Spain won Netherlands 1:0 yesterday night in the 2010 World Cup Final for the first time in the history. Every city around Spain celebrated this victory, and especially Madrid.
It is incredible how the good work of a bunch of people generate so much positive energy in so many millions of people…
A late decision made me stay one day in a desert Madrid before coming to Alicante to enjoy the Easter holidays.
Madrid Skyline, with the TV tower (also known as "Pirulí")
As everybody else had already left Madrid, I went out to take some pictures of some characteristic icons of this city.
I am not particularly happy with the pictures I took (I still need to improve my night photography skills), but I want to keep them handy… 🙂
Cibeles Fountain with a strange effect due to a bus crossing the photo.
Cibeles and Puerta de Alcalá
Cibeles Fountain
It’s probably one of the world’s best known places, so I am not going to describe it.
I will just say that I got truly impressed by the clean water, the nature in the island and the hundreds of nice coves all around the island.
It was quite interesting to walk around the Ibiza city, and see a city totally ready for the tourists. In some sense, it was like some areas of Benidorm, where you cannot imagine life without sun and crowds of people. Nevertheless, Ibiza has something else.
Ibiza is the destination of all kind of people: the ones who look for splendid beaches like the ones in Formentera, the ones looking for any of the hundreds of discos in the island, the ones of the yachts, the hippies, … Everybody.
And in all those groups, we can find the “poor” tourists (those coming to party or to the beach for a weekend for a few euros including hotel, meals and discos), and those who make Ibiza one of the places with a highest number of luxury cars in the world (I’m still shocked with how many people go there just to show off, without paying attention to the “how much”)… Strange but attractive combination. Only one thing in common: “enjoy”.
I must say that I discover a small paradise much closer than expected: Formentera. It is a small island next to Ibiza, not as populated as the latter, but with really nice beaches with water like in the Caribbean Sea.
There is an advertisement of a beer, which has been filmed in Formentera and tries to transmit the life in the Balearic islands in summer… It’s a hot among the local people in Ibiza and surroundings, and it is impossible not to get caught by the rhythm of the song.
It is a shame that I had not been before to the beautiful city of Segovia. It is really near from Madrid (you can make it in just a day trip), and has many nice spots… Apart, of course, from its wonderful cochinillo.
The roman aqueduct is just spectacular. It has around 2000 years, and it is still “up” (not running, though). You cannot imagine anything built today which is able to last that long time… but the romans made it 18 centuries ago… Impressive that it has survived till our days.
The alcázar is also nice to visit. It is said that Walt Disney got inspired by this alcázar when designing “his castle”. It is quite similar, but I think Neuschwanstein in the south of Germany was the real source of inspiration.
And, of course, as almost any city in Spain, it has lots of churches, and has one of the biggest cathedrals of the country.
Last week I took a couple of days off to go to the town I was born in, Alcoy, to live the best time of the year there: the “Moros y Cristianos” festivities. Two big armies, the christians and the muslims, showing their power and richness, through music and dances, customes, gold and weapons in two big parades during a whole day, to fight afterwards for the city.
A couple of days of great spectacle and of meeting the oldest friends I have. And taking pictures, of course. 🙂
More pictures from these festivities in this link.