Spain 2001: 01 Madrid - A city of diversity and contrast...

"The greatest act of faith some days is to simply get up and face another day..."

Spain & Portugal
(29 December 2000 - 5 January 2001)

We were supposed to have a family holiday in Disneyland but some how it was changed to Spain and Portugal instead because of some clashes in dates...

(A shopping spree)

Madrid, with a population of just under three million, is Europe’s fourth largest city – after London, Paris and Milan – and its highest capital, at 650 m above sea level. The repression and torpor of the Franco era are now all but forgotten by Madrileños who, perhaps more than any other Spaniards, are determined to live life to the fullest. The craving for conspicuous enjoyment, not to mention the hours of annual sunshine, turn the streets into bustling centres of public display.

(Sara, Iwan and Ja having a good time)

Madrid’s infectious and colourful fiestas punctuate the year, with each district trying to outdo the other in its celebrations. The highlights include Feast of the Three Kings, Carnival, the religious processions of Holy Week, the San Isidro festival in May, the beginning of the bullfighting season and New Year’s Eve, when the Puerta del Sol becomes the focal point during several hours of uninhibited partying. Visitors should also look out for the major cultural festivals, notably the Veranos de la Villa in summer and the autumn Festival de Otoño, embracing film, dance, theatre and music of every description. Although Madrid’s climate is more extreme than other Spanish locations, the warm dry summers and cool winters still allow for many alfresco activities.

(Chilly weather in the evening)

Madrid becomes capital only in the second half of the 16th century, but it oozes a vitality and character that rarely fails to move. In no other European capital will you find the city centre so thronged so late into the night, as though some unwritten law forbade sleeping before dawn.Madrid has always been a city of immigrants and transients, and the result is an unusually open and accessible city. Ambitious programs to modernise the city are afoot, but the local gatos of Madrid can rest assured that their town remains as refreshingly unlike Paris, London or Rome as ever. 

(A cool winter night)

👈 2001: Toledo, Spain

2000: Makkah, Saudi Arabia 👉