Madrid: The past that breathes beyond the big three

MADRID and the Prado are virtually synonymous. The Prado is not only the oldest and largest of Madrid's three major museums, it is also the city's most famous
cultural attraction.

Almost as celebrated are the Thyssen and the Reina Sofia.

Of course, you should visit the Prado for its definitive Velazquez collection, the Thyssen for an overview of Western art and the Reina Sofia for ‘Guernica,’ Picasso's powerful anti-war icon.
But if it should happen that you've already paid homage to the big three — or if queuing brings out the mañana in your soul — remember there are 52 other museums in the city. On a recent visit, I explored four of them.

The Hermitage of San Antonio
de la Florida.
Glorieta de San Antonio de la Florida 5.
Metro: Principe Pio.
The walls and ceilings of this tiny chapel, begun in 1792 and finished in 1798, were decorated by Goya with lively frescoes of everyday life in Madrid. Some say it is his finest work. The chapel, which contains Goya's tomb, is now a museum. Most of the restoration of the frescoes was completed in 1996, just in time for the 250th anniversary of his death. The work continues, but does not diminish the impact of these vigorous paintings.
Still, the ideal time to visit is a Friday afternoon or weekend morning, when the scaffolding is down and you have an unobstructed view.

There are guided tours in English and Spanish at 11.00am and at 12.00pm on Saturdays. The chapel is open Tuesday through Friday from 10.00am to 2.00pm and from 4.00pm to 8.00pm; it is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10.00am to 2.00pm. Closed Monday. Tel: +34 915 420 722.

The Museum of the Royal
Academy of Fine Arts.
Calle de Alcala, 13.
Metro: Sol or Sevilla
More Goya, in fact a roomful, in the 18th century building of the Academy of which he was once director. One of two quite similar self-portraits of Goya is here. The other is in the Prado. Small details make this version less formal than its near twin. Goya's shirt more open at the neck, his head tilted to one side, and a look so contemporary Goya could be the guy next door.The artist's last palette, set in a wreath of golden laurel leaves, is on display too. But it's not all Goya - there are 1,000 paintings in this museum including Ruben's overwhelming ‘Sara and the Elders’, paintings and drawings by Raphael and Titian, plus fine works by Fragonard, Van Dyck, Murillo and El Greco.
Open 9.00am to 7.00pm Tuesday through Friday and 9.00am to 2.30pm on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Closed Monday. Tel: +34 915 327 343.

Real Fabrica de Tapices.
Calle de Funterrabia 5.
Metro: Menendez Pelayo.
Not strictly speaking a museum at all, because the Royal Carpet Factory continues to turn out carpets and tapestries fit for kings. It's not really a ‘factory’ either, but much more a workshop. There is not a machine or a computer in use, just teams of weavers dressed in white and blue smocks. Apprentices wear white; experienced workers wear blue.

The massive looms are the originals, dating from the factory’s foundation in 1720 and moved to the present building in the mid-1800s. The indefatigable Goya was among those who furnished cartoons for tapestries in the factory's early years, and some of his drawings hang in the workshop. Others hang in the Prado. Tapestries based on these cartoons can be ordered for E10,000 to E18,000, depending on size.

Guided tours are scheduled on the hour and are in Spanish. Though the guide will translate key points into English, just watching the weavers at work gives you almost all the information you need and will fill you with awe.

Open
Monday through Friday from
10.00am to 2.00pm.
Tel: +34 914 340 551.

Museo Tiflologico.
La Caruna 18.
Metro Estrecho.
This museum, designed to be of interest both to the blind and to the general public, opened in 1992, supported by the Once lottery. It houses an exhibition of the objects and appliances used by blind people to access culture and work: the first Braille system models, including those for music and mathematics, Braille writers, adapted calculators and some writing systems other than Braille.

