Madrid

As Inka jumps on the train on her way to Granada, Robert stays in Madrid - 'a fast, furiously urban place, welcoming but bewildering'. There he meets actress and singer, Ana Belén. Born and bred in Madrid, she is has become an emblem of the city.



One of the best known songs in her repertoire is about the monumental arch, La Puerta de Alcalá, sung in a duet with her husband, singer-songwriter Víctor Manuel. The song was a success in the mid-80's and has virtually become an anthem for her city and a whole generation of Spaniards.



It describes the arch through history since it was built for Charles III in 1778. It is an enduring monument symbolic of the city and its people.



Then both set off to visit El Parque del Retiro, a favourite spot of Ana's and all Madrileños. She talks about her childhood memories and of her water fights in the lake.



Later, a visit to the avant-garde designer Ágatha Ruíz de la Prada, who adorns her living dresses with real flowers and watering-cans. She is also an interior designer and creator of perfumes.



After seeing this new face of Madrid, Robert looks for some professional advice on his own face. And the faces of Madrid have long been the business of Paquita Ors.



Madrid - beauty in faces and in places. Robert goes to the Golden Triangle, the greatest concentration of art galleries in Europe. He tours the Thyssen Gallery, one of the world's best private art collections, owned by Baron Thyssen and his wife, a former Miss Spain.



Once an old hospital, the Reina Sofia Art Centre is now the home of Spain's greatest modern works, Picasso's Guernica amongst them. Both Robert and his host are lost for words when they see the painting.



After seeing paintings outside the reach of the average pocket, Robert knows of a place nearby where he can find some affordable painted silks. He walks out with some pieces you may recognise from the opening titles of the Spain Inside Out TV series.



Still in Madrid, Robert meets Alejandro Amenábar, a young film director. They talk about 'movie street' - the Gran Vía, and about the implications of becoming famous at only 23. Robert takes the opportunity to attend a film première full of Spanish celebrities, in order to celebrate the cult of 'fame, secrets and gossip' on which Spaniards thrive.



Eleven o'clock in the evening and things start happening in Madrid. That's when people go to dinner, or start their odyssey through the endless night. There's options for everybody. And Robert is ready to try just a few.



Amongst other things, he dips into a night-club where 90-year old Olga Ramos entertains guests with a unique brand of romantic and risqué songs - el cuplé. Originally from France, the genre flourished all over Spain, but later became representative of Madrid. In more recent times, it had to find refuge in what she calls 'this old corner of Madrid.'



After Saturday night - a hangover kill or cure: the seething sprawl that is Madrid's Sunday street market, El Rastro.



And talking of Sunday rituals in Spain, what better excuse for Robert to talk about the 'most important' of the lot - football. He chats with Raúl, a local boy who has done so well that he made it to the Real Madrid first team at seventeen and to the national side a couple of years later.



Madrid - Local Links

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Ayuntamiento de Madrid - Madrid City Council

Ana Belén's official websiteBiography of Ágatha Ruíz and latest collections

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

Museo del Prado

CineSpain

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