Saturday, October 22, 2016

The Atletico Madrid Museum Tour and Meandering About Madrid


Friday, 21 October, 2016:

I awakened with a powerful hankering for some churros and chocolate. Only one thing to do . . .

. . . get on the Metro and
head to Madrid's best . . .

San Gines

There was a line but the wait was short and the churros and chocolate were top notch as always.

After fueling up, I walked over to the Plaza Mayor to check on the Spanish Civil War walking tour that I took and thoroughly enjoyed back in 2012. I wanted to take it again but found out that that particular tour has been suspended. Instead the tour group's representative convinced me to take their Spanish Inquisition walking tour which starts at 7:00 p.m. seven nights a week. With my American football coaching schedule that means I'll need to take the tour on a Saturday or Sunday. Tomorrow night sounds good to me.

Now properly informed, I decided to start walking south through the La Latina section of Madrid. 

Arroz a la Cubana sounded good

But no, I was fully sated by my churros.

 Mahou Beer

That remind's me, Mahou beer is sponsoring the Arganda del Rey's Tapeando again this week.

A tapa and a beer for only 2.20 Euros, such a deal.

 A Madrid Ayuntamiento

Once again, an ayuntamiento is both a city hall and one of my favorite words to say in Spanish.

IKEA must be having quite a sale
to create a queue this long

 Interesting construction technique

 A random steeple

There are lots of antique
stores in La Latina

No Gracias

A quiet Metro station

I decided to board the green #5 Metro to get a closer look at Atlético Madrid's stadium.

Atlético is traditionally one of Spain's La Liga's best futbol/soccer clubs. They are currently atop the 20 team circuit with a record of 5 wins, 3 ties and 0 losses.

 Commie Lover?

Melancholy Street?

It seemed cheery to me as it led me to Atlético's stadium.

 Getting closer

 Eureka!

 Lots of seating

I entered to gather information

All the seats are covered

Given the recent dicey weather, it's a nice touch.

Ticket prices for the next home
game vs. Malaga on Oct. 29th

Atletico hosts a UEFA Champions
League tilt vs. Russia's F.C. Rostov
on November 1st

I am going to buy a ticket to one of these two games. 

 An Atlético Legend

 A good spot to find out more
about Atlético's history

A miner's helmet?

Strange to see this in a soccer team's museum until you read that the club was formed in 1903 by a group of college students, most of which were majoring in mining engineering.

Cool 1903 Socio's team cap

Socio's are dues paying, card carrying team supporters.

The striped jerseys are traditional

 The 1941 club

 Atlético Pride

The Evolution of soccer
balls and cleats

They have evolved a
bunch over the years

 Neptune?

There is a large statue of Neptune near the Atocha train station where Atlético fans congregate to celebrate whenever their favorite club wins a big game or a championship. 

 Atlético's Logo

 Championships won in their
old Stadium Metropolitano

 1930 Game Poster

Bull fighters love Atlético

So do artists

The world's first foosball table?

 Atlético's Trophy Case

They've won often over the years

 Spain believes in HUGE trophies

And ornate ones too

That's more like the foosball
tables we all know

The evolution of Atlético jerseys

Material and subtleties may change but never the stripes.

 There was a period of time when
Atlético joined forces with Aviation

After the conclusion of the Spanish Civil War, Atlético resumed play from 1939-1947 having united with the Aviación Nacional club from Zaragoza. 

 Atlético-Aviación Pride

More about the
Atlético-Aviación Fusión

 Action Cards

This was a good sports museum that I really enjoyed.

 A stop at the Atlético
souvenir shop was a must

I am now a proud owner of an Atlético scarf.

Time for more walking. 

Good looking building

The Puerta de Toledo

I'm hungry

Well worth it for 3 Euros

That's about $3.26 USD.

 Palacio de Cibeles

This ornate building is the former post office headquarters that is now a cultural center now known as the Cibeles CentroCentro of Culture and Citizenship.

Now that's a post office

Stained glass is always good

And a tiled stairway too

A great view of the Glorieta in
front of the Palacio de Cibeles

It was time to start heading home as my legs were getting tired and we had our usual 7:00 p.m. -10:00 p.m. Osos Junior and Senior practices to conduct.

 Bird on a Fountain

One last photo-op for the day.

At practice, I got a chance to work with the six youngest Osos on their pass catching skills as they prepare for their flag football season.

Our Senior practice was highlighted by our first inter-squad scrimmage. As is the norm, we did some good things and some not so good things.

We videotaped the scrimmage and after studying and analyzing the tape, I'm sure that our players will continue to grow and improve as we prepare for the season.

WOW!
I did do a lot of walking today

And the countdown continues . . .

. . . more days until
Laurie arrives in España

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