Madrid is a city full of beautiful, fashionable, sophisticated people. Yet here, in the Plaza Mayor, was Spiderman with a paunch. In the photo he was actually holding in his gut for the ladies and they seemed quite taken with him.
It wasn’t quite the sight I expected to see in Spain’s capital and particularly in this square, the site of autos da fe, public trials of heretics conducted by the Spanish Inquisition….nobody expects that. (Did you notice the clever thing I did there? Clue: Monty Python)
Madrid was a delightful place to visit, a manageable city with most sights in walking distance and no massive must-sees which turn some city breaks into a mad dash. You can’t go to Rome without visiting the Colosseum or see Paris and not climb the Eiffel Tower, yet no-one will be critical if you just come to Madrid to soak up the atmosphere.
On our first morning we all had a lie-in and didn’t venture out until noon. After ten minutes walk from our hotel we were in this splendid plaza, enjoying the sunshine, smiling at Spiderman’s belly (I still have no idea why he was there) and then I looked up at the statue of a bloke sitting on a horse in the middle of the square. Apparently he is King Felipe III but I swear he was a double for Rik Mayall as Flashheart in Blackadder…woof woof! Must still be the effects of the quadruple G&T from the night before.

Freaky. An overweight spiderman and a suicidal looking Mickey Mouse… was the Incredible Hulk taking anger management counselling somewhere?
How sad the mickey mouse looks……but the city itself looks great.
I'm often left quite perplexed by bands starting up and then wandering off again, t'is a very Spanish thing it seems.
Steve – bizarre eh! They get the train down from Disneyland Paris for some R&R do you think?
Libby – I know! I kept looking for a minder who might jolly him up for photo opportunities.
Very Bored – ah, that's it then. Seemed such a waste of money and time – all that pomp for a quick salute. But then we have our Changing of the Guard every day I suppose.
I wouldn't have contained myself, I would have to have gone and asked Mickey who he had caught Minnie with.
Kelloggsville – Great comment: and I'm so cross with myself for not doing so: but then would he speak Spanish or English or just mouse?
That Spider Man is just WRONG!
Expat Mum – the lycra does nothing for him.
Perhaps they took a brief sojourn in Madrid then couldn't get back to Disneyland because of the petrol and SNCF strikes. Spiderman needs a pair of my magic pants……
You can't just go to Madrid and soak up the atmosphere.
The best guides recommend going in fancy dress and frankly I'm disappointed your blog made no reference this this.
(or even…."no reference TO this")
Previously – that's it! You've cracked it haha!
Troy – I'm so sorry, terribly remiss of me. I did manage to squeeze a Snow White frock into my teeny Easyjet allowance and it seemed to be appreciated when I burst into a chorus of "I'm wishing" in the plaza.
Oh that photo of Mickey is so brill. Its a good idea to visit a place without big icons and discover it yourself. We so often just follow the same old tourist trail don’t we?
Enjoyed the cartoon character sightings during your Madrid trip 🙂 #CityTripping
Haha – you’ve really made me giggle Trish. That is the worst Spiderman I have seen. Bless. I don’t know what it is about Plaza Mayor but I saw some strange sights there as well. As for Mickey…I feel like giving him a hug, poor thing. Thanks for linking to #citytripping
I love the weird, wonderful and unexpected things you come across when you travel – but this has to top the list! A paunchy Spiderman and a depressed Mickey Mouse… I have been wanting to go to Madrid for a while, but this is definitely the icing on the cake. Thanks for linking up to #citytripping
I did my college semester abroad in Madrid and would love to take my girls back to it some day. I totally agree that it’s O.K. if you spend the whole day lazing about and simply soaking up the atmosphere. So random re: Spiderman and Mickey Mouse! #citytripping
What a fabulous place to spend a college semester. Madrid is the ideal place for chilling. Glad you like my encounters.
Hahaha.. Oh my… The spiderman and Mickey Mouse are hilarious!! And that seemed like an utter waste of 50 min there.. I’m quite sure I would have hung around too out of curiousity and cursed at having wasted 50 min of precious vacation time.. #CityTripping
Yup, standing in the hot sun with a grumbling teenager watching nothing very much! Perfect vacation activity!
Ha! I bet you weren’t the only one to grab a sneaky snap of that Spider Man – bizarre! ? #citytripping
Maybe he’s there every day and is now a minor celebrity!