Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol

In recent years, I’ve found myself taking two types of trips. There are trips like Japan or Brazil, where I don’t know if I’ll ever make it back, so I try to cram in all my absolute must-sees in one go. Then there are the trips to countries I’m definitely planning on returning to, so I focus on a city or region instead of trying to tackle an entire country. Spain is one of the latter.

I’ve had the general outline of my Spain trips planned for a while – 1) a trip across Northern Spain from Santiago de Compostela to Hondarribia, 2) a trip around Andalusia, 3) a trip from Valencia to Barcelona (which may get split into two, as Las Fallas looks like something I definitely want to experience), and 4) a trip to Madrid and the center of the country. As someone who loves art, food, and Real Madrid, I figured the Spanish capital was the best place to start.

I’d designed this first trip so that I’d spend a week near Atocha Station, visiting places south of Madrid, then travel west for a couple of days, and finally, return to Madrid and stay closer to Chamartin Station, taking trips north of the city for the remainder of my two-week stay.

For that first week, I stayed at Far Home Hostel, on the Calle de Atocha. (Would definitely recommend.) While the purpose had been to be close to the train station, I was thrilled to discover how close it was to Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor. A leisurely 10-minute walk would put me in either place, and they were only about 5 minutes apart from one another. Being able to stroll around this area whenever I felt like it was great; if I return to Madrid, I’d want to stay here again.

After my flight had landed, I’d found the bus to the city, and checked into my hostel, I set off walking. The afternoon light in Plaza Mayor was gorgeous. This main square of Madrid was built in the early 17th century, and rebuilt in 1790 after a series of fires. It's surrounded by residential buildings, which have a total of 237 balconies overlooking the square. The buildings are a deep red-orange, except for the facade of the Casa de la Panadería (a municipal building) which is covered with frescoes, most recently redone in 1992. Over the years, the square has hosted markets, bull fights, and the Spanish Inquisition.

The Puerta del Sol is even busier than the Plaza Mayor. It feels a little more Times Square-ish, with a clock tower that rings in the New Year and various sleazy costumed performers wandering about. Originally, Puerta del Sol was the site of one of the city gates, until growth outpaced and encapsulated it. As the site of the Royal House of the Post Office, it was where people came for the latest news and gossip. It took me a bit to find the famous bear and madroño tree sculpture. I felt like it should be near the center, but it was off to one side instead. Later I found out why - it was moved in 2009, when a connection to a Cercanías station was opened and other refurbishments were done.

My last night in Madrid, I ended up ditching my hostel (I needed to guarantee myself a good night of sleep before tackling three flights the following day) and checked into a cheap hotel on Gran Via. From there, I walked down to Puerta del Sol, determined to find the Kilometro 0 plaque. It’s actually across the street from the square, directly in front of the Post Office. This was replaced in 2009 as well, and is the point from which all addresses in Madrid and road mileage across the country radiate.

I also got up the courage to buy two knock-off jerseys. In central Madrid, you’ll find African immigrants selling sunglasses, purses, and jerseys laid out on blankets. The blankets have ropes attached to all four corners. When a look-out calls and tells them police are on the way, they gather up the ropes and move on to the next spot. Pretty good system. I was a little worried that my jerseys would be confiscated after I bought them, but ended up with a Ronaldo Real Madrid and Isco Spain safely in my suitcase.

Bouncing back to my first evening in Madrid, I got a bocadillo de calamares at La Campana for an easy dinner. I ordered red wine with it – the guy finished off one bottle in my glass and topped it off with another – and was given olives as well. They were briny and garlicky and different than any olives I’ve had before. (I love olives enough to have made up my own word for them before I could say “olives”, so this is a little extraordinary.) The sandwich was incredibly salty, but good. The total? €4.30.

Another evening, I walked to Chocolatería San Gines to try their churros. I ate three of the six provided. I think I’ve decided I’m just not a really big churros fan. How do people eat a full serving without becoming ill? (Sharing, I’m guessing.) The chocolate is way too rich for me, and the texture too pudding-y. I did like the chocolate here better than the Spanish version in Mexico City, however.

My favorite visit to both squares was close to midnight, early in the trip. A crescent moon rose over the Tio Pepe sign in the Puerta del Sol. I continued on to the Plaza Mayor, where an opera was being telecast on a large screen. Loads of people were milling around – watching the opera, meeting friends, walking their dogs, smoking on their balconies. It was one of those moments where you get a sense of how fun it must be to live in this city. Staying so close to the Plaza and Puerta gave me the opportunity to see them at different times of day and in different lights, allowing me to appreciate these famous landmarks more fully.