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Madrid!

Madrid 19th October 2011

I have made it to Madrid, after a family weekend with my parents in Holland. Believe it or not, its my first time in Madrid, not my
first time in Spain, I visited Valencia (Antares) a few years back and I must say I kind of like it. It has tastes of Paris about it certainly the majestic historical buildings along Grand Via (where my hotel is) and Calle Alcala where the venue of the PLDC event is located. I arrived in the afternoon as to have a bit of time to stroll around and soak in the city views and check out the venue, which is only a 15-20 min walk from my hotel, just nice for my daily dose of daylight!

The weather is fantastic, blue skies, sunny with temperatures close to 25 degr C…perfect for an afternooon drink on a sunny terrace watching the world go by. My first impression must be the crisp daylight reflecting of the beautiful buildings contrasted by the blue skies. There is something about the light in spring and autumn in Europe, certainly with the sun out and temperatures in the low 20-s, the angle of the light, the colour of the light, the intensity of the light. Totally different from the tropics!

The Gran Via was a display of Philips streetlights, their modern look sharply contrasting with the heritage buildings aligning the
streets. Even more interesting was the extensive us of LED multimedia screens, but not so much as an exposed add-on structure to the building but mostly disguised behind the heritage windows, like in the Telefonica building for instance. Not unsurprisingly I walked passed a Swarovski outlet on my way to the Circulo De Bellas Artes, the venue for PLDC. I popped in briefly to see the ongoing preparations but decided better to stay out of their hairs, knowing the last minute stresses that comes with setting up an event.

In Light Watch today a series of my first impressions from my city stroll this afternoon including a quick visit at the PLDC site where the preparations were in full swing under the watching eye and direction of Joachim Ritter. Big manufacturers trucks (the event sponsors) unloading their lights for the related product displays. The building has heritage interiors which surely will create a stimulating environment for the event. I am excited and looking forward to tomorrow!


Light Watch 184: Impressions from Grand Via and PLDC/ Calle de Alcala, Madrid

19. October 2011 by Martin Klaasen
Categories: city beautification, light watch, lighting and culture, lighting of the future | Leave a comment

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