Ah Spain!

AI generated, please excuse any errors!

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[Music]
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Hello. Welcome to Aspain Poco Poco. Good
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day Tanya. Buenos Diaz.
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Good day. Are we feeling old English
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today?
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Cheerio chim shari. See?
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Well, today we are going to talk about
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the Palaio Real de Madrid otherwise
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known as and forth with the royal palace
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of Madrid. We will just be using it that
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name I think. Correct.
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Yes, that sounds good. Yeah, let's let's
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we we will we will in we will entreat
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you with a little little chopped up
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butchered Spanish, but we will we will
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try to use the English name.
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We shall carry on.
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Right.
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There we go. And this is if um anyone's
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been to Madrid, I'm sure you've seen it.
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If you haven't, obviously you can find
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pictures online. Um, it's a it's a
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beautifully large, spectacular building
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and it is, you know, considered an
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architectural masterpiece and a symbol
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of Spain's rich history and cultural
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heritage, which funnily enough, I found
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out that this building was kind of
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designed over the sketches of the Louvre
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in in Paris. So, not a total original. I
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mean, it is a total original, but if you
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put those two things together, you can
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completely see how they all are alike.
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You can, except that it doesn't have
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like those Parisian mansered roofs,
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right?
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Right. But that's pretty much it.
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But, you know, these royal families, you
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know, I don't want to knock them, but
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they were all coping each other's
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palaces. Do you know what?
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And you had I don't know how many people
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were building these gigantic things back
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then either. So, I mean, both Anyway,
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both buildings absolutely spectacular.
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So, no reason not to copy a great thing.
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and um it is the official residence of
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the Spanish royal family, although
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mostly used for state ceremonies and and
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things like that. And they have a a
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another palace that they prefer to
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actually consider their home home, which
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is called the Palace of Zuela,
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and that's on the outskirts of Madrid.
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So very close. They could pop in for a
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state ceremony and pop right out again
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and pop right into their private little
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home that no one gets to go and see.
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Exactly. I think that's
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No, wait. I don't know. Maybe maybe they
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do have tours of that one, too. I don't
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know.
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Yeah. Well, and actually, I will say we
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did not do the tour, so we didn't even
2:18
try. What about you?
2:20
Well, I I have an Ospay moment for this.
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So, we we waited in the line to do the
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tour and as we got to the velvet rope
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and like we weren't planning, we
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stumbled upon the palace and we were
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like, "Oh, there it is. There's a queue.
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Let's get in it. We'll do it." And right
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when we got to the front of the queue,
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they closed the velvet rope and they
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said, "We're closed." And we were like,
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"Of course you are. Of course."
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Um, so plan ahead. Little PSA here. If
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you want to, you can buy tickets online,
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do so. And I found this to be the case
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for almost everything. You know, there's
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I mean, there's really,
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I think you can almost plan ahead or,
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you know, take a look at when it's a
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real downtime that you really can go
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without waiting in line,
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right? And, you know, I hadn't thought
3:04
about that. So, I mean, the reality is
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why we're standing in line. I could
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probably even look to see if they had
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tickets for sale right then and there.
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That's true. So, the interesting thing
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about this building was that in 1734
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there was a fire that burnt burnt down
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the original um Alcazar of Madrid that
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was there. So, that was a big, you know,
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palace that that was completely burnt
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down in 1734.
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And in the process of it of the of that
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burning down, a lot of works of art were
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like thrown out of the windows, which I
3:35
is horrifying, but they wouldn't be
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around if they hadn't. So,
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right. But but it's also horrifying
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because, you know, these palaces don't
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have small painting. It's not like
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they're checking some 8 by10s. Like,
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these things are like 10 ft by 20 ft.
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Like, these things are huge. So, how do
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they survived the fallout? I'm I mean, I
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don't know what the old palace looked
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like. was before my time. But I'm
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assuming the windows weren't necessarily
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low to the ground, right?
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Well, also I have to imagine if it's a
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palace, it's it's a fortress in those
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days, right? So the windows would have
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been high up as well.
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High up and probably small, not these
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gorgeous ones they have.
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Well, so they were lucky they could they
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could luck they could get the the
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paintings out of the windows, I guess.
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So anyway, so the construction of this
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palace was from 1738 to 1755. A little
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bit after that,
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right? Right. It's not long.
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Which, you know, when we were talking
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about other buildings and as you tour
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Europe, some of these buildings take
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hundreds of years. So, it's amazing that
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they got it done in such a short amount
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of time, right?
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They really did. Yeah. And there weren't
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a few architects. There were there were
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many,
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right?
