Parque del Retiro

The Parque del Retiro is located in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and is the most famous park in the city. I'd even go as far as to say that it's the most famous park in all of Spain. Its fame is similar to that of Central Park in New York, but on a smaller scale.

The Retiro is quite big, covering 118 hectares of land. The best-known entrance is on the Plaza de la Independencia, where the famous Puerta de Alcalá is.

The origins of the park date back to the reign of Phillip IV, during which the Count Duke of Olivares decided to construct royal gardens for the enjoyment of the king, hence why the Palace 'del Buen Retiro' is located here. The park's construction was funded by new taxes imposed on the citizens of Madrid. The palace here was the King of Spain's second residence, and other buildings were also constructed within its grounds: the Buen Retiro Theatre, inside which statues of Golden Age Spanish authors such as Calderón de la Barca can be found, plus the Ballroom.

In 1808, the gardens and the palace were almost entirely destroyed by Napoleon's troops, who used the Retiro as a fortification in order to lay siege to Madrid. After the end of the war, reconstruction of the park began and part of the park was opened to the public.

The park was finally fully opened to the public after the 1868 Glorious Revolution, and passed into council hands. From its restoration until today, elements have been added to the Parque del Retiro which have transformed it into the park we know and love today.

I'm now going to explain some of the important parts of the park to you, starting at the entrance next to the Puerta de Alcalá.

Next to the entrance, there are some very high black railings which allow a narrow passage up some stairs leading to an elevated path.

On the right hand side of this path, you'll see the Puppet Theatre (Teatro de Títeres). It's a small orange house with circular steps on the patio. The annual Puppet Festival (Festival Titirilandia) and other puppet shows are staged here all year round. The timetable for events can be viewed on this website: http://www.titirilandia.es/

At the bottom of this small path is the Galapagos Fountain, also known as the Fountain of Isabelle II. The design consists of a vertical spiral, with children at its base.

One of the many terraced bars in the Parque del Retiro can be found near this fountain. Named 'Bar Mirados Galápagos', various snacks, chocolate churros and paella are served and sold here. I ordered a drink here one summer afternoon and the views from the terrace are lovely, since you can enjoy the view from the park's entrance to the main lake. The only negative is, as I'm sure you've guessed, the price.

We're now approaching the main lake in the park. It's the biggest one, and features two notable elements: the pier and the Alfonso XII monument.

The pier is located to the left of the Galapagos Fountain, and offers boat hire on the main lake. The rental price is 5 euros, although I can't be sure if this price changes with the seasons since the last time I hired one was four years ago. You can hire a boat for 45 minutes, which in my opinion is a reasonable amount of time to be able to enjoy yourself without getting bored. My experience was a very positive one. You can sail up to the Alfonso XII monument and view it up close, fool around and splash your friends (or get splashed yourself), watch the small fish that usually congregate in the corners of the pier, read a book, sunbathe, etc. The boats hold a maximum of four people each, but I think that'd be too many - really, they're ideal for two people to sit comfortably in.

The Alfonso XII monument is very large and consists of a large semicircle of columns with the statue of Alfonso XII in the middle. The longitude of the monument is 83 metres, so you can imagine how grand it appears. The base is very tall, but the statue of the king itself isn't actually very big. King Alfonso XII is depicted on horseback with sword in hand, and the statue itself is black. There are lions and sirens at its base.

On the pier walkway in the middle of the right hand side is the relatively famous and elegant Statue Promenade (Paseo de las Estatuas). Here there are statues of monarchs such as Charles I, Charles II, Ferdinand IV and Alfonso I, among others. I find the promenade very attractive and classical, suitable for the gardens of a royal palace.

At the other end of the pier is the Alcachofa Fountain, which is made up of three parts. At its base are two mermen holding the Madrid coat of arms, and in the middle are statues of children holding up a large plate on top of which is the sprinkler.

Following the path of the Alcachofa Fountain, we reach another fountain, one of the most famous - the Fountain of the Fallen Angel (Fuente del Ángel Caído). Famous for depicting Lucifer, of whom there are not many sculptures, the fountain is in my opinion beautiful and emotive.

Between the Alcachofa Fountain and the Fountain of the Fallen Angel, there is a large green area to the left, the Campo Grande, where other famous features of the park can be found: the Velázquez Palace and the Crystal Palace.

I discovered the Velázquez Palace on my last visit to the park. While walking towards the Crystal Palace, I suddenly caught sight of a small attractive building. The facade is orange in colour, although the Palace has other features which heighten its beauty, such as its multicoloured tiles and its iron and crystal domes which allow the sun to naturally illuminate its rooms. I haven't been inside, but I know that it houses several art exhibitions. Just next to the Palace, there is another terrace bar where you can stop for a drink or a snack.

Slightly further on is the Crystal Palace and a small pier. This is my favourite part of the Retiro, since when you first enter the Crystal Palace you don't expect it to be this beautiful, but it's like something from a fabulous fairytale. On my last visit to the Retiro, there was an exhibition on inside the Crystal Palace which, in my opinion, didn't fit with it at all: it consisted of a caravan stationed in the middle of the Palace with horror-themed objects inside it, such as a dangling head. I acted as if I hadn't seen it, as it didn't seem appropriate for this place.

Built in 1887, the building was inspired by the Crystal Palace in London which was destroyed by a fire. The Palace is constructed using metal, which has then been completely covered by crystal plates. I've never seem anything like it, and it's famous for its great beauty. To get the best panoramic view of the Palace, the best thing to do is to stand just in front of it, before the pier and therefore enjoy a view of the pier, the fountain and the Palace all at once. There are ducks on the pier, and cypresses growing in the marshes.

Another photo I really love is one from inside the palace. You really feel like you're a princess in a film in there. In my opinion, it's a better place for holding weddings than for showcasing contemporary art.

There are many other areas of the Parque del Retiro I could tell you about, such as the Forest of Remembrance, the Rose Garden and the artificial mountain, but I haven't had the pleasure of visiting them yet.

Until I left Spain for the first time, this was my all-time favourite park. I really love it here, as it's just the kind of thing I wanted to explore when I was a little girl - my Spanish Central Park. Later on, I visited other parks such as L'Orangerie in Strasbourg which I loved even more, but the Retiro is still in my top 5 favourite parks, above all because of the main lake and the Crystal Palace.

The Parque del Retiro is a welcome breather from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Madrid. You feel like you're in another place entirely when you visit this park, and the whole place welcomes you with relaxation, fresh air and nature, whilst the rest of Madrid carry on hurrying about their lives. The park is full of typical street vendors, caricature painters, buskers with guitars, people cycling or skating around, and runners.

A word of advice to couples - look after your bag and personal items, since various friends of mine have told me that while they were in the park and 'distracted by their girlfriends', their mobile and bag got stolen!

To get to the Parque del Retiro, as I've mentioned before, the best thing to do is to enter from the Puerta de Alcalá. If you're arriving by metro, there are several stops which will drop you near to the park, though due to the park's immense size, these stops are all over Madrid! The best metro stops to use are 'Retiro' (Line 2), 'Ibiza' (Line 9), and further away 'Atocha' (Line 1).