member lena sent me this VERY cool powerpoint presentation that someone sent her. she thought it would be a cool thing to have here on the site so if you have powerpoint, you can download it at the link below (it is 2mb in size).
when you click that, if you have powerpoint on your machine, it will ask if you want to open the file from the location or save it to disk.
you can do either but i recommend you save it to your computer and then open it from there since that way you will have it to look back at it later as well.
Love those old pictures. All those top hats and horse drawn trams. If you don't have Power Point, you can download from Microsoft a free VIEWER that's about the same size as the above pps file. Won't allow you to edit or create though !
how cool to see the same buildings that stood then STILL standing in the Puerta del Sol (coming from the city where they are constantly tearing down the old to build the new). Also, all that construction on Gran Via. The more things change, the more they stay the same.....
azucar!
Posts: 321 | Location: NYC to Paris to Madrid!!!!! | Registered: 21 August 2003
That's right schwendy, that's why I thought this pp was so cool, got a real kick out of seeing that some things are just the same, whereas others have changed quite a bit, like the Plaza Mayor, or my own neighborhood by the Puente de Segovia, which by the way, I didn´t know was the oldest bridge in Madrid. Thanks to "the man!" for loading it up, I didn´t have the time or the correct know-how to do it but I thought it was definitely worth sharing with other Madrid mad people like us. Lena
I just wanted to revive this a little, as Recently I was reminded of just how nice the Plaza Mayor once was, not so long ago, when it was still a "Gardens" with real greenery all around, bushes, trees, park benches, fountains, etc, and then all of a sudden, some clown of a town planning person/architect/designer, decided to turn it into cobblestone valley, and all I can say is what a waste, what a pity that they could just take out a perfectly good public park, albeit a little on the small side, I really feel that they should have left it as it was.
But anyway, as I was browsing through my many links on the subject, I came across a couple of good ones, in addition to the ones already posted on here, where you can really see a lot of the development of central Madrid throughout most of the last 100+ years, and some even further back than that, and I find it quite fascinating to sit and look back at the way things were, especially in the area of Puerta del Sol, which in my opinion they ruined, when they totally changed it from the Circus that it was, with two handsome looking fountains, into the current configuration, with it's two pee shooters, and that damn horse up there & generally in the way of everybody & everything, and I think that it has been in the sad looking state that the Sol has been in for far too many years now, and I wish that they would put it back the way it was, when the two big fountains were in the middle of the Circus, but I don't imagine that is likely to happen any time soon, and wouldn't it be great if they turned the Plaza Mayor back into the gardens that it once was, with real trees & grass, and perhaps a canopy over the plaza to help keep out some that burning & definitely overbearing sun & heat, they have that in some places in Spain, like in Toledo for example, if you walk through to the Catedral from the main Plaza, you will notice that they have got canvas triangular canopies up there, providing a nice cooling shade and escape from the scorching sun, and I think something like that in Plaza Mayor would be great.
I think its high time that Plaza Mayor had a complete overhaul, I think it's getting over-used, and not being used in the right way(s) it's been used for things that it was never designed to be used for, too much heavy use, traffic, people, noise, garbage, dirt, it has attracted all the wrong things to itself over the last few decades, and I really think that it is time for a change, when I walked through there a number of times this week, I didn't feel that I was in a special place anymore, not like I did back in the 80's.
The things that they have been doing in there, they could just as easily have done somewhere in the Retiro park, concerts and so on, various traditional shows etc, the Plaza Mayor is not really the best place for that kind of thing, and it can't be much fun for the residents either, but then that's just my own personal feelings about it, in my opinion it should still be a place for locals & visitor to meet & chill out with a coffee in the shade of trees etc, and they really should find somewhere else for those horse monuments, that one in the plaza is just in the way, and the one in the Sol is really right in the way, and should never have been put there in the first place, if only they had left the Sol the way it was, just have a look at the fotos, and see, and then you'll what I mean.
As for seeing the development of the rest of Madrid, Telefonica building, Bernabeu, Torre Madrid, etc, Gran Via, Castellana, Atocha, Alcala, all fantastic to see. What's more, did you know that once in Madrid they drove on the left? Yeah, that one needs some research on it I think, cos I've got no idea why they were doing that here in Spain, and I'd like to find out more about that.
Anyway, here are the Links.......
You will notice, that in some of these, you can pan around in the foto by using the scroll bars.
Anyway, here are the Links.......
You will notice, that in some of these, you can pan around in the foto by using the scroll bars.
The things that they have been doing in there, they could just as easily have done somewhere in the Retiro park, concerts and so on, various traditional shows etc, the Plaza Mayor is not really the best place for kind of thing, and it can't be much fun for the residents either,
hey Angelo.
contrary to popular belief, the concerts that they put on in the plaza need to end by 12midnight so they do not bother us. as a resident of the plaza, i enjoy them and since they do end early, they do not keep us awake as no self-respecting spaniard or ex-pat living in spain would ever be in bed before midnight
just this past sunday there was a classical music concert in the plaza from 10 to 11:30pm and it was nice. we had some family over and dined with the music.
we often like to give dinner parties when there are concerts on as it makes for a great atmosphere.
Yeah sure, I get your meaning, and it's quite true, the way of life in Madrid, for many people, is that of the late night, eating, drinking, and being pretty well in tune with "La Marcha" the hustle & the bustle and noise, volume of people etc, good for partying & entertaining as you mentioned, I too am quite a night owl, and well used to burning the midnight oil lamp, or if you prefer, "burning the candle at both ends" but I think being older has made me less tolerant in certain ways, and I find that I prefer to live in a quieter place these days, with far less activity going on outside my window/door, but hey, it suits some people more than others I guess. I'd still love it if they restored the Plaza to it's original public gardens style though, with a decent fountain in the middle, instead of that boring old equestrian monument...
Saludos.
Posts: 696 | Location: Santander | Registered: 11 August 2003
Well I love the Plaza "as is" There are plenty of green open spaces, gardens etc within easy walking distance and that is one of the things I love about Madrid. You can find exactly what you want very easily. I don't feel the Plaza Major is at all "spoiled" because it's cobbled over. And that "horsey" in the middle has been a very convenient meeting place over the years too
________________________________________ Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional
Agreed, the plaza still has a lot of character, and is clearly a very useful place for meeting others, and for various events, and me personally, just like many others, have got many fond memories of many occasions in & around the plaza.
What about the other pictures though, what do you think about some of those? Puerta del Sol for example? I think it looked better the way it was in the foto from the sixties!!
Saludos.
Posts: 696 | Location: Santander | Registered: 11 August 2003
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