Gallery » EUROPE/AFRICA/ MIDDLE EAST » Round the World 2019 - Europe » Madrid 2019 » Thu, 8 Aug: Museo de Historia de Madrid
Thu, 8 Aug: Given that we stayed in yesterday, we had an early breakfast and were out of the hotel early. The walk to the metro was pleasant given it was still cool. We took the metro to Alonso Martinez station where we switched to Line 10 to reach the Terminal Station. Directly opposite and/or above the station (depending on where you exit) is the impressive Museo de Historia de Madrid, the Madrid History Museum.
The Museo de Historia de Madrid was founded in 1929. It is located in the former Madrid Hospice, an edifice built by architect Pedro de Ribera who was responsible for the main façade and doorway during the reign of Philip V (1721-1726) . It is considered to be one of the best Spanish Baroque buildings in Madrid. In 1919, the building was designated as an historic-artistic monument.
We visited all four floors of the Museo. The ground floor covers the period 1561 -1700 and is described as “Town Court & Capital of Two Worlds”. There was also a special exhibit regarding the lives of children during World War II. The first floor covers the period from 1700-1814 and is described as “Enlightened Centre of Power”. The third floor covers the period 1814-1910 and is described as “The Dream of a New City”. The basement contains maps & models and also had a special exhibit of caricatures.
When we arrived at the Museo (which was free) one of the curators at the desk spoke English and she provided us with information as to where to begin and how best to enjoy the museum. Interestingly, she was later up on the second floor where we were able to chat briefly.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Museo and will likely return on a future visit to Madrid. While the special exhibits had limited descriptions in English, the rest of the Museo had detailed information. We enjoyed learning so much about the history of Madrid over this vast period. We spent most of our time on the First Floor where there were so many beautiful paintings as well as porcelain and silver produced for the Royal Family. It’s always a wonderful feeling when you see these items preserved for future generations.
We stayed at the Museum through late afternoon. On our return ride on the Metro, we once again had one quick line change. On an aside, the Madrid metro has more metro stations than London’s metro but its fares are about half of London’s fares. Ed immediately got a seat due to a gracious woman; it took Lindy a few more stops as the metro began to clear out. When we reached the end of the line (Alameda de Osuna), we had a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood before dashing over the highway and down the service road to reach The Hilton
When we walked into the lobby, we were surprised to see Tarek. He told us that he was working the 3P-11P shift the next two days prior to leaving for Jerba. So we didn’t have to say goodbye early as we thought we did when we left for the San Cayetano on Tuesday. We enjoyed our happy hour at the Executive Lounge and at 8:00P we stopped by to say hello to Tarek once again. Afterwards, it was time for some rest.
