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Alonso Martínez

Alonso Martínez

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Laurie Reynolds Madrid, here we come.
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- Nov 10, 2019, 1:52pm · ⛅ 10 °C Altitude: 679 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428078, -3.69590540°25’41” N 3°41’45” W
Day 1
Travel day
November 10, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Since we are in the carpe diem mode of travel this fall, we have added one more trip. Joe really wanted to go back to Madrid, where we lived with the kids for an academic year in 1994-95. He has been back a time or two, but not as much as I have, so it seemed reasonable. Somehow our itinerary goes from Champaign to Dallas to Madrid. I didn’t pay much attention when I was booking the tickets, but now that I have looked at a map, I can say that every one of the 813 miles between Champaign and Dallas is going away from Madrid. That means we have a VERY long flight ahead of us. No upgrade, no great seat, we will be pretty done in when we get there tomorrow.

Of our three fall trips, this will be the easiest and most relaxed. No moving around, except that we may take a day trip to Toledo or Segovia. We will also spend next weekend out in Soto del Real, where our dearest Spanish friends live. So this should be a fun trip.

Update — we are here! Easy taxi ride into the center. As usual, we got quite the political lesson from the taxi driver. The polls are open, for the fourth national election in four years. Things are very complicated and messy, but the consensus is that the only party that stands to gain from calling new elections is Vox, the extreme right.

Our hotel is very nice, has a little fitness center, and Joe is going to nap while I go try out the elliptical.Read more
Traveler My, my, you are non-stop travellers! Carpe diem indeed!
11/10/19Reply
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Laurie Reynolds Madrid, here we come.
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- Nov 12, 2019, 12:26pm · ☀️ 11 °C Altitude: 679 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.427983, -3.69594140°25’41” N 3°41’45” W
Day 3
Retiro!!!
November 12, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C
We are falling into a routine of museum in the morning, and then walking for a few hours after lunch. Today we started at the National Archaeological Museum, because Joe wanted to see the Dama de Elche again (an Iberian funerary urn from the 4th Century BC). I went with some apprehension because I remembered this museum as a musty old dark place. Well, turns out there has been a total renovation and it is now one of the most airy and well-laid out museums I have ever been to. Goes from Prehistory, through Iberian, Roman, Visigothic, medieval. Displays are not crowded, with just enough info in both Spanish and English. Just gorgeous.

After a light lunch, we spent the next several hours in the Retiro, one of the most beautiful urban parks anywhere. Lots of memories of Sunday mornings there with the kiddos. Today we hit 8 miles, so Joe decided not to call it a rest today — he is officially taking a nap.

We have had two great dinners and are hoping the hotel receptionist is on a roll!Read more
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Laurie Reynolds Madrid, here we come.
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- Nov 13, 2019, 4:33pm · ☀️ 15 °C Altitude: 682 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.427878, -3.69598340°25’40” N 3°41’46” W
Day 4
Guernica
November 13, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C
Museum for the day — Reina Sofía, where Picasso’s Güernica is hanging (it was in NY for many years till Franco’s dictatorship ended). Since no photos are allowed, I’m pasting in the outdoor mural of the painting in the town of Güernica close to their peacetime museum and where the actul bombing took place. No matter how you see it, it packs a real punch.

We also went into the huge, newly cleaned Cibeles Palace. It used to be the central post office, though it boggles to mind to think a city would build a post office like that. About a decade ago, town hall was moved to this building, so it now has all city offices and city council chambers. But the public is allowed entry, and you can go up to a terrace high above the plaza for some absolutely terrific views.

Walking home we once again wove through the Retiro, stopping near the lake to listen to the violinist playing sad autumnal songs. Such a beautiful park.Read more
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Traveler Europe 2023
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- Oct 4, 2023, 9:30am · ⛅ 18 °C Altitude: 655 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Wax museum 40.424858, -3.69082840°25’29” N 3°41’27” W
Day 21
Morning in Madrid
October 4 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
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Today we had a very important job to do, we needed to get to the Australian Embassy and vote YES in the Voice Referendum. We had to take the metro out to the embassy, located in the suburb of La Paz. Ian worked out the route, which required one change, but was easy enough to achieve. We are very impressed with the Metro system in Madrid. It is clean and cool and, if you miss a train, another one arrives within 3 minutes. We arrived at the embassy which is located on level 24 of a tall tower. We had to go through security screening twice, once in the lobby and then again in the embassy. We also had to hand over all electronics, including my Apple Watch and our chargers, before we could go in and vote.

Once we got through all of that, the process was pretty straightforward. We filled in a form which we then signed in front of an embassy staff member, she then gave us the voting paper. When we returned it she had to confirm our electorate and place the ballot into an envelope while we watched.

There were a number of other Aussies there, all doing the right thing and voting, which was pleasing to see. We met a lady who has been living in Spain for 5 years and another couple who have been in Spain for 6 months, with the intention of making the move more permanent as they have retired.

When we left the embassy a number of planes in formation did a flyby right over us. Some seemed to get very close to some of the tall towers in the area. We have no idea what it was in aid of.

We then caught the metro back into the centre of town. We found a nice café close to the Prada Museum to stop at for a coffee and snack, we decided we would walk to our lunch engagement and just stroll through different areas and check out the sites. We passed lovely neighbourhoods and several churches and government buildings, as well as some other interesting statues, art and fountains. It is a lovely way to discover what you may well otherwise miss.

