City of Conquerors and Warriors
CÁCERES
Extremadura, Spain
Judging from its architecture, Cáceres must have been the most embattled city in western Spain. When the Christian kings of northern Spain beat the Moorish armies in 1212, Alfonso VIII of Castile presented parcels of land in Cáceres to his knights. Often building around the original Arab towers (30 are still standing), the warriors constructed fortified houses and launched a virtual arms race among Castilian clans. The noble toughs of Cáceres proved especially useful to the Spanish crown in the conquest of the New World, and plunder from Mexico and Peru allowed many to convert their medieval fortresses into Renaissance palaces—making Cáceres unique in Spain for the variety of monumental architecture it squeezed into a medieval street plan. Today, Spanish film crews regularly use the city as a backdrop in historical films, which are made all the more atmospheric by the hundreds of storks that return regularly to nest on the towers and ramparts between February and August.
Offering big-hotel service for down-to-earth prices, the Casa Don Fernando is perfectly situated on the central Plaza Mayor. But the Atrio hotel has stolen the spotlight with its 14 sleek, luxurious rooms set in the medieval shell of two adjoining buildings, also in the heart of the historic district. Whether or not you sleep here, you’ll want to dine at its acclaimed restaurant. Well-known chef Toño Perez’s interpretation of the traditional Extremaduran cuisine verges on modern alchemy, and it’s complemented by an exceptional wine cellar. The local cooking owes a lot to New World peppers, which were naturalized here and provide the famous smoked paprika that’s prized all over Spain. A good place to try those traditional dishes is at the Restaurante Pizarro, on the historic main plaza in the nearby town of Trujillo, the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro, conqueror of Peru and the Incas. Before you dine, head up the hill to see the house where he spent much of his childhood.
The crenellated Bujaco tower is the most famous of Cáceres’s 30 towers dating to the Moorish era.
WHERE: 157 miles/253 km east of Lisbon. HOTEL CASA DON FERNANDO: Tel 34/927-214279; www.casadonfernando.com. Cost: from $100 (off-peak), from $150 (peak). HOTEL AND RESTAURANTE ATRIO: Tel 34/927-242928; in the U.S., 800-735-2478; www.restauranteatrio.com. Cost: from $350; dinner $130. RESTAURANTE PIZARRO: Tel 34/927-320255. Cost: dinner $40. BEST TIMES: early May for Cáceres stork festival and World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) Festival; weekend nearest May 1 for National Cheese Festival in Trujillo.
The Road to Heaven
EL CAMINO DE SANTIAGO AND SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA
Galicia, Spain
It’s a long walk to Santiago de Compostela on the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James), but the Christian faithful have made the pilgrimage since the bones of St. James the Apostle were unearthed here in the 9th century, spreading the cultural rebirth of Europe. The apparition of St. James was said to aid Christian armies in battles with the Moors, so Spaniards adopted Santiago Matamoros (aka St. James, the Moor-slayer) as their patron saint.
Modern hikers follow in the footsteps of El Cid, Louis VII of France, and St. Francis of Assisi to this pilgrimage destination that’s on a par with Rome and Jerusalem. Whether their motives are spiritual or not, the experience of the walk lingers. Most travelers follow a variant of the French Route, which begins in the Basque village of Roncesvalles, in the Pyrenees at the French-Spanish border, and trek 500 miles through the Rioja wine country (see p. 252) and the former kingdoms of northern Spain. Hostels, inns, and restaurants along the entire stretch cater to the pilgrims. Those who lack time or stamina for the 4-plus-week journey by foot walk only the final 62 miles, through rugged but green inland Galicia. At Monte de Gozo, 2 miles from Santiago de Compostela, tired but elated travelers typically get their first glimpse of the twin towers of Santiago’s cathedral. Construction of the majestic Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela began in 1078, on the site of a 9th-century basilica destroyed by the Moors, and Maestro Mateo’s original designs rank among Europe’s finest Romanesque art. The cathedral’s elaborate, two-towered Baroque façade, added in the 18th century, protects the now restored original Porta de Gloria from weathering. The impact of the cavernous interior—as simple as the façade is ornate—is heightened by the golden-cloaked, bejeweled statue of St. James above the main altar, embraced by arriving pilgrims.
The cathedral shares the vast Plaza del Obradoiro (“work of gold”) with the Hotel Reyes Católicos (Catholic Kings), built by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel in 1499 as a hospice for pilgrims. Now one of the most renowned paradors in Spain, it has rooms overlooking the square and the cathedral and many more overlooking four courtyard cloisters. Only a short walk away, the Palacio del Carmen has transformed an 18th-century convent into comfortable if less majestic lodging.
Hikers travel the trail across the Castilian plateau.
