Madrid, like New York City, has seen its share of trouble thanks to militant extremists. I had planned a visit to Madrid long before the terrorist attack on the train station. Did I consider canceling? Not at all. I'm not a person inclined to change his plans, and in Madrid, searching for Ava, was where I wanted to be. My determination was well rewarded. I found a vibrant, cosmopolitan, extraordinary European capital, replete with grand, wide boulevards and neighborhoods of quaint, narrow lanes.
Madrid has great theater, much like Broadway, and of course those world-class museums. But it also has many casual cafes and intimate clubs. My only regret is that there were too many cafes, restaurants, clubs, museums, boulevards and neighborhoods to cram into my visit without rushing. And in Madrid, it is practically a sin to rush.
The Madrid of Ava Gardner
I was intrigued both with Madrid and with screen goddess Ava Gardner. Why Ava Gardner? Well, Ava, one of the great under-rated screen sirens of the 1940s and 1950s, was a devotee of Madrid. Gardner became sort of an expatriate, and settled in Madrid in the 1950s and 1960s. She said she came back to make films in the States just 'for the loot.' But I think that was Ava's way of underplaying her own great talent and her complicated feelings about making films. There are lots of wonderful stories of Ava in Madrid. Ava filming The Barefoot Contessa; Ava dancing flamenco on table tops; Ava and her bullfighters; and the stories go on and on. But, was there any trace of Ava left in Madrid today?
I searched, and sure enough, I found an Ava Gardner spot. It is called Museo Chicote, located at Gran Via, 12. It has wonderful, genuine art deco décor. And it has long been a popular nightspot for visiting celebrities, past and present, including Ava herself, Rita Hayworth, Sophia Loren, Ernest Hemingway, Grace Kelly, and more recently Hugh Grant. It is truly atmospheric, with great jazz on the sound system. As a little plus, the Museo Chicote is also listed on the gay map, so it is considered a gay-friendly establishment.
Speaking of gay-friendly …
I discovered a thriving LGBT community in Madrid, with its own 'barrio,' the Chueca. The Chueca is a pulsating neighborhood festooned with rainbow flags and filled with bars, clubs, and stores. I especially enjoyed visits to two excellent bookstores in Chueca: Berkana Libreria, at calle Hortaleza 64, and a Different Life Bookstore, at calle Pelay 3 and 21. While obviously most of the materials were in Spanish, these stores reminded me of fine LGBT bookstores in the United States, such as Giovanni's Room in New York, Lambda Rising in Washington, D.C., and our own Unabridged Books. Also, these are excellent places for books, magazines, local maps and information, gifts, t-shirts, erotica, exotica, and other souvenirs.
Here are a few of the most popular nightspots located in the Chueca district: Liquid is a video bar (similar to Sidetrack), and located at Baroquely, 8. Why Not is a Spanish-style bar, at San Barolome, 6. Rick's at Clavel, 8 is a popular bar, busy every night, and Cool is a great dance club at Isabel La Catolica, 6. Strong Center is the largest dark room in Europe at Veneras Trujillos, 7.
There are also some fine restaurants for LGBT folks. Acarela is a lovely coffee shop at Gravina, 10, and Divina la Cocina is a great gay restaurant at Comenares, 13. I can also recommend La'an, a delightful café in which to enjoy an espresso right near A Different Life Book Store. The Madrid Shanguide is the LGBT periodical, with listings of bars and current happenings. It also has LGBT listings for other towns in Spain, including Barcelona.
There is a thriving theater scene here. Though, it probably helps to be conversant in Spanish. Nonetheless, Cats, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera were concurrently playing while I was there. Also, you might find a gay production such as Los Chicos de la Banda (Boys in the Band), and the highly publicized 5gays.com .
Wandering Madrid
Madrid is a fascinating combination of the grand and brassy, yet on a human, sometimes intimate, scale. Take the Gran Via, a very busy avenue. This is Broadway or State Street, circa 1951. That is, you have these great art deco and beaux-arts buildings and streets teeming with human and auto traffic. It is a thriving urban metropolis without the glassy impersonal hi-rises. You have lots of cinema and theater to choose from. Just a few blocks from the Gran Via, you are in 'Old Madrid.' Narrow streets, with old buildings and old-fashioned shops selling anything from military costumes to religious articles seem to catapult you into an era three centuries back.
