I’ll start unusually: you have to come back to Madrid…
A lovely caffe latte greeted me at Madrid’s Barajas airport. Well, delicious – I still feel its taste, smell, and density… I would never have thought that the „first step” in Madrid would be about coffee. But that’s not all, because we also drank extraordinary coffee in our hotel. Jarek Włochal, a true coffee lover, confirmed to me the uniqueness of coffee in Madrid, having bought it several times in the city. This is (and will always be) the first association with Madrid. Quite a good one, right ???
Barajas, or more precisely Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas, is Spain’s largest airport. Its capacity is 70 million passengers a year, and in practice, it handles around 50 million. It is among Europe’s leaders. What is interesting, it is the largest employer in Madrid and the region… Spain is slightly larger than Poland and richer, but personally, I think that the CPK (Central Transport Port) project makes sense on various levels. Because if the Spaniards can do it, why can’t we? Even in 10 years?
During a relatively short stay, we saw:
– Estadio Santiago Bernabeu – a football stadium, the home ground of Real Madrid, which is undergoing a major redevelopment. It will have a full roof (and not only) which will increase its capabilities as a UNIVERSAL ARENA. So we watched live what we have seen dozens of times on TV! Next time with the footballers!
– Madrid’s metro opened in 1919 (one of the oldest in Europe).
– Plaza Mayor – the most famous square in Madrid, of course super crowded, with beautiful tenement houses
– Plaza de la Villa – in the Moorish times and in the Middle Ages, it was the central market square. By the time the Plaza Mayor was built, it had been number one in Madrid.
– Statue of Don Alvaro de Bazan – a statue on the Plaza de la Villa. He was the first commander of the Great Armada, i.e. the Spanish fleet, which set off for England (without effects …).
– Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena (from the outside) – the main Roman Catholic temple in Madrid.
– The 18th century Royal Palace built by Philip V of Bourbon with a large park
– Puerta de Toledo – the triumphal arch of 1827.
– An original Flamenco show at the Torres Bermejas Restaurant which was an emotional feast… The involvement of the dancers was unprecedented – everything on a high „C”. The first rows of spectators experienced this tangibly – the sweat of the actors spinning circles and circles shot out at a huge speed!!!
– Gran Via – the main street of Madrid, which we walked only a bit to Torres Bermejas. It deserves to spend much more time on it – it’s beautiful, monumental, colourful, full of buzz… That’s why we will come back HERE
– Plaza de Cibeles – a square with the famous fountain, which we only saw from the bus windows. This is where Real Madrid fans celebrate their successes. This is a place which often hosts the media. We need to come back HERE too…
On the second day, there was a plan to GAIN POWER before the tournament at the Don Quixote and Sancho Panza monument in Plaza de Espana. But… we didn’t find these gentlemen despite the well-chosen direction. Well, let’s say „well chosen”… The boss was choosing…
For many of our players, the highlight was the plane flight – it was their first time. We are happy that it was with us! We pay tribute to LOT Polish Airlines for the flawless service of the Polish National Team from the first moments (in the office) to the last at Okęcie in Warsaw!
Many thanks to Konrad Jakub Kowalczyk from Madrid for his great help and kindness! We would also like to thank the wonderful fans who came for us and you! Poland has not perished yet!!!
We would like to thank the TORRES BUS company for the professional transport service. Everything worked!
The Exe Plaza Hotel receives a „written commendation” for its great breakfasts and delicious coffee (another great coffee in Spain!!! – isn’t Italy the Kingdom of Coffee???).
Our judges Mariusz Dumitrescu and Michał Bieniek did their thing in our style and we would like to thank them for that! Honest work is always in demand – regardless of the parallel.
And…
Querido Carlos, Estimado Maestro,
En nombre de todo el equipo polaco, queremos darte gracias por la invitación al Spanish Open 2022. Gracias por el muy buen contacto antes de la competencia y toda la ayuda que recibimos. Estuviste disponible todo el tiempo – eso era valioso. También nos gustaría agradecer a todos los árbitros y otros miembros de tu equipo que trabajaron para que el torneo saliera bien. ¡Hasta pronto!
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Piotr Gąsior