Madrid and Its Sights

Madrid is the capital city of Spain with a population of roughly 3.3 million. Madrid is the third largest city in Europe that is after London and Berlin. Its location is on the Manzanares River that is on the centre of the country and community of Madrid that encompasses the city of Madrid, its conurbation as well as its extended suburbs and villages. The community is bordered by Castile and Leon and castile-La Mancha which are autonomous communities.

Madrid is a city with wonderful places, buildings and monuments that are breath taking among these are; Prado museum which is the world’s biggest art gallery with over 7,600 paintings but only exhibits one part of these paintings due to lack of space however a recent addition was made to the museum saw an increase of the space by 50% which now allows more paintings to be displayed. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza is a museum that permanently has Thyssen collection which is one of the biggest in Europe. The highlight at this museum is a collection of impressionist as well as post-impressionist works. Palacio Real in Madrid is also known as Palacio de Oriente whose location is the centre of Madrid which is used for ceremonial purposes by kings. Plaza Mayor is among Spain’s most beautiful plaza and the most important places for visitors who go to Madrid it has a very uniform architecture and that is why the place is very beautiful. El Retiro Park is found at the centre of Madrid and it was declared a garden of Historic-Artistic Importance, the park has a large artificial lake that is used for sailing and rowing by those who go to visit the park. Fountain of Apollo found in the middle of Pase del Prado is not well-known since it is hidden, Apollo was a god of art and medicine and this sculpture shows him holding a lyre on his left hand as well as having a cloak around him. This fountain has allegorical figure decorations of four seasons also has three shells as decorations. The church of Santa Barbara is also known as Salesas Reales and is located at Calle de Barbara de Braganza and is among the beautiful churches in Madrid .the Royal Palace of El Pardo is just about 14 Kms from Madrid and is quite easy to get to. Its setting is in a wooded area known as El Monte de El Pardo an area that has trees and is also a hunting reserve (TripAdvisor LLC, 2013).

Apart from sights there are also some things to do that visitors can do when in Madrid these include taking an open-topped bus tour around Madrid as well as they see sights and monuments that enable one to choose which one they will visit later; taking a ride on Madrid’s cable car which gives visitors a wonderful panomaroic view of the best sights and attractions; watching bullfights that are staged in Madrid; watching real Madrid play which is one of the best football teams in the world; watching Flamenco since Madrid stages some of the best flamenco dances in the world; walking in the park as one enjoys open spaces, rose-garden, boating lake as well as street theater at the Retiro park. These are just a few attraction sights in Madrid however there are many more museums, churches and parks that are still found in Madrid and one should ensure that they visit whenever they make a trip in Madrid (TripAdvisor LLC, 2013).

Madrid is also home for the Hispania’s who over the past few decades have raised tremendously. Hispanic denotes a relationship to Spain or to ancient Hispania that is comprised of the Lberian peninsula which includes modern states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra. Today the Hispania’s are linked with having historical as well as cultural relationship with Spain and Portugal or basically Spain alone. The term Hispanic is broadly used when referring to people, cultures well as nations that have a historical link with Spain. The Hispanic people are a vibrant people who also love fun as well as like to socialize. They are deeply involved in family culture and tradition. The Hispanic culture is made up of a set of traditions, customs, beliefs as well as art forms including music, dress, architecture, cuisine, literature and others which are shared by Hispanics (Rank, 2012).the Hispanic culture include family bonding; Hispanic families have a culture of living together in closely knit groups which not only contains grandfathers and grandchildren but also includes all the descendants and generations that are alive. In the families the father is as the chief of the family whereas the mother is just a housewife. Adults and people who are working in the family value work and so they help other family members when need arises. During vacations there are travelling family members to relatives’ places and homes which acts as a strengthening factor to the family ties. All acquaintances and relatives are given a lot of respect and care.

When it comes to their mannerisms the Hispanics are quite formal with firm handshakes being a practice that is common among them. When it comes to close acquaintances, family members as well as friends light kisses on the cheek as well as hugs are greetings that are common. In case the Hispania’s are addressing people in an informal manner they are loud, fast and they greatly use body language so that they can effectively convey their points. Religion is a very significant factor and plays a big role in the day-to-day life of the Hispanics. Over 90% of the population is Roman Catholic. Churches and spiritual activities have a great influence on the activities of the families; families are seen coming together to pray and attend sermons. Every community has a saint’s day that is celebrated with a lot of vigor and enthusiasm (Buzzle.com, 2013)

In reference to their dietary habits the Hispanics have a three day meal system. In general lunches and dinners are eaten with all family members present. Anyone who is not home when lunch is taken is supposed to return from where they are so that they can have lunch with all the other family members for instance students are expected to return from school and working individuals return from work. The Hispanic foods have different characteristics but the most distinctive feature is that they are spicy an example of these dishes are Tortillas which are flat bread that are made of flour, Cevinche which is a dish of raw fish that is laminated in lime juice and in chopped salad and poc Chic which is pork fillet that is cooked with tomatoes, onions and a lot of spices (Kidzworld, 2013).

There are various festivals that are associated with the Hispanics; they often celebrate the international festivals with a lot of pomp. The most commonly celebrated festivals include Christmas Eve, New Year’s Day and the three king’s day local festivals are referred to as las fiestas while national holidays are referred to as fiesta nacional and many of the festivals are often declared by the government. Among the holidays that the Hispanics celebrate are Cinco de Mayo which is a day of celebration of Mexicans victory over French; Puerto Rican Emancipation day is celebration of when slaves were set free.

The vibrant culture is also made up dance and music, the Hispanics love getting together, dancing as well as celebrating. Among the traditions and culture of the Hispanics during the festivals include A Pinata is a container that is filled with candy and toys that is suspended in air that will be broken by children who are blindfolded and they form part of Christmas celebrations.

There are various Hispanic arts that include basket weaving, Earthenware which include terra cotta and sculpture. In general it can be concluded that the Hispanic culture is a very rich one.

References

TripAdvisor LLC., (2013). Madrid: Best Sights of Madrid. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g187514-c108077/Madrid:Spain:Best.Sights.Of.Madrid.html

Buzzle.com, (2013). Hispanic Culture Facts. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hispanic-culture-facts.html

Kidzworld, (2013). Hispanic Culture and Heritage .retrieved February 12, 2013 from http://www.kidzworld.com/article/5032-hispanic-culture-and-heritage

Rank, J., (2012). Countries and their cultures. Retrieved February 12, 2013 from http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Spain.html