The metro is a quick and inexpensive way to get around. And taxis are handy. But by all means walk! Wander. Enjoy the magnificent Plaza Mayor and the narrow streets leading to this great square. The Plaza Mayor dates from the 1600s and was once the scene of royal pageantry. Today, there is a real 'meat market' here to say nothing of dozens of tapas places, cafes, and assorted distractions from the 21st century. If you are in need of a 'royalty fix,' visit the Palacio Real, which is a European palace almost on a par with Versailles and Windsor Castle: royal banquet halls, throne room, and even a royal smoking room.
And all that art
You cannot visit Madrid with paying homage to the great Spanish painters, ancient and modern. The Museo del Prado, on the Avenue of Arts, is the grandest museum in Madrid and one of the greatest in all Europe. The Prado is the largest repository of Spanish Art, including works by Goya, El Greco, and Velazquez.
The Prado, however, is not the only museum in town. Two other great museums are on the Avenue of Arts: the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, where Picasso's famous Guernica resides, and the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, where you can see exhibits from the 13th Century right up to modern times.
It also pays to stray from the main museums. I had the pleasure of spending some time in the Real Academia de Bellas Artes (Royal Academy of Fine Arts). This is a smaller museum with an outstanding collection of Goyas, Zurabians, and El Grecos. It was not crowded and a pleasure to browse through.
Side trips from Madrid
Madrid is located virtually in the center of Spain. The location makes it very convenient for side trips to wonderful romantic places like Segovia, Salamanca, and especially Toledo. Toledo is a distillation of what we imagine Spain to be: intense, passionate, filled with religious fervor, and sitting high above the Castilian plains, just beckoning. And while it beckons lots of 21st Century tourists, you still get a definite sense of medieval atmosphere here.
Toledo is just 40 miles south of Madrid and easily accessible. You could take an organized tour or do-it-yourself on a local bus or train. Be sure to go and view El Greco's masterpieces in the magnificent Cathedral or in the Santo Tome, which houses his masterpiece, Burial of the Count of Orgaz. Toledo, for quite a time, was actually a place of comparative religious tolerance where Muslims, Christians, and Jews co-existed.
Travel tips and Tidbits
You must be forewarned that Madrilenos like their supper late. By late, we mean suppers that often begin at 11 p.m. or even midnight. Then, after supper, the Madrilenos go out and paint the town. What does a traveler who is used to dining between 6 and 8 p.m. do? You can avoid pangs of hunger by indulging in tapas, those wonderful snacks found in a myriad of tapas bars almost anywhere in Madrid. And you can nosh on these while you enjoy fine Spanish wine almost any time. As for recommended restaurants, the excellent Botin at Cuchilleros, 17, near the Plaza Mayor, was a favorite of Hemingway's as it is of many present-day tourists. I dined very inexpensively and very satisfactorily at Puerto Rico, located at Chinchilla, 2, just a block south of the Gran Via. I also enjoyed the Cafeteria-Restaurante Europa, at Calle del Carmen, 4, fairly close to the Puerta del Sol (Madrid's answer to Times Square).
Currently, the U.S. dollar is 'humble' up against the Euro, which Spain uses. If you are on a travel budget, it is advisable to plan and select accommodations, restaurants, and activities wisely.
You can drop a bundle in a five-star hotel. For splurges, consider the Tryp Ambassador, the Gaudi, and the Gran Hotel Reina Victoria. You might want to make do with digs that have a lesser rating. I had a comfortable, pleasant stay at the 4-star Arosa off the Gran Via—and convenient to Chueca. Another good choice might be Liabeny, convenient to the Puerta del Sol. The Rafael hotels, such as the Piramides and Ventas, not far from the city center, also offer good value.
While I approached Madrid with sadness and concern for its recent tragedy, I left feeling fulfilled—and moved—by the resiliency of the Madrilenos, and by the positive activity in the LGBT barrio, the Chueca. A glass of local wine and a 'Salud' to Madrid makes for a great tribute to both this incandescent city and the sublime Ava Gardner.
Richard Klein is a Travel Consultant with Aqua Terra Travel, Inc., 65 E. Wacker Place, Chicago IL 60601. Aqua Terra Travel is owned by Cynthia Marquard. Richard or Cynthia can be reached at 312-787-2400. Visit the Web site, aquaterratravel.com
