This is a guest post by Vera Petryk, an author for Madrid.net
There is no need to repeat what a great city Madrid is. We all know that it is very beautiful that’s why it is extremely popular among tourists.
While most people come to the city on holidays, students prefer to visit the city during their summer break and when they come, they face one problem — the weather. It is that hot that Madrid had to come up with a very unusual, rather beautiful and very interesting idea of putting fountains in almost every corner of the city. This way you get a natural air conditioning that is much cheaper and most important it makes Madrid a very romantic destination.
One of the most unusual fountains that Madrid can present is located in the Retiro Park, which in its term is a large getaway for the locals. Built several centuries ago by King Philip the VI it quickly gained the ground among nobles and ordinary people. This park has a beautiful lake and the only fountain in the world dedicated to Lucifer. This statue of the fallen angel is one of a kind. Spanish explain their positive attitude to the statue as the possibility to show that everyone can fly high in their expectations and once might fall down. All in all the fountain and the park is really worth attention, right there you can visit the museum of army, Prado branch and try delicious tacos in one of the finest restaurants in Madrid.
Next fountain you will never miss is Cibeles. Made in honor of the Greek goddess who, is believed to have guided the city, is a real architectural masterpiece, which deserves a place in one of the Madrid museums. The fountain resents the goddess, riding a carriage yoked by 2 lions. According to the legend those lions used to be gods too, they were charmed by Aphrodite as a punishment. Cibeles is located in the center of the city on the homonymous square. It has 4 major buildings: Palacio de Linares, bank of Spain, Palacio de Buenavista and Palacio de Cibeles.
Just within minutes of walking distance from Cibeles you will find another great place to hang out during a hot summer day in Madrid-Plaza de Conovas del Castillo. It has another big fountain, dedicated to the Sea God – Neptune. Just as a previous statue it rides a carriage yoked by sea horses, a sea lion and dolphins. All statues are of a great quality, they were made entirely out of marble by a prominent architect Juan de Mena. Surrounded by hedges and flower beds it creates great atmosphere for all the visitors.
In total there are more than a dozen fountains in Madrid, each tells its story and let us enjoy the hot summer days in one of the most fascinating cities in the world.
Categories: Food & Drink, Spain
