El Madrid de Alatriste. En las sombras de la villa y corte.
Hello, hello, good morning, greetings from Madrid. I’m in the capital of my country, the capital of Spain, a somewhat unusual place if you’re following my videos, aiming to do something a little special. Today I’m going to follow in the footsteps of one of my favorite fictional characters , Captain Alatriste, written by Arturo Pérez Reverte , and I’m going to visit some of the locations that appear in his books and are located in the city of Madrid. And, in passing, I’m going to show you this beautiful city in this country, which is mine. And well, the best place to start is here; it’s the Prado Museum. This is where it all began. There’s a painting by Diego Velázquez called The Surrender of Breda, where Captain Alatriste is said to appear. The problem is that you can’t see it, since it’s behind the horse on the right. No, wait a bit, a bit. Acknowledge that Madrid is a city with a lot of charm, it’s a very beautiful city, well, like everything, it’s a huge city, a great European metropolis, and it has better neighborhoods and worse ones. But where I am now, which is in the center, where the Prado Museum and what’s most famous is, I’ll later get to what is the Plaza Mayor and all that, I have to remind you that it’s really very, very iconic, with… And well, look where I’ve arrived. I’ve arrived at the house where Lope de Vega lived and died. Lope de Vega himself appears in the Alatriste novels, and it’s in this house where Alatriste meets his son Lopito de Vega, a curious name, and even has a duel with him. Admission is free, so let’s take a look. And here I am, walking through the courtyard of Lope de Vega’s house . And it’s not hard to imagine how he would stroll around here, sit here on his bench, and start thinking about how to write Fuente Ovejuna, all at once, or write El perro del hortelano que ni comía ni dejaba comer. Wow. Here in the house of the famous writer of Spain’s Golden Age. Something I truly admire about Madrid is its rich history, which you find in even the most unlikely corners . I was walking here, looked at the floor, and found this written on it, asking what room or what he’s looking for. And your grace, there’s no room or books in this house anymore because the devil himself, Don Quixote, took everything. And that’s because on this street, at number 2, is where Miguel de Cervantes lived and died on April 23 , 1616. It seems the original building was demolished in 1833 and no longer exists, but they’ve left that mark on the ground. So everything in Madrid is worthwhile , even what you step on. And one of the things I like most about Madrid is the name they give to everything. Because unlike this city, where Plaza de la Libertad is Plaza de I don’t know what, here everything has names and literary or historical references to Spain. For example, right now I’m in Plaza Jacinto Benavente. Truly, passing by here is like reviewing Spanish Literature from the second year of high school. I love it. Captain Atriste is a very old character; the SAR was created in 1996, so it was basically almost pre-internet. I remember when it came out that there were many theories about how Arturo Pérez Reverte came to be. One of the theories that was being bandied about was that it occurred to him while he was having dinner at a very typical, very Castilian restaurant. I have that restaurant right in front of me, and it’s called Los Calayos. And it seems, from what he says, that due to its setting and its location— I have the Plaza Mayor right there behind me, which I’ll show you now— that’s where he came up with the idea of creating Castellano. And well, if you want to see it, they’ve been kind enough to let me in and look at how truly wonderful it is. And well, what video of Madrid wouldn’t be complete without a stroll through the Plaza Mayor? The Plaza Mayor, obviously, a true marvel and beauty of Madrid, but it also appears in Alatrist’s books. And one thing I find very curious is that this one in particular appears in Limpieza de sangre, where he says that of the 80,000 inhabitants of Madrid at that time, two-thirds came here to see the horned bulls to witness the valor, the courage of the people who faced the bulls. You can also see that in many of Goya’s paintings, of the bullfighting grasslands , and what makes you think is the different uses this has been given over the years. Now it’s simply used for strolling and taking photos and videos and little else, but here everyone used to have bullfights, so I find it very interesting. It’s truly beautiful, truly beautiful, because above all, what shocks me most about the Plaza Mayor is that it’s square. Normally, squares tend to