Today is our first day as a team to sort out ‘living together’ as we start the day with different staggering starts. The only thing that was preset was the time we planned to leave for the metro. As we worked on the details breakfast food started to appear on the table in the dining room ensuring that whatever the sleepy eyed participcants wanted was to be found. After breakfast we started the process of working on the lunches. We are almost ready to head out the door.
I should mention the shower in the main bathroom (we have two bathrooms in the apartment) which is a complicated and interesting cleaning machine. First thing you notice is that there are 3 knobs, a rain shower head, a handheld shower head with a snake, and 6 jets arranged in the shower wall. It took some time to figure things out but we did manage to realize that one knob turned the water on, one knob set the water temperature (cold/hot mix) and one knob directed the water to the appropriate noozle. We practically needed a committee to sort out all the functions.
We have learned that a committee is needed to figure out the functioning of the clothes washer, the dishwasher and now the shower. I think we need to really work on our spanish AND request that the user’s manuals be available. However, it has been fun working out the challenges and our committee work has found success. Nothing like a bit of team problem solving to ensure a team solidarity.
Ok, off to the metro we head since to get to the Real Monasterio De El Escorial we need to take 2 subway cars and catch a bus. Again with Wes and Helen working on the details we really did have a simple journey. The fact that it is Saturday and that in Spain people tend to stay up very late (dinner hour starts around 9 pm) we did not have a huge crowd to deal with on the metro. Only had to deal with tourists such as us.
El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of the capital, Madrid, in Spain. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum, and school.
El Escorial comprises two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: El Real Monasterio de El Escorial itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five kilometres away. These sites have a dual nature; that is to say, during the 16th and 17th centuries, they were places in which the temporal power of the Spanish monarchy and the ecclesiastical predominance of the Roman Catholic religion in Spain found a common architectural manifestation. El Escorial was, at once, a monastery and a Spanish royal palace. Originally a property of the Hieronymite monks, it is now a monastery of the Order of Saint Augustine.
Philip II of Spain, reacting to the Protestant Reformation sweeping through Europe during the 16th century, devoted much of his lengthy reign (1556–1598) and much of his seemingly inexhaustible supply of New World gold to stemming the Protestant tide. His protracted efforts were, in the long run, partly successful; however, the same counter-reformational impulse had a much more benign expression thirty years earlier in Philip's decision to build the complex at El Escorial.
On November 2, 1984, UNESCO declared The Royal Site of San Lorenzo of El Escorial a World Heritage Site. It is an extremely popular tourist attraction, often visited by day-trippers from Madrid - more than 500,000 visitors come to El Escorial every year.
Library
Philip II donated his personal collection of documents to the building, and also undertook the acquisition of the finest libraries and works of Spain and foreign countries. It was planned by Juan de Herrera, who also designed the library’s shelves; the frescoes on the vaulted ceilings were painted by Pellegrino Tibaldi. The library’s collection consists of more than 40,000 volumes, located in a great hall fifty-four meters in length, nine meters wide and ten meters tall with marble floors and beautifully carved wood shelves.
The vault of the library's ceiling is decorated with frescoes depicting the seven liberal arts: Rhetoric, Dialectic, Music, Grammar, Arithmetic, Geometry and Astronomy.
Patio of the Kings and the Basilica.
The first thing you find upon arriving to El Escorial is the main Façade. This has three doors: the middle one leads to the Patio de los Reyes and the side ones lead to a school and the other to a monastery. On the façade there is a niche where the image of a saint has been placed. The Patio de los Reyes is an enclosure that owes its name to the statues of the Kings of Judah that adorn the façade of the Basílica, located at the back, from which you can access from the patio. This spectacular basilica has a floor in the shape of a Greek cross and an enormous cupola inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The naves are covered with canyon vaults decorated with frescoes by Lucas Jordán. The large chapel is one of the highlights in the basilica, presided by steps of red marble. Its main altarpiece is 30 meters high and divided in compartments of different sizes where found bronze sculptures and canvas.