WHERE: Santiago de Compostela is 375 miles/603 km northwest of Madrid. The most popular route of the Camino de Santiago starts in Roncesvalle and runs 500 miles/800 km across the northern regions of Spain, from east to west. HOW: U.S.-based Saranjan, Inc., offers 1- to 2-week tours by minibus, on foot, or on bicycle. Tel 800-858-9594 or 206-720-0623; www.saranjan.com. Cost: 9-day tours from $3,300; all-inclusive. Originate in León. HOTEL REYES CATÓLICOS: Tel 34/981-582200; www.parador.es; in the U.S., Marketing Ahead, 800-223-1356; www.marketingahead.com. Cost: from $200 (off-peak), from $390 (peak). PALACIO DEL CARMEN: Tel 34/981-552444; www.palaciodelcarmen.com. Cost: from $145 (off-peak), from $250 (peak). BEST TIMES: late Feb or early Mar for Antroido (carnival); last 2 weeks of Jul for succession of fiestas; Jul 25 for feast day of Santiago, celebrated with fireworks, music, and processions.
“It has none of the look that you expect of Spain . . . Yet when you get to know it, it is the most Spanish of all cities, the best to live in, the finest people, month in, month out the finest climate.”—Ernest Hemingway
MADRID
Spain
An elegantly formal, even decorous city by day, Madrid is transformed after dark into one of Europe’s liveliest capitals. Your first thought, and your parting one, may be that no one ever sleeps in this town—just visit any neighborhood bar-restaurante or taberna around midnight for a vibrant confirmation. Madrid lets down its guard and shows its private face in the madrugada—the hours between midnight and cock’s crow.
TOP ATTRACTIONS
CENTRO DE ARTE REINA SOFÍA—Home of Picasso’s Guernica, Spain’s modern and contemporary arts museum is just a few blocks from the Prado, in an 18th-century former hospital building and a Post-Modern minimalist extension designed by Jean Nouvel. Its collection includes works by Spanish artists such as Miró, Dalí, Juan Gris, and Antoni Tàpies, as well as Alexander Calder, Man Ray, and Jean Dubuffet, and it deconstructs the isms of the 20th century with fascinating juxtapositions. Enjoy contemporary bar fare at fashionable Café Arola. INFO: Tel 34/91-774-1000; www.museoreinasofia.es.
FLAMENCO—Flamenco was born in Andalusia, but it came out of the shadows and onto the main stage in Madrid in the 1980s. Although it caters mostly to tourists, Corral de la Morería is drenched in tradition, and every night is filled with foot-stomping passion. Hardcore aficionados prefer the more casual environs and contemporary artists of Casa Patas. CORRAL DE LA MORERÍA: Tel 34/91-365-8446; www.corraldelamoreria.com. CASA PATAS: Tel 34/91-369-0496; www.casapatas.com.
MUSEO SOROLLA—Avoid the Prado crowds and visit the restored, elegant 1910–11 home of artist Joaquín Sorolla, Spain’s foremost painter of light. It maintains a lived-in feel and showcases portraits of aristocrats and paintings of Spain’s common folk on the sun-drenched coast of his native Valencia. INFO: Tel 34/91-310-1584; museosorolla.mcu.es.
PALACIO REAL—Begun in 1738 on the site of the old Moorish Alcázar fortress, the Palacio Real was the royal residence from 1764 until King Alfonso XIII abdicated the throne in 1931. Today it functions as the official residence of King Juan Carlos I and his wife, Queen Sofía, though they live in the Palacio de la Zarzuela.
State business takes up much of the palace, but rooms once occupied by Alfonso and his family are open to the public, as are the Throne Room, the Reception Room, the Royal Pharmacy, the Painting Gallery (with works by Caravaggio, Velázquez, and Goya), and the Royal Armory. INFO: Tel 34/91-454-8700; www.patrimonionacional.es.
THE PRADO—The keystone of the “Golden Triangle of Museums” (with Reina Sofía and Thyssen-Bornemisza), the Prado is a treasure-house that could keep Madrid on the cultural map all by itself. The museum is primarily known for its collection of more than 8,600 paintings by El Greco, Goya, Murillo, Rubens, Titian, Bosch, Raphael, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, and many others. Eighty percent of Velázquez’s paintings are here, including his Las Meninas, as are the proto-Surrealist “Dark Paintings” of Goya. Rafael Moneo’s extension behind the original building cleverly encapsulates the Jerónimos monastery cloister within a glass cube. INFO: Tel 34/91-330-2800; www.museodelprado.es.
At the Prado, viewers admire the paintings of Francisco Goya, the quintessential Spanish Romantic master.
