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Walking along Calle AlcalĂĄ, almost until Puerta del Sol, we saw a procession of majestic buildings one after the other, like a catwalk for haute couture. This time, instead of the facades being the center of attention, it seemed that we were the ones marching in formation, and they were looking at us. High up from their perspective, little birds perch on reddish rooftops, colorful tiles blaze from a distance, and dancing plants swing through old balconies. White curtains flutter, threatening to jump through an open window from some of the tallest buildings on the cityâs most crowded square. Up here, itâs a different world. Madrid is about living in two different worlds at the same time. Once you find the best way to get up there, the cityâs best kept secret is revealed: an endless sea with a horizon that stretches as far as the eye can see. Maybe youâve been called gato (cat) at some point, if you are from Madrid. This goes back to a spring day in 1085, when Spain was taken by the Muslims and King Alfonso VIâs troops started to approach the impregnable ramparts of Madrid to reconquer it from the Arabs. Many failed before, but that day, an agile soldier separated from the groupâand only with the help of his knifeâclimbed the fortifications and successfully switched the Arabic flag for the Christian one. From then on, he was nicknamed el gato (the cat), a name that passed on to his descendants, and on to everyone from Madrid. Maybe this is why MadrileĂąos love to climb to the rooftops, and from up there, escape the cityâs chaos and stare at the horizon. De Madrid al cieloâfrom Madrid to the skyâis the cityâs motto, true to the idea of how much we like to try to reach it. And to do that, you need to know where to find the right stairs to climb.
El CĂrculo de Bellas Artes Located at Calle AlcalĂĄ, this was built in 1880 thanks to the efforts of a small group of artists. Now, its objective is to disseminate artistic and cultural manifestations
