A ghost station in Madrid and other sights

The highlight of my sightseeing trip to Madrid was undoubtedly a visit to Chamberí station, which was closed to passengers over fifty years ago and sealed up.

The station was originally opened in 1919, but closed in 1966 when stations on this line were being extended to accommodate the new six car metro trains. The extension of neighbouring stations now made the gap between stations too close and the curve of the station platform here would have made extension tricky. This has given us a beautifully preserved station, decorated in white ceramic tiles and with tiled advertisements that look as if they were little changed from when they were created in the 1920s.

Chamberi Station

Chamberí station was restored in 2008 and opened to guided tours (conducted in Spanish). Tours last about 45 minutes and are free, but also something of a hot ticket (with a limit of 25 visitors per tour). I managed to get a ticket three weeks before my trip and slots were already pretty booked up at that point. At the entrance there is a queue for anyone without a reservation, so if there are any no-shows you might be able to get in.

Once you descend from street level you enter the white tiled world of Chamberí station, which begins with the original ticket hall. Our tour guide spent some time talking us through the features of the hall, including ticket counter, control booth and barriers. Contemporary posters and timetables add to the effect. There are additional display boards at each stop on the tour with additional information and photographs (all in Spanish).

Next, it’s off along a tunnel over the metro lines, down the stairs and onto one of the platforms. Here they have added a glass barrier along the length of the platform so that groups can safely get a good view of each feature and painted tiled adverts that the tour guides have to show you. Every now and again the talking has to stop as a metro train passes by. The platform on the opposite side of the tracks has no such barrier, so you can only view those adverts and features from this side.

It is quite incredible to see the before and after shots of the restoration carried out from 2006 to 2008 by architects Pau Soler Serratosa and Miguel Rodríguez González. The original entrance has been lost so a new access point was created at street level with a spiral staircase to take you down into the station.

The stations along the line saw an alternative use as warehouses and bomb shelters during the Spanish Civil War. It was no surprise to hear that film producers have already used the station to recreate scenes with the public sheltering on the platforms in ‘Pájaros de Papel’ (2010). Before its restoration the station was also used in ‘Barrio‘ (1998) where the three teenage protagonists walk down the tracks from Iglesia into an underworld community of the dispossessed on the old platforms of Chamberí.

The tour of the abandoned station at Chamberí was simply incredible, even if I could only understand a fraction of what our guide was saying. I’ve been on plenty of Hidden London tours to closed sections of the London Underground but the scale of this place and degree of restoration was quite breathtaking. It certainly stands alongside the more famous sights of Madrid as a must-see.

Metro museum at Chamartín

In addition to the old station at Chamberí I visited the Metro museum at Chamartín. In the museum you can take a guided or unguided tour of an assortment of vintage metro carriages and museum displays. Entry is free of charge, though you do need a metro ticket to access the museum space which is located at platform level in the metro station. Ticket reservations can be booked online. I thought it was fascinating, but as at Chamberí the only explanatory text was in Spanish.

I also took a peek inside the Museo del Ferrocarril (Railway museum) which is housed in the former Madrid-Delicias railway station (nearest metro station: Delicias). The museum is officially closed on the second weekend of every month for an arts and crafts market known as Mercado de Motores but in practice you can explore the market and enjoy many of the sights of the museum at the same time (as many were on the night I visited).

The exhibits are lit up, so you can get a good view of everything – including a stylish Talgo II train, gorgeously aerodynamic TAF diesel units and mighty 242F steam locomotives (the fastest in Spain) from the 1950s.

I thought the combination was absolutely lovely and such a superb way to get people into a museum they might not otherwise see. The range of stalls varied from delicatessens selling snails in sauce to vintage clothes. The miniature railway was running in the outdoor space at the back of the museum. There were food trucks in another area serving up some really tasty treats with plenty of space to sit (if they are around, I strongly recommend the burgers at Smoke on the road). There was even a disco with a bar in the goods shed next door. The enthusiasm at this event was quite infectious!

Gallery

Sightseeing in Madrid

The forecast for the weekend was for one glorious day of good weather followed by a day of persistent heavy rain. To make the most of that one good day I planned an ambitious schedule that ran from 8am until 10pm.

