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Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Experience Spanish Culture
August 19, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 19, 2002
Madrid, Spain - Step outside the door of the Hotel Emperador and you?re located in the heart of Madrid. Walk 10 minutes in any direction and you are bound to find yourself in front of a museum, mesmerized by a sculptured fountain or relaxing at a street-side cafe.
From the rooftop of the hotel, looking south you can see the Plaza Mayor, an ancient square filled with life. To the southwest is the Palacio Real that the team stopped to visit its first day in Madrid. Palacio Real is a white stone palace that housed the nobility of Spain from the 14th-15th century to as late as the 1920s, just prior to the Spanish Revolution.
Also in walking distance is the Plaza del Sol. Centered around a little park, 10 streets converge at the Plaza del Sol, a local nightlife hot spot with many shops cafes, discos and restaurants. It is in this neighborhood that the team usually dines.
And all this is right outside the door.
Members of the traveling party spent the hours prior to the game against Burgos visiting two of the major art museums in Madrid. Both are 5-10 minute cab rides away from the Hotel Emperador. Perhaps the most famous museum in Madrid is the Prado, which houses masterpieces from great Spanish artists such as Goya and Velazquez. The museum is also temporarily showing Rembrant?s Artemsia or "Woman in Bed.".
Others toured the M.N. Centro de Art Reina Sofia, Madrid?s modern art museum. Unquestionably, the museum's centerpiece is Picacasso's "Guernica," a haunting depiction of the pain, suffering and horror that a town faced during the Spanish Revolution. Also on exhibit are works from the artists Salvador Dali and Juan Gris. For fewer than three Euros, which is equivalent to about three dollars, one can rent an audio tour. The tour does not run from start to finish; rather, it allows you to walk up to a piece of art, type in an ID number and the tour will tell you about that particular piece.
Interestingly, the route that took the team from Madrid to Burgos for last night's game provided the team a chance to experience the country side that was the setting for Don Quixote's famous adventures. Burgos is a three-hour drive from Madrid but boast one of the most spectacular cathedrals in all of Spain, constructed in the early 11th century.
Whether it is touring a famous museum or simply strolling down the street, the Tigers have gotten to see a great deal of what Madrid has to offer, both grand and unique.