There's an exhibition of sculptures and textiles for touch and sight; there's also a room full of large-scale reproductions of national and foreign monuments — from Gaudi's ‘Sagrada Familia’ to the Statue of Liberty — to explore with fingers or eyes.
Each model is equipped with a complex voice recording system which operates on two levels. The first corresponds to the tactile exploration and the second to background information about the monument.
The museum also includes temporary and permanent exhibits of works of Spanish and foreign artists who are either blind or visually impaired.

Admission to this inspiring museum, on the third floor of a modern office building, is free upon presentation of passport or national ID card.
The museum is open 11.00am to 2.00pm and from 5.00pm to 8.00pm Tuesday to Friday and from 11.00am to 2.00pm on Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday. Tel: +34 57 112 36, extension 277.

Royal Opera house back for good?
Counting time out for floods, fire, explosions and wars, the Teatro Royal has been out of business for more than half its life.

Madrid's sumptuous Royal Opera house, inaugurated by Isabella II on her 20th birthday in 1850, closed shortly thereafter. And opened again. And closed, and so on. In 1981, it closed definitively for extensive repair work finally completed in 1997.
For a look at the relatively seldom seen wonders behind the restrained six-story facade, take the hour-long tour of an interior bursting with antiques, paintings chandeliers and tapestries. The public rooms would intimidate all but the best-dressed theatre goers.

The same is true of the astonishing dining room now occupying the ballroom in which Isabella delighted in giving parties. Designed to look like a setting for a Commedia del'Arte night-time performance, the sky is studded with ‘stars’ as they appeared in the skies over Madrid on the night of the theatre's inauguration.

The restaurant is open for dinner from 9.00pm but is reserved for theatre goers on nights when there is a performance. The restaurant also serves tea at 6.30pm on Tuesday through Sunday.

On the sixth floor of the theatre you can get postcard views of the Plaza and Royal Palace from a table at a “contemporary-chic” cafeteria.
For theatre information, telephone +34-915 160 660. For ticket sales within Spain, telephone Caja Madrid at +34 902 244 824. For ticket sales from abroad, telephone +34 91 558 87 87.

A majestic Eden
Once upon a time, between the 17th and 19th centuries, the kings of Spain had a palace for every season.
From Christian Holy Week until the end of June, the Springtime Royal Residence was Aranjuez, 45km south of Madrid. Situated in a fertile valley where the River Jarama meets the Tagus, the palace, gardens, surrounding town and fields, were an oasis in the arid countryside.

This royal Eden, of tree-lined avenues, splashing fountains, meandering waterways and tilled fields survives, and in 2001 it was declared a UNESCO ‘heritage landscape’.
A red and white 18th century palace dominates the site. A guided tour will take you through its Baroque interiors. Spectacular highlights are the throne room, porcelain room, exotic smoking room and hall of mirrors.
There is also a small museum of dresses and an extensive collection of the toys of the royal children, including a well-worn high chair upholstered as a miniature throne. The three square kilometres of surrounding gardens are a favourite excursion for Madrilenos.

One of these Madrid natives, Joaquin Rodrigo, immortalised the gardens in his Concerto de Aranjuez. In 1933, the composer visited Aranjuez on his honeymoon. Having lost his sight to diphtheria at the age of three, Rodrigo experienced the gardens through the sounds of birds and fountains, his sensations heightened by his overwhelming love for his bride.

In 1938, grieving for a stillborn child and fearing his wife's death, he transposed these poignant memories into the concerto that became one of the best known orchestral pieces of the 20th century.

Aranjuez is a pleasant day out from Madrid, with attractive restaurants for lunch or dinner. It's reached in under an hour from Madrid by suburban train, bus or road. In the summer, you can also take a vintage, 19th century steam train.

On board the ‘Strawberry Train’, costumed hostesses serve strawberries on weekend and holiday runs from April through July and again in September. The Train is heavily booked, so reserve early through a travel agent or through an office of the Spanish National Railways (RENFE).

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