My rather mad sightseeing schedule took me to the ghost station at Chamberi Station; Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande; the Cerralbo Museum; Las Ventas Bullring; El Retiro Park; the Plaza de Cibeles; Metro museum at Chamartin Station; the Mercado de Motores at the railway museum; and the Christmas market at Plaza Mayor. I covered the Royal Palace and Almudena Cathedral on the rather wet second day.

Las Ventas Bullring at Plaza de Toros

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Las Ventas Bullring, the second largest arena of its type in Spain, with an audio guide. I never want to see a fight but the detail, procedures and rules were absolutely fascinating and much more complex than I would have guessed.

The guide talks you through some of the traditions built in to the stadium, such as the gate that only opens for champions and the participation of the public in decisions, such as waving handkerchiefs at the judges. At times it sounded only a short step away from the gladiatorial arenas of ancient Rome. I wondered how anyone came up with such a brutal sport, but that question was soon answered by the bullfighting museum next door.

One thing I didn’t know was that the bulls don’t always die. The audio guide explained that if a bull is thought to have been particularly brave it can be pardoned and live out a happy retirement. I thought that sounded great until they went on to explain that this has happened once in the 90 year history of the bullring, in 1982, out of some 6,000+ bullfights. Not odds I would like as a bull!

Stunning decoration at Almudena Cathedral

The interiors of the domed church of Real Basílica de San Francisco el Grande and Almudena Cathedral were stunning in different ways. The latter includes a striking patterned ceiling decoration unlike anything I have seen in a cathedral before; a beautiful modern chapel dedicated to Pope John Paul II; and a late 13th century ark that once held the body of Saint Isidro.

The Cerralbo museum allows us to step back in time and visit a 19th century mansion where the original décor has been preserved. It hold plenty to fascinate, including a delightfully bright and cheery room which has walls painted with scenes of a midday break during the gathering of the harvest and a traditional dance.

A visit to Retiro Park was a must for me, with some of the many iconic images that I associate with Madrid, such as the marvellous Monument to Alfonso XII, with its image of King Alfonso XII on horseback with a grand colonnade as a backdrop and a boating lake in the foreground. There can’t be many statues of Lucifer in the world but the Retiro Park has one with the striking Fuente del Ángel Caído (Fountain of the Fallen Angel).

I enjoyed a quick visit to the Palacio de Cristal (1887) in the centre of Retiro Park, which is currently hosting the art installation Glass is my skin which sees fog machines activated daily at 11am, 1pm and 3pm. The fog apparently “becomes an aesthetic tool for undermining the Palace’s transparency as a regime of visuality.” I’m not smart enough to work out what that means, but everyone seemed to be enjoying exploring the building through the strangeness of the swirling fog.

Plaza de Cibeles

In the build up to the trip I had read many clashing views on the Royal Palace with many saying that it was not worth seeing. I booked a ticket nevertheless – and was promptly blown away by the stunning interiors and opulent pieces that have been crafted for the Spanish royal family.

It’s hard to pick a favourite with so many astonishing sights inside but the spectacular rococo decorative scheme of the Gasparini room would be among them, with a ceiling that looks like it it is coming to life in three dimensions. Other sights that have stuck in memory included an incredible porcelain panelled ceiling and an elaborate clock in the form of a winged figure riding a chariot over a bridge. The Crown room holds a bit of more recent history with spectacular table of the sphinxes that King Juan Carlos signed his abdication on.

A couple of general observations about sightseeing in Madrid at this time: Although it is winter, everything is still pretty busy. I spent 30 minutes queuing to get into the Cerralbo Museum and gave up on an interior view of the Temple of Debod after seeing the slow progress of that queue. Everywhere else there were no queues or they moved quickly enough not to matter. Also, mask wearing adherence on the metro is pretty high – about 80%.

Finally, a rather random recommendation. At the end of the night I got completely lost and just walked aimlessly in the hope of finding a metro station. Along the way I discovered an amazing cookie shop near the metro station at La Latina – Saltincake at Calle de Toledo 47. The best cookies I have eaten anywhere!