be more rounded and such, and what’s most striking and what makes it most beautiful is that it’s completely enclosed. I mean, the streets that enter and pull, as you can see, are these arches behind me, where there are two at each corner, but it surrounds you and absorbs you completely, creating a truly beautiful effect . And here’s the parish church of San Ginés. It looks like the building we can see is from the 19th century, but it seems much older. But with this kind of thing, you always build up layers upon layers upon layers. Anyway, why did I come here? Because here, in the books, criminals took refuge , they took refuge in the sacred, just like with O McLeod in The Immortals. It’s not the door you just saw, but you enter from the side. And exiting through one of the Plaza Mayor arches, you’ll find one of my favorite corners of Madrid, the Mercado de San Miguel , and I’m going to show it to you. And look what an iconic, beautiful place it is. It doesn’t seem like it’s in the center of Madrid. It seems like I’ve taken the car and headed towards Roledo, some small town like Oropesa or Talavera de la Reina, but no, right here in the center of Madrid, in what’s called Plaza de la Vila. And here, if I’m not mistaken, is where the first chapter of the first Alatriste book begins , which is simply called Alatriste. And wow, how it preserves the spirit of that era. And well, as I move away from the center, I get closer to the Palacio de Oriente and these are the parts where when Triste approached, well, he wasn’t very happy about it because he had to be close to the Count Duke of Olivares, of the king and all that sort of thing that, truth be told, only brought problems to the poor man. Well, here is the Almudena Cathedral. And well, the truth is, when I get to where I am now, which is right between the Royal Palace and the Almudena Cathedral, look at how truly spectacular it is. I’ve traveled quite a bit and have seen several parts of the world in the middle of the camp, and I’m not going to lie, the camp would practically fit in the courtyard in front of this palace, just because of the historical significance of Madrid. Well, I’m sorry, because my British brothers don’t have that on the island. And as Lope de Vega said, the English only do something good or achieve something when they outnumber us or when the weather demands it. But look at the sheer beauty, the spaciousness, the beauty. You have to admit that despite it being mid-September, there are tourists here. My goodness, what queues there are to get into everywhere. And that’s it, I’m going to take a little walk around the Royal Palace, which is really super beautiful, very spacious, very iconic. You have this plaza right in front of you. And that’s it, take a look around because this couldn’t have been very different in the sad books . Surely the people I met on the street would have nothing to do with what we see here. Obviously there were no Americans, but I do know that the Royal Palace must have been very similar to this true marvel that unfolds before me. Unfortunately, the camera’s zoom doesn’t let me see it, but here on the walls there is a statue of Montezuma and Atacualpa, the last rulers of the Aztec Empire, the Inca Empire, and who are represented as other kings of what was the Spanish Empire. And that gives you an idea, unlike the English, who were little less than genocidal, who wherever they went became a colony and little more, what we in America did was expand the empire and therefore, despite the fact that obviously due to the dynamics of those times those empires were eradicated , the figure of those kings is still respected as a legacy of the Spanish kings. It’s forbidden to urinate under the corresponding fine. So, you know, if you’re going to explore Madrid, you have to come pee from home. Well, well, another iconic site from the books. This one is very important in the second, in purity of blood, and it’s the Monastery of the Incarnation, which is where the Inquisition did its things and its tortures and such. Well, here we have it, the Monastery of the Incarnation. And it’s very interesting because this is right next to the Royal Palace, but there, I don’t know if you can see it, between the trees, about 100 meters away, is this here, where these horrible things happened. The Senate, another government building where people shout at each other. Wow. I’m taking a stroll around the Plaza de España, which is the one right in front of me, where the famous large statues of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are. And it’s been years since I’ve been to Madrid, and I always remember that This area was under construction, there was, well, everything