Yes, there is no beach in Madrid (the real ones) and all that we have gotten tired of hearing. However, in the capital of Spain there is much to do, among other things because it hides curiosities that arouse interest in visiting it.
Next I will tell you about the 10 that have caught my attention the most. Attention!
1- The narrowest house in Madrid
The narrowest house in the city is not just any street. It is not because in Calle Mayor (number 61) Calderón de la Barca lived and died, one of the great geniuses that our literature has produced. The facade is barely 4 meters wide and is kept in good condition for the simple fact of who lived there. There is a plaque that reads "Here D. Pedro Calderón died."
2- The oldest iron bridge in Spain
There are many iron bridges throughout the Spanish geography, but none is as old as the one you can see in El Capricho Park . It was built in 1830 and has a Venetian-style structure that lends itself to a good photo.
3- The bear and the strawberry tree
Yes, we already know you’ve seen it. But what does it mean? The bear is actually a bear and symbolizes the constellation Ursa Major , although there are those who say that it represents the bear because there were many around that area before it became the city that it is now. On the other hand, the madriño is a tree that was abundant just where now we only see buildings.
4- La Cibeles and the Bank of Spain
What will have to do one thing with the other? More than you imagine! If someone tried to rob the vault with the bank’s gold, they would use the water from the fountain to flood it in a matter of seconds. There is an underground pipeline that allows it.
5- The statue of Satan
It seems strange that a statue can be dedicated to Satan. In fact, it is one of the few in the world and its existence has to do with the work of the sculptor Ricardo Bervell, who was inspired by the verses of Milton’s " Lost Paradise " to shape the Monument of the Fallen Angel.
6- A piece of the Wall of Shame
The Wall of Shame, as you well know, is the one that separated Berlin until 1989. Madrid, which is a twin city with the German capital, retains three blocks of the wall.
7- The oldest restaurant in the world
Casa Botín, a restaurant that is also known as " El Nephew de Botín ", has the privilege of being listed in the Guinness Book of Records for being founded in 1725 by the French Jean Botin. Illustrious figures such as Hemingway or Benito Pérez Galdós have passed through there, and the painter Francisco de Goya could even be seen working as a dishwasher.
8- The longest and the shortest street
The longest street in Madrid is that of Alcalá and is about 10 kilometers long, while the shortest street is Rompelanzas with just 20 meters.
9- The famous squid sandwich
Few sandwiches are as popular in Madrid as calamari. What people wonder is how it is possible that in a city so far from the sea a sandwich that is prepared with an ingredient extracted from the sea can be successful. The most widespread theory says that the "fault" (blessed fault!) Is the Andalusian emigrants , who opted for squid because it is an inexpensive product that is easily prepared.
10- The first skyscraper in Spain
Madrid is not a city full of skyscrapers like New York. However, there are a few. The first to be built is the Telefónica Building (in the photo), which is on Gran Vía. It became the highest in Spain with 15 floors and 89 meters high, although the España Building in Plaza España it snatched that record in 1953 with its 117 meters high spread over 25 floors.
Recommended article: World Heritage Sites in the Community of Madrid