THE TAPAS CRAWL—Embrace the Madrileño style and wander from watering hole to watering hole, nibbling as you go, leading up to dinner around 11:00 P.M. (or simply replacing it). Grazing possibilities are endless, from albondigas (meatballs) to zamburiñas (small scallops). The streets around Plaza Santa Ana remain the premier tapas district for locals: Don’t leave without trying smoked trout on toast at La Trucha. Likewise, there’s always a lively scene of locals and tourists on Cava Baja (south of Plaza Mayor), where the best food is the Basque fare (especially grilled octopus) at Taberna Txakoli, and the best sherry-bar atmosphere is at Taberna Alamendro. From the neighborhood around Ópera, work your way uphill toward Plaza Mayor after starting at the bar of Taberna del Alabardero. In Chueca, begin in the century-old, lavishly tiled vermouth bar Antigua Casa Ángel Sierra before wandering to your next stop.
THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA MUSEUM—Two of the most extraordinary private art collections amassed in the 20th century—both assembled by Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza of Switzerland and his Spanish-born fifth wife, Carmen Cervera—fill artistic gaps in the Prado and Reina Sofía with superb Italian and German 13th-century Gothic art through 19th-century Impressionists (notably Monet) and 20th-century works of American Abstract Expressionists. INFO: Tel 34/91-369-0151; www.museothyssen.org.
THE PLAZA MAYOR—The huge cobblestone square, completed in 1619 in the Baroque style, has seen its share of bullfights, hangings, riots, wild carnivals, and the nasty doings of the Inquisition. Today it’s the heartbeat of Viejo (Old) Madrid, and it’s the gateway between the Centro and La Latina neighborhoods. Its nine arched exits lead into streets crowded with tabernas and tapas bars. For a wide variety of tapas, a full meal, or prepared food to go, duck into the historic and recently revitalized Mercado San Miguel, just outside the plaza’s west entrance.
Juan Gómez de Mora laid out the Plaza Mayor in 1619, and it continues to be an important hub of urban life.
OTHER MUST-DOS
BULLFIGHTS AT LA PLAZA DE LAS VENTAS—Bullfighting is a controversial sport (Queen Sofía detests it), but it is an inextricable part of Spanish history, culture, and national identity. During the March to October season, aficionados and the merely curious can experience a Sunday-afternoon corrida at the extremely beautiful Plaza de las Ventas. INFO: Tel 34/91-356-2200; www.las-ventas.com.
MONASTERIO DE LAS DESCALZAS REALES—This Franciscan convent was founded by the sister of King Felipe II in 1559. For the next 250 years, it was the retreat of choice for noblewomen taking the veil, many of whom brought their family riches (and staff) with them. The building is replete with great art, such as the Rubens tapestries that warmed a former dormitory. INFO: Tel 34/91-454-8700; www.patrimonionacional.es.
REAL ACADEMIA DE BELLAS ARTES DE SAN FERNANDO—Goya’s presence is still palpable in the Museum of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. As director, he designed the lower galleries to illustrate his theory that all Spanish painting climaxes with . . . Goya. His programmatic itinerary, the highlight of the museum, concludes with 13 of his paintings and his last color-smeared palette under glass. INFO: Tel 34/91-524-0864; rabasf.insde.es.
RETIRO PARK—A stroll through Retiro Park is a Sunday morning ritual for many a madrileño family. Laid out in the 1630s and once reserved for royals and their guests, the 300-acre park is full of fountains and statues, plus there’s a lake (with rowboats to rent) and elegant 19th-century exhibition halls. The luxurious Palacio del Retiro hotel stands just across from the park, in an early 20th-century landmark building; about half its 50 rooms have park views. PALACIO DEL RETIRO: Tel 34/91-523-7460; www.marriot.com. Cost: from $360 (off-peak), from $475 (peak).
EL RASTRO FLEA MARKET—Come early or you’ll miss the bargains at this famous, sprawling, 5-century-old flea market (at Plaza Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores), teeming with gawkers and hawkers selling everything imaginable. Everyone eventually winds up at the market’s most famous bar, Los Caracoles, for a copa (a “glassful”) and the specialty of spicey stewed snails.
WHERE TO STAY
HOTEL ÓPERA—Wedged between the Teatro Real and the gardens of the Palacio Real, this modern hotel has a plain façade but wins points for rooms with sleek style and fine appointments. Some upper-level rooms have slanted ceilings with large skylights; the best have glassed-in Jacuzzis and spacious outdoor terraces with great city views. INFO: Tel 34/91-541-2800; www.hotelopera.com. Cost: from $150.
