Madrid and the crowning of King Felipe VI

And so the adventure begins …

It’s a long long way from Auckland to Madrid, from my apartment door in Auckland to the hotel door in Madrid about 34 hours, and I wasn’t very well for much of the trip so, suffice to say, I was very glad to collapse in my comfortable room, have a hot shower and order room service for dinner, then sleep away the jet lag.

I chose well when I picked Hotel Europa from the many reviewed on TripAdvisor. It’s in the pedestrian-only street Calle Carmen, in the oldest part of Madrid, very close to Puerta del sol, the exact centre of the old city and the zero kilometre point for all Spanish roads. My room was modern and well equipped, with excellent double-glazed French doors leading out to a tiny balcony, overlooking the hotel’s street-side restaurant immediately below and with views along the surrounding streets. That double glazing was absolutely essential and very effective at stopping the noise of life outside, which continued into the wee hours.

I chose the hotel for its location, about half way between the Royal Palace in one direction and the Prado in the other, and my plan was to spend a day exploring in each direction. By sheer coincidence, 19 June, the day after I arrived, was a historical day for Spain, the coronation of King Felipe VI following the abdication of his father Juan Carlos. I only discovered this watching CNN news that morning and didn’t realise what celebrations had been planned so set off in the vague direction of the palace but following a walking trail of the various historical and notable buildings on the way.

And what amazing buildings they were! Every which way I turned my head, there was impressive sculptural decoration, intricately carved doors with shiny brass door knockers, gilded details glistening in the sunlight, ancient brick patterns and fascinating old shop-fronts and signs, balconies overflowing with the ubiquitous flowering geranium and, for the coronation, adorned with patriotic banners of red and yellow.

I soon got sidetracked down intriguing alleyways and seductive side streets but I think I did manage to see all the buildings on the list, including the Church of San Gines (dating from medieval days but rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries following destructive fires); the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (the 16th-century home of the barefoot Carmelites); the Royal Monastery of the Incarnation; and the Senate House, which houses the upper chamber of the Spanish Parliament.

At first, I couldn’t get near the Royal Palace, as each street leading in that direction was barricaded and swarming with police but, eventually, I followed the same direction as the increasing throngs of people to the one entrance point, where bags and bodies were being scanned. Declared safe, I was allowed in and found a great possie right in front of the palace, where the friendly locals assured me I would soon see the arrival of the king.

That word ‘soon’ was a little optimistic and we all quickly became very hot, both from the sun and the increasing volumes of people jostling for position. But, after the arrival of various local and international dignitaries in cars and buses, the parading back and forth of regiments of soldiers, both on foot and on horseback, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived in an open-topped limousine, to the huge cheers and enthusiastic applause of his patriotic subjects – and the clicking of a million cameras! Another 20 minutes or so passed, while the troops paraded off before the king and queen appeared on the palace balcony. I shouted ‘Viva Felipe!’ along with all the rest and found it quite moving to experience this special moment in Spain’s history.

I headed back to the hotel and enjoyed a delicious lunch and rehydrating drinks at a sidewalk table, then escaped the heat of early afternoon by retreating to my room for a couple of hours. When I re-emerged late afternoon, I set off for more exploration, first to the Plaza Mayor, the main square which dates from the reign of King Philip III (1598-1621). It’s huge, surrounded on all four sides by four-storey buildings with arcaded shops below and umbrella-covered cafes out front, entered by a series of nine massive gateways. I strolled around, being entertained by various types of street performer, but found it stiflingly hot in the confined space, large though it was.

So, I headed out again, past a cluster of fascinating old buildings: the site of the cloistered convent of the Hieronymite nuns, Las Jeronimas del Corpus Christi; the Lujanes Tower, the city’s oldest civil building; and Cisnero’s House and the Casa de la Villa, bridged high up by a narrow passage. And then it was on to La Almudena, the enormous Catholic cathedral, where I spent perhaps 30 minutes, enjoying the cool and the peaceful atmosphere, craning my neck to admire and photograph the impossibly high vaulted ceilings. This is a relatively new building, only consecrated in 1993 by Pop John Paul II, so its neo-Gothic interior is almost surprisingly modern, with richly coloured paintings and statues by contemporary artists.