Madrid for the weekend

Taking advantage of some cheap Iberia tickets I arranged one last adventure for 2022 that would be part aviation nerdiness, part rail geekery and part Christmas shopping expedition.

Iberia operates some of its flights from London to Madrid using long haul planes. On the way out I would fly on a ten year old Iberia A330-300 (EC-LUX). I was originally booked in Economy but during the online check-in an offer of a £40 upgrade to business class popped up on screen. If it had been a typical short haul plane I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but when would I ever get to sample this!? Business class prices on such planes on proper long haul routes are way out of reach. I gave in to temptation and took the upgrade.

Iberia A330-300 EC-LUX ‘Panama’

Unusually, boarding started 15 minutes ahead of the time printed on our passes. I quickly put on a face mask (still required on public transport in Spain) and made my way through. The seat was pretty cool with plenty of space to relax, direct aisle access and a decent sized IFE screen.

These planes have 29 business class seats, 21 premium economy class seats and 242 economy class seats. WiFi was free in business class and worked well. I’m sure seasoned business travellers can make finer judgments about seat designs, but for me, it was great.

The view from seat 4L

It soon became clear that we were not going anywhere quickly. They were having problems taking the freight off the plane from the looks of the manoeuvering back and forth I could see out of the window. Once they finally managed to get the troublesome freight containers off we were far from done – it was now time to load the cargo for Madrid. A long queue of lorries showed this wasn’t going to be a quick exercise. This is the only downside of a larger plane which I imagine is chosen for its freight capacity rather than any particular desire to carry more passengers.

I was thankful that I gave in to temptation and took up that upgrade offer as it made the wait much more bearable! In the end we took off almost an hour late (two hours on from the time I boarded the plane). As we climbed away from Heathrow we got a great view of the round tower at the heart of Windsor Castle. Later in the flight we got a really clear illuminated view of Jersey as we flew directly overhead.

Food service was pretty smooth. One of the nice things about flying Iberia is that you can download the menu ahead of the flight, so I already knew that I’d be getting a white bean salad, followed by braised beef shoulder served accompanied by manchego cheese cream with lentils and potato gratin. All pretty tasty apart from an odd strawberry cream dish for dessert. I was glad to have eaten something in the lounge first though, given the flight delay.

In flight catering for LHR-MAD

Our crew managed to shave a bit of time off the delay, landing at Madrid-Barajas 40 minutes behind schedule. The doors to the airbridge opened at 22:54 and we set off on the trek from the satellite terminal (4S) at Madrid-Barajas airport to the main terminal building. This involves a hefty amount of walking and a shuttle train. Thankfully passport control was pretty speedy. I picked up a 3 day metro card at the airport, jumped on the metro and headed to my hotel at Santiago Bernabeu – arriving just a few minutes before midnight. The plane I left behind would continue on to South America in a couple of hours.

On the way home a few days later I had another long haul plane. This time it was an A350-900 (EC-MYX) named ‘Paco de Lucia’ which was delivered to Iberia in July 2018.

I haven’t enjoyed the best of luck with my flights this weekend. On this occasion the doors closed on time and we pushed back a few minutes later, but then our Captain came on the intercom to say that we had done this to show air traffic control that we are fully ready to go. However, Heathrow has a backlog and pushed our slot back by an hour! The hope was that we could jump in if an opportunity to leave earlier came, but in the end we departed an hour late.

We landed at Heathrow at 17:42 and proceeded to a holding area while we waited for an American Airlines Boeing 777 to leave our parking position. We had to wait another twenty minutes to reach our gate and disembark. In the overall picture this was still not too bad given that other Iberia flights from Madrid to London today had picked up delays of one to three hours. Half an hour seemed small fry in comparison.

Interactive travel map on our Iberia A350

In short, it was lovely to try the business class seat. I’m not about to start flight blogging on a regular basis, but I do appreciate the bloggers and vloggers that review their flights in all classes. It’s really great to get such a clear idea of what you can expect on a flight and where that sits in the spectrum of airlines in the marketplace.

Unfortunately, I must now return to reality. The next international flight I take in 2023 will involve 50 hours of flying in economy to visit my family in New Zealand and get back again (at a price point around double what we would have paid pre-pandemic, despite going for the cheapest ticket available).