RITZ HOTEL AND PALACE MADRID—Embarrassed by the lack of proper accommodations for guests at his 1906 wedding, King Alfonso XIII commissioned these two Belle Époque gems where guests are still treated like royalty. The Ritz, which opened in 1919 and was built under the supervision of legendary hotelier César Ritz, is set in beautiful gardens on the Paseo del Prado. Its acclaimed Goya Restaurant features classic cuisine in ceremoniously formal surroundings. Three times larger, the 468-room Palace, which opened in 1912, is only a block from the Prado. Its grand public spaces include a stunning stained-glass dome above the hotel’s main restaurant, La Rotunda, a Madrid favorite for Sunday brunch. RITZ HOTEL: Tel 34/91-701-6767; in the U.S., 800-237-1236; www.ritzmadrid.com. Cost: from $335 (off-peak), from $450 (peak); dinner at Goya Restaurant $100. WESTIN PALACE MADRID: Tel 34/91-360-8000; in the U.S., 888-625-5144; www.westinpalacemadrid.com. Cost: from $300 (off-peak), from $390 (peak); dinner at La Rotunda $65, brunch $110.
ROOM MATE ALICIA—The international Room Mate chain specializes in chic budget boutique hotels, and the Alicia, located at a corner of the lively Plaza Santa Ana, is one of four in Madrid (the others are named Mario, Oscar, and Laura). Ask for the highest floor available if you’re inclined to retire early. Breakfast is served until noon, a highlight if you’ve been up all night enjoying the city. INFO: Tel 34/91-389-6095; www.room-matehotels.com. Cost: from $145.
SANTO MAURO—This exquisite 50-room hotel in a leafy neighborhood near the Sorolla Museum (see p. 267) was built in the 19th century as a ducal palace. With pretty gardens and an indoor pool, it is the hotel of choice for celebrities who treasure their privacy. INFO: Tel 34/91-319-6900; www.marriot.com. Cost: from $330 (off-peak), from $475 (peak).
HOTEL URBAN—The first 21st-century hotel built in central Madrid, the Urban makes a powerful Post-Modern design statement with its massive glass curtain wall facing the busy avenue east of Puerta del Sol. Light floods the rooms, which are decorated with dense earth-toned fabrics, wood paneling, and padded leather furniture. Location is ideal for touring the three main museums or strolling up to Plaza Santa Ana for tapas. INFO: Tel 34/91-787-7770; www.derbyhotels.com. Cost: from $250.
Madrid is one of Spain’s premier tapas grounds, with dozens of bars serving everything from bite-size pinchos to half-meal raciones.
EATING & DRINKING
CAFÉ GIJÓN—Amid the busy rush of Madrid, Café Gijón oozes Belle Époque decorum and seems little changed since it opened in 1888, although the literary crowd left when Franco came to power. The bar is a stand
-up affair, while the dining room is reserved for meals, and the summer outdoor patio is a perfect stop for afternoon tea. INFO: Tel 34/91-521-5425; www.cafegijon.com. Cost: tea $20.
CASA BOTÍN—Possibly Spain’s oldest restaurant, this folkloric tavern in the shadow of Plaza Mayor has been an obligatory stop for passing luminaries since it opened in 1725. It looks like a tourist trap—and it is—but discerning locals still love it for its atmosphere and its cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig). If Botín is full, try the ever-reliable Casa Lucio nearby. INFO: Tel 34/91-366-4217; www.botin.es. Cost:$60. CASA LUCIO: Tel 34/91-365-3252; www.casalucio.es. Cost: dinner $55.
CHOCOLATERÍA SAN GINÉS—Just off Puerta del Sol, this tiny beloved institution fuels the madrileño addiction to hot chocolate and sugar-dusted churros (fried doughnut sticks) at all times of day and night (except briefly between 6:00 and 9:00 A.M.). INFO: Tel 34/91-365-6546.
EL ÑERU—Push through the tapas crowd at street level just east of Plaza Mayor to go into the old-fashioned Asturian dining room down a flight of stairs. The merluza (hake) dishes are always delicious, especially braised in Asturian cider. On a cold night, consider a fabada—a stew of white beans, sausage, and ham. INFO: Tel 34/91-541-1140; www.restauranteelneru.com. Cost: dinner $40.
PEDRO LARUMBE—This award-winning chef’s restaurant includes one of the city’s most interesting venues for fine dining. The library and the main restaurant are studies in old-world elegance, but the rooftop terrace (summer only) sits high above the elegant Salamanca district, eye to eye with great architectural details. Larumbe reinvents the classics with panache with dishes like roasted hake topped with shaved black truffle, or a napoleon of layered foie gras and caramelized mango. INFO: Tel 34/91-575-1112; www.larumbe.com. Cost: dinner $70.
1,000 Places to See Before You Die Page 44