Since we were unable to see the Palacio Real de Madrid on Tuesday, we decided to leave Madrid a little later than planned in order to see it Wednesday morning (June 10). After we packed up and checked out of our hotel, we walked through the Plaza Mayor to the Palace. It had rained in the night, so it was not as hot as it had been the previous days.
The Palacio Real, second only to Versailles in size and splendor, is on the site of a former palace of the Spanish Hapsburgs (built over the Moorish fortress of Alcazar), which was destroyed by fire in 1734. The current palace was completed in 1764, and it continues to be the official residence of the Spanish monarchs, currently King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the wonderful rooms of armor, ceremonial halls, antechambers and other rooms of the palace since photography is not allowed, except for inside the main entrance.
We first visited the rooms of the Royal Armory. In these, there is an impressive array of suits of armor, horse armor and weapons from several centuries. Most of the suits of armor were for actual battle but a few were more ornate and were used by royalty for processions and other formal occasions. The exhibits provide a wealth of information on the history of personal armament in Spain.
Before entering the actual palace, we peeked into the Prince's Courtyard where we could see the official and elaborately dressed palace guards.
The palace is entered by climbing the grand staircase that leads from the ground floor to the first level. The large vaulted ceiling above the two flights of stairs is painted with figures and scenes representing the Triumph of Religion and the Church Protected by the Spanish Monarchy.
Almost all the rooms we visited have painted ceilings, with a few by the famous artist Giovanni Baptista Tiepolo, whom Charles III brought from Italy. Some rooms have silk coverings on the walls while others are covered with tapestries, including 16th and 17th century Flemish tapestries. Portraits of many of the monarchs since the late 18th century hang in various rooms. Royal portraits and other paintings by Velazquez, Goya, Rubens, El Greco and Caravaggi can be found throughout the public rooms. Floors are made of intricate wood parquet or polished marble, with plush carpets laid out over them. Heavy, richly colored silk draperies adorn the windows and doorways. Stunning crystal chandeliers hang in every room.
Particularly enchanting is the Porcelain Room. The walls and ceilings are entirely covered with lustrous procelain panels attached to a wooden framework underneath. The pieces are cleverly joined together so that vines and garlands disguise the joints, making it impossible to perceive them. All the pieces were crafted in the Buen Retiro royal porcelain factory during the reign of Charles III.
The grand banqueting hall is truly enormous. It was created during the reign of Alfonso XII by removing walls and joining together three large rooms formerly belonging to the apartments of the Queen. (I assume she was given other accommodations elsewhere in the massive palace.) Priceless, sixteenth-century Flemish tapestries hang on the walls. The table, covered in white damask, was set for about 100 people; each place was set with royal china, rows of cutlery on either side and a half dozen goblets of various sizes. Between each of the elegant chairs there was plenty of room for servers to present dishes to each guest. Silver candelabra and large arrangements of flowers marched down the center of the long table. This table took up approximately half of the hall. The other half is designed to be used for balls. Hanging from the high ceilings are 15 huge bronze and crystal chandeliers.
Another room, the antechamber of Maria Cristina, displays five instruments crafted for the Spanish court by Antonio Stadivari between 1667 and 1709. The Crown Room contains not only the official crown and sceptre, but the brilliant gold chain representing the Order of the Golden Fleece (a prestigous and exclusive order established in 1430 by the Duke of Burgundy). Also displayed in the Crown Room are the offical abdication of King Juan Carlos I and the proclamation speech of King Felipe VI, the current monarch since June 19, 2014.
The final room we visited was the throne room. Not as large as the banqueting hall, it is lavishly decorated in shades of red and gold and illuminated by Venetian chandeliers of rock crystal and silver. A magnificent fresco depicting the "Greatness of the Spanish Monarchy" was painted by Tiepolo in 1764, when he was 68 years old. We were told that the reigning king and queen choose not to wear robes and crowns during official ceremonies in order not to distance themselves from the ordinary people.
Leaving the palace, we wandered through the streets, getting a bit lost at times because of the organic (rather than grid-like) nature of the layout of the city. We ended up stopping in one church, the Basilica Pontificia de San Miguel and poking around the neighborhood of La Latina. (The churches and palaces of Spain clearly show one of the main uses of the gold and silver obtained from the
Spanish colonies in America.)