We arrived at the restaurant Sala De Despiece a few minutes early, so we checked out the surrounding area till the allotted time.Read more
Traveler It sure does look lovely!
10/7/23Reply
Traveler Ah brings back memories from April. Photo 14 is where we stayed.
10/8/23Reply
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Traveler Hochzeit Niki & Bea in Madrid
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- Oct 5, 2023, 11:24am · ☀️ 22 °C Altitude: 684 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428234, -3.69602740°25’42” N 3°41’46” W
Day 1
Ankunft im Hotel Sardinero
October 5 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Schnelle Fahrt mit Taxi zu fünft ... laaaaanges Einchecken ... Fruns & Biene ebenfalls angekommen ... Dann Umräumen im Annemarie-Zimmer, weil unseres noch nicht fertig (gleich für Abend alles mitnehmen + Sachen für Blumenbinden sowie Schuhe für die Kranzlkinder ... vor Rezeption noch Witt-Dörings getroffen ... Dann per pedes zu Itha & weiter mit Bolt zu Utha bzw. MariaRead more
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Traveler Hochzeit Niki & Bea in Madrid
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- Oct 6, 2023, 9:13am · ☀️ 18 °C Altitude: 684 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428299, -3.6961340°25’42” N 3°41’46” W
Day 2
Gemütliches Frühstück im Sardinero
October 6 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Nach dem chilligen Abend bei Maria bringt uns José Ramon mit seiner Ehefrau im luxuriösen 7er BMW zurück ins Hotel Sardinero ... herrliche Nacht, gemütliches Zimmer ... Dann Frühstück mit Frunsens
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Traveler Hochzeit Niki & Bea in Madrid
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- Oct 8, 2023, 10:15am · ⛅ 18 °C Altitude: 682 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428403, -3.69586640°25’42” N 3°41’45” W
Day 4
El día después
October 8 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Um 10:00 Uhr beim Frühstück ... Dann Richtung Retiro ... gemütlicher Rundgang durch den Park (Statue von Alonso XII, der in Sandhurst war) ... Dann gemütliches Sit-In im Cappuccino ... Hiasi wollte unbedingt Eis und fand DEN Laden in ... Malasaña. Große Überraschung dann am Ende des Abendessens (La Buganvilla): Bea, Niki, Raf und Linda sind zufällig vorbeigekommen!!! Abschluss dann - nach einigem Suchen, weil alles schon zu - in einer gemütlichen Bar.Read more
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Laurie Reynolds Madrid, here we come.
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- Nov 15, 2019, 2:08pm · ☀️ 7 °C Altitude: 688 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428226, -3.69503940°25’42” N 3°41’42” W
Day 6
Last day in Madrid
November 15, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
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After a late coffee, we followed a new set of twisty streets in Old Madrid to get to the Thyssen. This museum has at least one painting by every well-known Western artist (EXCEPT Velázquez, surprisingly), but to my way of thinking there are only a couple of really swoon-inducing paintings. But we found a way to spend several hours there, and enjoyed it all very much.

My favorite was the medieval “pilgrims mass” painting, which showed a pilgrim on the camino begging in church, or at least with his hand outstretched.

After a good lunch in old Madrid, we took a cab (our very first, we’ve walked everywhere else) to the Debod Temple. When Egypt built the Aswan Dam and flooded parts of the Nile, many temples were in the way. One is now in the Met in NYC, and one is now in Madrid. Since Joe is hopefully going to take a Nile Cruise with a childhood friend this summer while I’m walking in Spain, I thought this was a good introduction!

Walking home, I realized we were about 6 blocks from my 1970 apartment in Madrid, so I left Joe on a bench and took a quick detour. Galileo 82, 2C — the building is still standing, and looks pretty much the same. Couldn’t resist asking a guy passing by to take my picture, but I realize that a picture of me in a doorway is kind of lame. Hard to believe I lived there almost 50 years ago. Yikes.

Tomorrow we head to Soto del Real, where our closest Spanish friends live. Weekend in the country!Read more
Traveler Lame or not this is pretty amazing! 50 years ago and you still remember the address!
11/16/19Reply
joseph love The conquering heroine!
10/8/22Reply
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Traveler Hochzeit Niki & Bea in Madrid
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- Oct 7, 2023, 8:32am · ⛅ 17 °C Altitude: 684 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428439, -3.69605240°25’42” N 3°41’46” W
Day 3
Gemütlicher Abend im Restaurant Triana
October 7 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
Nach kurzem Duschen im Hotel Abfahrt mit Taxis ins Restaurant Triana ... Steh-Event, tolle Küche ... guter Mix aus Alt und Jung, Österreicher:innen uns Spanier:innen ...
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Traveler Hochzeit Niki & Bea in Madrid
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- Oct 7, 2023, 2:40pm · ☀️ 27 °C Altitude: 684 m
  Spain Madrid Alonso Martínez Plaza de Alonso Martínez 40.428414, -3.69604240°25’42” N 3°41’46” W
Day 3
Jetzt wird's ernst ...
October 7 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
Abfahrt vom Plaza de Alonso Martinez in die Sao Perdo-Kirche ... Alle elegant gedresst
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You might also know this place by the following names:

Alonso Martínez, Alonso Martinez, ألونزو مارتينيز, Estación de Alonso Martínez, Estação Alonso Martínez

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