods. Consider the Plaza Mayor, where you can have a drink and imagine that the Spanish Inquisition took place where you are sitting as well as many bullfights. The Puerta del Sol square features the famous clock whose bells chime in the new year. Some other impressive old landmarks include the Royal Palace of Madrid, built in the mid 18th century, and the massive 19th-century National Library Building.
Madrid is world-renowned for its golden triangle of art, located along the Paseo del Prado. Primary among them is the Prado Museum. Housing works by Goya and Velasquez, the Prado is considered to have one of the finest art collections in the world. The other two fine museums comprising the triangle are the Reina Sofia, which is a modern art museum, and the Thyssen Bornemisza Museum, which is contained in the renovated Villahermosa Palace and holds a largely private collection.
There are many other fine museums and attractions in Madrid, and spend a lot of time exploring them. Madrid is also known for its festivities on patron saint days, as this is an extremely popular experience that fills up the city’s hotels.
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