Madrid has so much to offer as a tourist destination

THE beauty of Madrid is striking. Its architecture, labyrinth of streets and glorious open spaces and parks are quick to capture the imagination of new visitors to the Spanish capital.

First impressions are strengthened by the friendliness of the people, the relatively relaxed pace of life and the pleasant weather conditions once summer passes.

And as a city rich in history, culture and heritage, it has few peers. A visit to one of its many world-renowned art museums will confirm as much.

This writer was fortunate to be in the company of tour guide Marta Núro when viewing the many masterpieces on the walls of the Prado Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum.

Through the work of famous artists in the calibre of Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya, both court painters to the Spanish monarchs, and Pablo Picasso, she gave a revealing insight to the country's dark and tumultuous past.

The wounds opened by the Spanish Civil War are far from healed, the triumph of Franco's Facist regime in 1939 leaving lasting scares - as recent events in Catalonia have testified.

Even though Franco has been dead since 1975, there is a clear sense that Spain's failure to bring to account the perpetrators of the former dictator's barbaric crimes has left a pain in the hearts of its new generation pleading for the country to move forward as a renewed democracy.

That very thought struck like a thud when viewing Picasso’s depiction of the aerial bombing of the Basque village of Guernica on April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War.

It was an atrocity committed by Franco's allies, Nazi Germany and Facist Italy, because the location was being used as a communications centre behind the front line of battle.

The painting, the jewel in the crown of the Reina Sofia Museum, is the definitive anti-war image and a copy hangs on an interior wall of the United Nations HQ.

Spain's troubled history is also reflected by what are known as 'the black paintings' of Goya, a work of 14 impressions which emphatically challenged the earlier portrayal of war as chivalrous and heroic.

The aforementioned Prado Museum is the home of the iconic Las Meninas by Velázquez in which he broke an unwritten rule by immortalising himself alongside members of the Royal family.

While Spain was not served kindly by all of its royals, the Habsburg and Bourbon monarchs, the name of Charles III (Bourbon) is remembered fondly to this day for his ambitious and far-reaching reforms during the mid-18th century.

There is much more to Madrid than its art and history, of course. It is the home of one of the most revered football clubs in the world, Real Madrid, and a visit to the Bernabéu is a must.

An appreciation of the city's modern lifestyle was provided to The Connaught Telegraph by the effervescent tour guide, Enrique González, during a walking tour of the Habsburg and la Latina neighbourhoods as well as visits to the San Miguel and Anton Martin markets where so much business activities revolve around the tapas culture.

It goes without saying the magnificence of such gastro delights cannot be adequately described within the confines of these columns as it's all about the wide variety of tastes and textures.

Suffice to say, nobody leaves disappointed.

Also worth a visit during a stay in Madrid is the Royal Theatre and the Royal Botanic Gardens, both centres of excellence in their own right.

Getting around is not a problem due to an excellent transport system and it's a city in which one feels very safe. It's definitely worth a visit.