Under the royal chapel of the Basilica is the Royal Pantheon. This is the place of burial for the kings of Spain. It is an octagonal Baroque mausoleum made of marble where all of the Spanish monarchs since Charles I have been buried, with the exception of Philip V, Ferdinand of Savoy, and Amadeus of Savoy.
Palace of Philip II
Situated next to the main altar of the Basilica, the residence of King Philip II is made up of a series of austerely decorated rooms. It features a window from which the king could observe mass from his bed when incapacitated by the gout that afflicted him.
Hall of Battles
Fresco paintings here depict the most important Spanish military victories. These include a medieval victory over the Moors, as well as several of Philip's campaigns against the French.
Pantheon of the Kings
This consists of twenty-six marble sepulchers containing the remains of the kings and queens regnant (the only queen regnant since Philip II being Isabella II), of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties from Charles I to the present, except for Philip V and Ferdinand VI.
Architectural Museum
Its eleven rooms showcase the tools, cranes and other materials used in the construction of the edifice, as well as reproductions of blueprints and documents related to the project, containing some very interesting facts. Lynn and I spent a bit of time checking out the tools and looking at the models of construction displayed. We speculated on many tools as to purpose and use.
After we had finished touring the building we walked across the courtyard to work our way around to gardens. These gardens have beautifully sculptured hedges that create very ornate patterns. The purpose of the gardens is to constitute an ideal place for repose and meditation. It was in these gardens that we stopped to have our picnic lunches while listening to the sound of thunder in the background. The blue sky is turning dark with clouds and rain is on its way. However we still take time to enjoy the location for a quiet and relaxing lunch. Then we headed back to catch the bus to return to Madrid.
Once we returned to the apartment we decided to have a cup of tea and relax. By now the sky is definitely looking like rain and we working on what to do after tea. It is decided that we will take a walk around this area to explore and scout out ideas for dinner later tonight. We are going to look for Plaza Mayor.
The Plaza Mayor was built during the Habsburg period and is a central plaza. It is located only a few blocks away from another famous plaza, the Puerta del Sol (which we visited after dinner). The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape, measuring 129 by 94 meters, and is surrounded by three-story residential buildings having 237 balconies facing the Plaza. It has a total of nine entranceways. The Plaza Mayor has been the scene of multitudinous events: markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions, and the executions of those condemned to death. The Plaza Mayor also has a ring of old and traditional shops and cafes under its porticoes. It has been considered the center of Madrid since 1851 when the seat of Court was moved to it by King Phillip II. In the center of the Plaza is a statue of King Phillip III.
The Puerta del Sol (Spanish for "Gate of the Sun") is one of the best known and busiest places in Madrid. This is the centre (Km 0) of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clock whose bells mark the traditional eating of the Twelve Grapes and the beginning of a new year. The New Year's celebration has been broadcast live on TV since 31 December 1962. The Puerta del Sol originated as one of the gates in the city wall that surrounded Madrid in the 15th century. Outside the wall, medieval suburbs began to grow around the Christian Wall of the 12th century. The name of the gate came from the rising sun which decorated the entry, since the gate was oriented to the east.
After walking around this area of Madrid and in particular exploring both of the Plazas we decided to head back to the apartment for the night. We have noticed and commented several times about how many Spaniards are on the streets, especially after dinner. When we went for dinner it was raining, but by the time we finished it had stopped. Everywhere we went we were walking amoung crowds of people and the majority did not seem to be tourists. It is our sense that the lifestyle of many here is to eat a later dinner and to relax socially over drinks and tapas. Even though the weather was not great the number of people on the street made it feels like a carnival like atmosphere.
As we neared the apartment we realized that we could see some lights over the Royal Palace way and decided to walk over and see how it looked all lite up. We ended up having some fun taking pictures and tomorrow we plan to visit the Palace for a tour. During our travels today we learned about several activities tomorrow as part of the San Isidro - Madrid Festivals. San Isidro is the patron saint of Madrid and the public holiday which coincides with this festival is on 15th May although a range of varied events take place from the Friday before 15th when the Mayor's speech begins proceedings and continue until the following Sunday when there is the cooking of an enormous Cocido Madrileño (Madrid's most traditional dish). This means tomorrow will be busy as we look at our options and add more things to our agenda.
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