4:39
There was a couple. I mean, people are
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old. you know, you you have to be old to
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get the the the commission and then you
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probably die off and they got to replace
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you and then someone's got to make some
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changes to put their their stamp on the
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property. Do you want to list the names
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of some of the
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You going to make me do it? Okay. So, it
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was it's was following a um Bernin
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design by um Filipo Hurvara and Giovani
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Batista Sachetti Sachetti in cooperation
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with Ventura Rodriguez, Franch Franc
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Franchesco Sabatini and Martin Sarmento.
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There we go. You did good.
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I think I did okay.
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Yeah. And so like he's like you just
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said, I mean you're and I've seen a
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pattern of this a little bit where you
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know somebody starts it, the next person
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has to do it. So the fact that they got
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it done between 1738 and 1755 is I think
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incredibly impressive.
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Mhm.
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Cuz it's not a small amount of rooms.
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No, it's not. We'll get to that. But
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during the second Spanish Republic, you
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know, when we they had no king and
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queen, the building was known as the
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Platio Natan.
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That makes sense. Yep. See? So,
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there we go.
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And and right now, since we said about
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the size and scale, there are 3,418
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rooms and over 135,000 square meters.
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That's not square feet, ladies and
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gentlemen. That is square meters. So,
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floor space.
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A square meter is like 910 square feet.
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So, you know, you're
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right.
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Very large. Yes. Making it the largest
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royal palace in Europe by floor area.
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So, I mean, I think that's I I don't
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know what it's like to live in a royal
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palace. Um, but you know, you don't as
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as we go through, you'll see. I mean,
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we're going to take you through some of
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the rooms that you can see on a tour.
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And I have to imagine no matter how
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royal you are, you can't you're not
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using that many rooms. I mean, that is
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for all your servants. It's for state
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events. It's big dining halls. And you
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probably only have a few that you're
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actually living in because you can't
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live in that many rooms. That's not even
6:40
possible.
6:42
Well, I'm sure a lot of those rooms are
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for the ladies and waiting and the, you
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know, whatever the Dukes and Duchesses,
6:47
all those kind of supportive staff.
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Yeah.
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Yeah. Yeah. So, this and they have a
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fantastic art collection obviously. I
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think that could be expected. Um, Goya,
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Velasquez,
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Karavajio, and I'm sure many, many, many
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more. Um, and also included in they have
7:03
gardens and beautiful views from the
7:06
windows and the stratavarious collection
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which I was surprised to read.
7:11
Yes. And it h has it houses the world's
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only complete stratus various string
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quintet which is that's that's not the
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people that play the instruments. That's
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the actual instruments.
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I would kind of want them played. I
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don't know that I would. I mean, I would
7:27
appreciate looking at them and I'm but
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not as somebody that's I'm not very
7:31
musical. I think I would appreciate them
7:32
actually being played. So, I would like
7:34
to see the that quartet a quintet
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actually being played. That would be
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beautiful, but they're probably probably
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not allowed to do that.
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And in it, it's two violins, a viola, a
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cello, and then a non-decorated cello.
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So, I haven't seen these, so I don't
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know what the difference between the
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cello and noncorated is. What I'm
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I have no idea.
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I have no idea. But I mean I know
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stratavarious means they're expensive.
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That's what I know. That's all I know.
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Also know that. Yes. I have never would
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never try and play one. So I'm sure
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that'll be very impressive. There's a
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place called the Mirador de la Cornisa
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which is an observation deck. Gives you
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beautiful views of Madrid. So I I think
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just that is probably other not on top
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of all the the everything you get to see
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inside. I think that would be absolutely
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gorgeous to to see Madrid from that um
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from that view. I think
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it that that is beautiful because that's
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part I didn't see.
8:25
Oh, you did?
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Okay. Well, so you've done it basically.
8:29
You don't need to go back.
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Um well, so we talk about the
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architectural design in the style. Um so
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we have um discussed that there was a
8:40
Bernini. So it combines this uh baroque
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and neocclassical elements which um
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Bernini was kind of know what he sketch
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those were his sketches for the Lou. So
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they kind of used those Um, as we had
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said, it doesn't have the mansered
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roofs, but it does have that kind of
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like
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U-shaped from the front view that is
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similar to that.
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Uh, we did talk about the key architects
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being Filipo Hivera who did the the
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initial Baroque design and then came
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Juan Bautista Sacheti who continued the
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construction after WA's death followed
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by Franchesco Sabatini and he added the
9:15
neocclassical features including the
9:17
southeast wing and the grand staircase.
9:20
Lovely. Yeah. And then we have the
9:21
exterior features which is the iconic
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columns, the Tuscan colasters and also
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it is adorned with statues of saints and
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kings and that that gets into the
9:32
nitty-gritty little the details um that
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are spectacular but if you are looking
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at the outside you can definitely
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see all the details that are added on
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top of all the architectural elements
9:43
that you've already described. And then
9:45
of course inside we have the the of
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course lavish rooms which have frescos
9:53
and these you know painted ceilings and
9:56
painted walls and all this stuff. You
9:57
start to see a pattern with some of the
10:00
the churches that we've talked about in
10:01
our other praos where you're just
10:03
you mean the minimalism of the era.