closed, it was super difficult to move from one place to another, but there’s a nicer little park to walk around in that they’ve made here near Plaza de España. Really, Madrid is a constant city, even better. And I’m not going to lie, but one of the most surreal things you can find in Madrid, look how many curious things it has, is this one behind me. Behind it is the Temple of Debod. This is an Egyptian temple from the 2nd century AD . You might be asking, “What is an Egyptian temple from the 2nd century AD doing in Madrid?” Well, you haven’t seen other videos I have on my channel from my Egypt series, but when the Aswan Dam was built, the Abu Simbel temple was buried , it wasn’t the only one in danger of being destroyed; one of them was this one, and then the Egyptian government ceded it to Madrid and nothing, it was moved stone by stone to the capital of Spain. So , for those of you who don’t know, there’s an Egyptian temple in the center of Madrid. And well, what visit to Madrid would be complete without a stroll down Gran Vía, which is Madrid’s bloatway, Madrid’s Orcan Road. So here it is with its iconic Schweppes sign, which, despite no longer being an advertising sign, Madrid still maintains it as an icon of what this city is all about. The end. Let’s try it together. One of the things I always like to show in my videos is the scale of places because we often see them in other videos as unconnected, and we don’t quite understand the distance and how big they are. Now, for example, here behind me—I don’t know if you can see it—I have the Swaps sign, which is where Gran Vía begins, and right in front of me, I’m walking down Preciado Street, and at the end of this street, which, as you can see , can be about 800 meters or something like that, is Puerta del Sol. And here is Puerta del Sol with its Uncle Pepe ad behind it, with its kilometer zero, with its bear and the strawberry tree, and with its multitude of foreigners everywhere. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Here is the house of the seven chimneys, so important in the first book of the sad story, where Charles Stuart, Bonnie Prince Charlie, as the Scots call him, was hiding. And here is this house of such importance. My goodness, what a mansion. Remember, if it has seven chimneys, it’s because it has seven rooms with a fire inside. Seven rooms for heating, which I suppose must have been quite a luxury back then . But here is the house of the seven chimneys. And another symbol of Madrid, the Doña Manolita Lottery. It’s September, the very day of September, and there’s already a queue to buy Christmas lottery tickets. And what better place to end the video than here at Captain La Triste’s tavern , which is what is known in the book as the Turk’s tavern or Lebrijana’s tavern, who was the lady who rented the room to him and can be seen on those balconies up here, where La Triste would live with Íñigo. Anyway, this slightly hungry traveler is going to say goodbye to you now through this video. A bit unusual, but I hope you enjoyed it, and let’s see how the food is at the famous Turkish tavern. So, that’s it, I’ll say goodbye, and we’ll see you in the next video, which, as always, who knows where it’s from…
📍 El Madrid de Alatriste. En las sombras de la villa y corte 🎥 Un paseo cámara en mano por el Madrid del Siglo de Oro… y mucho más.
En este episodio de La Eterna Sonrisa, recorremos los rincones que inspiraron la saga de Alatriste: tabernas, plazas, palacios y calles que aún conservan el eco de espadachines y poetas. Pero este viaje no se queda en el pasado. Cada parada es también una ventana al Madrid actual —vivo, contradictorio, fascinante.
Desde la Casa de Lope de Vega y la Plaza Mayor, hasta el Templo de Debod, la Gran Vía y la Lotería Doña Manolita, este recorrido conecta el alma barroca de la ciudad con su pulso moderno. Es historia, cine, literatura… y calle.
🔍 Lugares que visitamos: Museo del Prado · Casa de Lope de Vega · Calle de Cervantes · Plaza Jacinto Benavente · Restaurante Los Galayos · Plaza Mayor · Parroquia de San Ginés · Mercado de San Miguel · Plaza de la Villa · Palacio de Oriente · Catedral de la Almudena · Palacio Real · Monasterio de la Encarnación · Senado · Plaza de España · Templo de Debod · Gran Vía · Calle Preciados · Puerta del Sol · Casa de las Siete Chimeneas · Doña Manolita · Taberna del Capitán Alatriste
💬 ¿Te apasiona la historia, el cine o los secretos urbanos? Suscríbete a La Eterna Sonrisa, comenta qué lugar te sorprendió más y comparte este viaje con quienes aman descubrir lo que se esconde tras las piedras del pasado… y del presente.
#madrid #españa #alatriste #siglodeoro #historia #literatura #granviamadrid #puertadelsol