Eventually, we reached our hotel and retrieved our luggage. The metro was only half a block away, so getting to the Atocha train station was easy. I thought there was a train leaving around 3 p.m., so we arrived at 2 in order to book seats and navigate the large station. However, I apparently was mistaken, and the next train was leaving at 5:30, so we had to wait a few hours. Luckily, Katya can keep herself amused with books on her Nook. I finished reading Oliver Twist in Split and am now halfway through War and Peace. Katya brought that tome to read, but she prefers to re-read lighter novels she has already read before.
We arrived in Granada (by train to Antequera-Santa Ana and then by bus to Granada since RENFE is working on the tracks) around 9:30 and caught a taxi to our hotel, which is in a 16th century palace. Our room is two stories high, with a large loft. We explored the surrounding area a bit and then went to bed, ready for the Alhambra on Thursday.
The Palacio Real, second only to Versailles in size and splendor, is on the site of a former palace of the Spanish Hapsburgs (built over the Moorish fortress of Alcazar), which was destroyed by fire in 1734. The current palace was completed in 1764, and it continues to be the official residence of the Spanish monarchs, currently King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the wonderful rooms of armor, ceremonial halls, antechambers and other rooms of the palace since photography is not allowed, except for inside the main entrance.
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| Palacio Real de Madrid |
Before entering the actual palace, we peeked into the Prince's Courtyard where we could see the official and elaborately dressed palace guards.
 |
| Palace Guards in the Prince's Courtyard |
 |
| Ceiling above the Grand Staircase |
Particularly enchanting is the Porcelain Room. The walls and ceilings are entirely covered with lustrous procelain panels attached to a wooden framework underneath. The pieces are cleverly joined together so that vines and garlands disguise the joints, making it impossible to perceive them. All the pieces were crafted in the Buen Retiro royal porcelain factory during the reign of Charles III.
The grand banqueting hall is truly enormous. It was created during the reign of Alfonso XII by removing walls and joining together three large rooms formerly belonging to the apartments of the Queen. (I assume she was given other accommodations elsewhere in the massive palace.) Priceless, sixteenth-century Flemish tapestries hang on the walls. The table, covered in white damask, was set for about 100 people; each place was set with royal china, rows of cutlery on either side and a half dozen goblets of various sizes. Between each of the elegant chairs there was plenty of room for servers to present dishes to each guest. Silver candelabra and large arrangements of flowers marched down the center of the long table. This table took up approximately half of the hall. The other half is designed to be used for balls. Hanging from the high ceilings are 15 huge bronze and crystal chandeliers.
Another room, the antechamber of Maria Cristina, displays five instruments crafted for the Spanish court by Antonio Stadivari between 1667 and 1709. The Crown Room contains not only the official crown and sceptre, but the brilliant gold chain representing the Order of the Golden Fleece (a prestigous and exclusive order established in 1430 by the Duke of Burgundy). Also displayed in the Crown Room are the offical abdication of King Juan Carlos I and the proclamation speech of King Felipe VI, the current monarch since June 19, 2014.
The final room we visited was the throne room. Not as large as the banqueting hall, it is lavishly decorated in shades of red and gold and illuminated by Venetian chandeliers of rock crystal and silver. A magnificent fresco depicting the "Greatness of the Spanish Monarchy" was painted by Tiepolo in 1764, when he was 68 years old. We were told that the reigning king and queen choose not to wear robes and crowns during official ceremonies in order not to distance themselves from the ordinary people.
Leaving the palace, we wandered through the streets, getting a bit lost at times because of the organic (rather than grid-like) nature of the layout of the city. We ended up stopping in one church, the Basilica Pontificia de San Miguel and poking around the neighborhood of La Latina. (The churches and palaces of Spain clearly show one of the main uses of the gold and silver obtained from the
Spanish colonies in America.)
 |
| Basilica Pontificia de San Miguel |
We arrived in Granada (by train to Antequera-Santa Ana and then by bus to Granada since RENFE is working on the tracks) around 9:30 and caught a taxi to our hotel, which is in a 16th century palace. Our room is two stories high, with a large loft. We explored the surrounding area a bit and then went to bed, ready for the Alhambra on Thursday.
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