The cathedral sits adjacent to the Royal Palace so that was my final port of call for the day. With the barricades gone, I could get closer to the fences, gates and doorways for better images. Constructed between 1738 and 1755, it is the largest palace in Europe with 135,000 square metres of floor space and 3418 rooms. Though public entry is usually allowed, it was closed for that day’s ceremonies and, anyway, I was again hot and thirsty and tired – time to find a café and a beer and reflect on this amazing first day of my holiday!

From spider whisperer to pagoda photographer

On Friday 11 January I set off on my latest adventure, a week travelling around Cambodia with my friend Marianne and two of her Cambodian family, young lads of 17 and 24. First, was a 6-hour bus trip from Siem Reap to the country’s capital, Phnom Penh.

The roads here can be dangerous and Route 6 has a sinister reputation but our trip was without incident. We had chosen a new bus company, Giant Ibis, with a comfortable air-conditioned bus, skilled drivers, complimentary bottles of water and chocolate pastries soon after setting off, and movies (we saw three: The Dictator, The Expendables, and The Amazing Spiderman) to keep the passengers amused. Actually, watching the movies was quite a bizarre experience as, with just a slight upward or downward motion, your eyes could move from the sight of a road full of tuk-tuks or an old wooden cart being pulled by two oxen to a scene of Hollywood-created carnage in Asian Russia or Spiderman saving the world from a giant lizard!

Halfway through the journey we stopped for a lunch break and then later we paused for a restroom break. That was hugely interesting, as we stopped in the small town of Skuon, which is well-known locally for the bizarre food on offer in its market. Spiders are the local speciality but we also saw beetles, crickets, frogs and small birds, to name just a few. I could never bring myself to eat such things, though other bus passengers did. I was, however, more than happy to have a live spider sitting on my hand, something that would have freaked me out in the past – I used to have quite a phobia about spiders, but have become braver – some might say crazier – in recent years! The spiders are a type of tarantula and are apparently at their tastiest when tossed in sugar and salt, then stir-fried with garlic in oil. I prefer mine alive!

Phnom Penh is a huge city of about 2.2million people but we had little time to explore, just a few hours free on Saturday morning. We tuk-tukked from our hotel to the Independence Monument which commemorates independence from France in 1953 and, these days, also serves as a war memorial to honour Cambodia’s war dead. The red sandstone tower recalls the architecture of an Angkor tower, with its multi-tiered roofs decorated with more than 100 nagas (seven-headed serpent statues). Shame about the concrete and glass skyscrapers in the background.

We walked from the monument down the grand Sihanouk Boulevard, past the equally grand buildings of the Buddhist Institute and the National Assembly, home to Cambodia’s parliament, then along the waterfront adjacent to the confluence of those two mighty rivers, the Tonle Sap and the Mekong. After a few blocks we turned left towards the Royal Palace. The street outside is currently closed off due to the death of former King Norodom Sihanouk, considered by most Cambodians to have been the father of their country. His passing on 15 October 2012 sent the entire country into a period of mourning that will last until his burial in February, and throughout the country there are billboards, large and small, showing his photo. Underneath a huge one of these at the Royal Palace there is an area where locals can light incense and place lotus flowers in memory of their beloved king.

The Royal Palace is closed during the mourning period but the grounds of the neighbouring Silver Pagoda are still open. This enclosure is a tranquil oasis amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, and is a stunningly beautiful place. As well as the Silver Pagoda, so-named for the 5329 engraved silver tiles that cover its floor, the grounds contain ornately carved Chedi (stone towers) and other pagoda-like constructions, set amidst hundreds of ornamental plants in large pots. I was totally enchanted with the reflections to be found in the wide urns of waterlilies and many many photographs were taken.

I would have liked to have stayed longer but we needed to be back at the hotel to check out by midday. Next time!