Defining "Extravagant"...The Royal Palace of Madrid

The Royal Palace of Madrid

The final city of our whirl-wind European tour was Madrid. Located inland, this Spanish city says goodbye to the lazy beach vibe that accompanies Barcelona and embraces a more metropolitan feel. Madrid is home to both the Prado and the Reina Sofia art museums, both of which I had the chance to visit. But before I was able to do any museum meandering we were led on a guided tour through the Royal Palace of Madrid.

The Royal Palace is still used for state dinners and meetings with diplomats but the royal family no longer lives there. Construction of the palace which includes 2,800 rooms, a massive chapel and multiple gardens, took 25 years to complete. The palace was remodeled in the french style in the 19th century after Alfonso XII was inspired by his visit to Versailles . The palaces are similar, however Versailles is too gaudy for my taste while the Royal Palace of Madrid is simply exquisite. Well done Spain!

Stradivarius instruments are famed for their
exquisite craftsmanship

Highlights of the palace included seeing artwork by Goya and Caravaggio which decorate the walls and the elaborately woven, massive rugs on the floors. There is a table (still used for state dinners) that can fit 144 people comfortably.The palace is home to the world's only complete Stradivarius string quintet. According to legend, Stradivarius instruments are so perfectly made that no one can replicate their perfect tone and rich voice. The ones displayed at the Palace even looked magical, with pictures of dancing women and strange symbols carved into the trim. The instruments have to be played once a month to keep them tuned so a small private concert is held each month in the Palace using nothing but the Stradivarius string instruments. What I would give to be at one of those concerts....

The Royal throne is unique in the sense that it contains the original decor from the reign of Carlos III (1770). The room is draped in velvet wall coverings complemented by a frescoed ceiling done by Tiepolo and lit with a crystal chandelier. (Crystal chandeliers hang in almost every one of the 2,800 rooms). On either side of the thrown are two intimidating gold lions which are often portrayed in Spanish artwork.

The throne room

We then entered the most elaborate room I have ever been in or imagine myself entering again. What was the purpose of this room, you may ask...oh just for the King to drink coffee in. The room itself took 50 years to complete, twice as long as the entire castle. The porcelain ceiling is detailed with eastern images of women under umbrellas and with lotus blossoms. The walls are covered in ivory fabric and embroidered with vines and flowers of every color imaginable. The floor is such a complex mosaic of  richly colored spirals that you find yourself wanting to  get down on your hands and knees and trace them...well at least that's what I wanted to do. I snuck a little touch of the wall simply because I longed to feel its elegance and value. All three aspects, the ceiling, walls, and floors were so ornate that you would think it might be overwhelming... now-days if we have crazy wallpaper, our floors and ceilings are relatively plain. But no, the three elaborate aspects of the room somehow worked in cohesion to form the most luxurious surroundings I've ever witnessed. At this point in the tour it was official, the Royal Palace of Madrid beats Versailles hands down.

Most elaborate room in the world

The Porcelain Room

The final highlight of the tour was a relatively small room fittingly named "The Porcelain Room." Charles III had the Royal Porcelain factory create all the porcelain for this room which was completed in 1771. The walls and ceiling of the relatively small room are completely covered in  delicate porcelain. I can imagine no royal children were ever allowed in this highly breakable little corner of luxury.

 (Cameras were not allowed inside the Royal Palace so all photos seen in this blog post are courtesy of the good 'ol interweb).

Seating for 144 of the world's finest