10:05
Uhhuh.
10:06
Exactly.
10:08
It's overwhelming. Let's say not sure
10:10
I'd want to live in it but it's
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definitely amazing to see. So I mean if
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let's go through some of the rooms.
10:15
So you have the throne room which has
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got these red velvet thrones.
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Of course it does.
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Of course it does. And has the diapo
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fresco and ornate chandeliers. Uh this
10:26
dates back from Charles III from in
10:28
1772. So um and there's also bronze
10:32
sculptures that include the four
10:34
cardinal virtues and four of the seven
10:36
planets. uh Senator German Germanicus
10:40
and four Medici lions flanking the dual
10:42
throne. So again, minimal, you know,
10:46
very
10:46
austerity. I was gonna say that I feel
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like my house is missing a throne room,
10:50
but I think what it's really missing is
10:52
the royal armory.
10:54
I mean, can you imagine having one of
10:55
those in your house?
10:59
I mean that will definitely make when
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you have a suitor coming over for your
11:03
daughter in in years to come make them
11:05
think twice about
11:06
well Jad will be going out right now to
11:08
to build a royal armory in the house.
11:10
So, we have I mean this this room
11:13
particularly I think is the one that is
11:15
really
11:16
designed more like a museum where they
11:18
have like different sort of collections
11:20
of armor and weapons and they date back
11:22
to the 13th century and you can really
11:24
go through and they've got a little
11:26
description and everything about what
11:27
everything is which I think that's a a
11:29
very interesting room and it's got these
11:32
beautiful red walls and wooden ceilings.
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This one isn't as ornate of a room as
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the other ones, but the, you know, the
11:40
the I think it's very interesting all
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the elements that they have in there for
11:43
you to see. So, I definitely worth
11:45
stopping.
11:45
Right. And it does highlight the armor
11:47
and all those things that you're like,
11:48
how do they even fight in that in that
11:50
kind of in those gaps?
11:51
And they've got the very the whole
11:53
thing. They've got the horse armor, the
11:55
human armor, and everything all set up.
11:57
And it's it looks really cool.
11:59
And then we have the royal chapel, which
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is where they have the the strutarious
12:03
quintet that we had talked about. And
12:05
again, this is a very um austere room
12:09
with, you know, arches and gilding and
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and mar and marble columns and and all
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the all the gilding that you could could
12:16
want to.
12:17
Absolutely. And then beautiful, you
12:19
know, custom carpets and and all of
12:21
that. So very Yes. Very ornate. And then
12:24
the royal pharmacy, which we had a a
12:27
little one of these in Alexandria, where
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we lived in Virginia. It was a little
12:31
museum and it was a very very old little
12:33
pharmacy and it was really cute. It was
12:35
not as gilded as this.
12:37
No,
12:38
but I love I do love those things and
12:40
they got all the little drawers and
12:42
they've I mean it's just it's very it's
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very ornate but also I think quite
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fascinating to see kind of how things
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worked back then as well.
12:51
Right. And they've got all those
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apothecary jars, those big you pottery
12:54
things and stuff. I will say that, you
12:56
know, it's what I love about here is you
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go into thearmacies here and you see the
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the all theies I've been to. I have at
13:03
least a few of these kind of, you know,
13:05
I'm sure they're not real, but the
13:06
pseudo vintage, you know, these copies
13:08
of vintage um apothecary jars and they
13:13
got the old names on them. I think
13:15
that's so cool.
13:16
Hint of the past,
13:18
right? And then there is the Gasparini
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room which is I believe this is a this
13:25
is an 18th century floral themed room
13:27
which I think we've decided was a
13:29
private sitting room that they had used.
13:32
So very again very ornate and and
13:36
beautiful and a slight smaller roomish.
13:39
Well I think this was like I think these
13:41
palaces are set up where they have like
13:42
the royal families have their own
13:44
apartments in it. Right. So I think this
13:46
was like the king's royal like their
13:47
private.
13:48
Yeah, absolutely. And then we move out
13:50
to the gardens which you can visit
13:52
without the ticket. So you may have done
13:54
that too, right?
13:55
Right. Well, we we look down upon them.
13:57
We were not in the mood to walk down to
13:59
them. But it is nice that they are not
14:01
part of the the tour that those are just
14:03
public gardens now for the city.
14:05
Yeah, that's a huge bonus. You can just
14:06
go visit those without getting a ticket
14:08
into the palace. So you have the
14:09
Sabatini gardens which is named after
14:12
the Italian architect Franchesco
14:14
Sabatini but it was not designed by him
14:18
and I couldn't for the life of me find
14:20
out who designed these gardens but just
14:22
named after him and obviously he did a
14:24
lot of work for the for the Spanish
14:26
royal family so they you know named a
14:28
garden after him so why not and this is
14:29
a neocclassical style garden
14:31
in the French style landscaping
14:34
and it was open to the public it wasn't
14:36
open to the public the whole time during
14:38
uh Franco's But it was opened when the
14:40
royal family was rein reinstated rein I
14:43
don't know there's a word for that um in
14:45
by by kiwan Carlos the first in 197.
14:48
Yes and it was designed in 1933. So a
14:51
beautiful definitely worth going. And
14:53
then you have the campo demoro gardens
14:55
which are al designed in the 19th
14:57
century under the rule of queen Maria
14:59
Christina.
15:00
These are the British gardens
15:02
which yes the English style. Yes.
15:04
English style
15:05
which which is known for following the
15:08
romanticism of nature right um and they
15:11
do echo the design again copying again
15:14
the echo the design of the gardens of
15:16
Versailles um not as large I've been to
15:18
Versailles and those gardens are like
15:20
you know millions of acres
15:21
absolutely enormous these were declared
15:23
an an artistic historic monument in 1931
15:28
and and also they are called the Campo
15:32
Delmoro Gardens apparently because of a
15:36
historic event that occurred in 1109
15:38
when the Muslim leader Ali Iben Usaf
15:42
attempted to reconquer Madrid following
15:45
the death of King Alfonso V 6th and they
15:48
were camped in this area. So it just
15:51
kind of created the name and it's just
15:53
never never got changed.
15:56
Okay, sounds good.
15:57
Why not?
16:00
Well, I think that wraps up our tour. We
16:02
should probably um give some useful
16:05
information to people who want to visit
16:06
as opposed to the other information that
16:08
wasn't useful at all.
16:10
Well, I mean
16:12
well that useful information is if you
16:14
didn't want to visit, you just want to
16:15
pretend that you saw it in your mind.
16:17
Okay. Useful information. Go ahead.
16:21
So, the opening hours, um, they are
16:23
different during the winter and the
16:25
summers and the weekends, but they it
16:27
does open every day year round at 10:00
16:28
a.m. So, it usually close at like
16:30
probably like, uh, 6 or 8 depending on
16:32
the season.
16:33
Uh, but it is always closed January 1st,
16:35
January 6, May 1st, and December 2.
16:37
That's not much, is it?
16:41
Do you want to tell them how much they
16:43
have to pull out of their wallets to get
16:45
in? Standard admission is €14, but they
16:48
do have some reduced ones for €7 for
16:51
kids and students and seniors. And I'm
16:54
sure these prices will change, but
16:56
that's kind of what it is at this
16:57
particular moment. And you can get a
16:59
guided tour for about €20, maybe between
17:02
13 and 20 depending on where you look.
17:04
And again, book online, I suppose, if
17:07
you can. Um, it probably does, it may
17:09
cost more. You might be doing it through
17:10
a company, so
17:12
but it is possible,
17:13
right? Right. Yeah. I mean, I would say
17:15
I always recommend people to do it
17:16
directly through the museum's websites
17:18
because a lot of these museums do have
17:20
audio guides and they have their own
17:21
guides there now as well.
17:23
But yes, you want to book online and
17:25
it's also free every Monday through
17:28
Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 if you're an
17:30
EU citizen or have an EU work permit,
17:33
which is
17:33
that's good to know. Yeah. And then they
17:35
have the changing of the guard. So, this
17:37
is kind of fun. I mean, you can do this
17:38
at Buckingham Palace and probably many
17:40
other palaces. They have the regular
17:42
changing of the guard which is on
17:43
weddednesday and Saturdays um weather
17:46
permitting. So keep an eye on that. Um
17:49
and then they have the solemn changing
17:51
of the guard which takes place on the
17:52
first Wednesday of every month at noon
17:55
except for January, August, and
17:57
September because they have state events
17:59
on those months. So that's really
18:01
exciting because that is with like 400
18:04
soldiers, 100 horses and it's like a
18:06
50inutish
18:08
event. So, I'm up for that one and I
18:11
want to go.
18:12
Oh, I think I think you and I should
18:14
plan a first Wednesday of the month and
18:17
go up and see that.
18:18
I think that's it. I think that covers
18:20
our the Royal Palace of Madrid and I
18:23
hope we've enticed a few people to go
18:24
visit. Catch you later.
18:26
Adios.
18:31
Thank you for listening to OP Spain Poco
18:33
Poco. Since you love us so much, please
18:35
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18:46
And you know, give us a shout out on the
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19:09
Till the next episode.
19:11
Bye.
19:12
[Music]