Madrid is the biggest city in Spain yet it's far less touristy then Barcelona or some of the others. But it certainly was on our list of must-see's while house sitting through Spain, so we surely were thrilled when we confirmed a house sit in the city center. Our rent car is safely parked and we are touring this huge metropolis by foot and subway.
Our temporary home is just a few minutes walk to the famous Buen Retiro Park right down the street. This huge park covers some 350 acres and comes complete with gardens, palaces, a lake with boats to rent, fountains, restaurants and so much more. Our walking paths to just about everywhere has taken us through the park which has given us a chance to enjoy some shade on these hot summer Madrid days, and enjoy the sights.
Nearby the park is the well known Prado Museum of Art plus plenty of other historic buildings that line the city streets. Since we are both budget conscious and not really art enthusiasts, we choose to wait for the nightly free times to visit the Prado. Although the queue (line) was rather long, we took it as an opportunity to chat in Spanish with some ladies from Argentina waiting in front of us. Within about 45-minutes of standing in mostly shady areas we made our way into the air conditioned museum to have a look around.
Today we hopped on the subway to visit the most famous site here, the Royal Palace Of Madrid. While this massive estate used to be the home of the Royal Family of Spain, today it is merely a tourist attraction open to the public. With a staggering 2,800 rooms in the palace, fortunately for us not ALL of them are open to the public.
We have traveled much during the past few years and seen many palaces, estates, and castles but this place really is amazing! While there were NO photos allowed inside the palace I did manage to find some online and borrow them to display here.
Swiffer The Cat Hiding In A Grocery Bag
Our temporary home is just a few minutes walk to the famous Buen Retiro Park right down the street. This huge park covers some 350 acres and comes complete with gardens, palaces, a lake with boats to rent, fountains, restaurants and so much more. Our walking paths to just about everywhere has taken us through the park which has given us a chance to enjoy some shade on these hot summer Madrid days, and enjoy the sights.
Buen Retiro Parc, Madrid
The Crystal Palace In Retiro Park
Gardens Of Park
Cool Looking Trees
Huge Monument Overlooking The Lake
Mounted Police Officers
Nearby the park is the well known Prado Museum of Art plus plenty of other historic buildings that line the city streets. Since we are both budget conscious and not really art enthusiasts, we choose to wait for the nightly free times to visit the Prado. Although the queue (line) was rather long, we took it as an opportunity to chat in Spanish with some ladies from Argentina waiting in front of us. Within about 45-minutes of standing in mostly shady areas we made our way into the air conditioned museum to have a look around.
Prado Museum....No Photos Allowed Is Most Of The Museum
Yesterday we went to Cardamomo, A Tablao in Mardrid which means Small Flamenco Bar. A very intimate setting with the dancers ten feet away from our second row table. Was not allowed to use flash so pardon the poor picture quality.
Today we hopped on the subway to visit the most famous site here, the Royal Palace Of Madrid. While this massive estate used to be the home of the Royal Family of Spain, today it is merely a tourist attraction open to the public. With a staggering 2,800 rooms in the palace, fortunately for us not ALL of them are open to the public.
Palacio Real de Madrid (The Royal Palace)
We have traveled much during the past few years and seen many palaces, estates, and castles but this place really is amazing! While there were NO photos allowed inside the palace I did manage to find some online and borrow them to display here.
Formal Dining Room
I Counted About 50 Chairs Around The Table Plus More Around
The Side Of The Room
The Throne Room
Another Room
A Waiting Room
The Porcelain Room
The Walls Are Covered With Porcelain And The Sole Purpose Of This Room
The Palace Chapel
A Bedroom
Ceiling Of The Royal Chapel
After visiting the Palace we stopped at the nearby Almudena Cathedral to have a look around before heading back into the hot streets to find Plaza Mayor. Like most plaza's throughout Europe it was packed with tables of people cooling off with a glass of sangria, or other cocktail as they watched the people go by. We passed on the tapas and wine and stopped for some frozen yogurt with fruit to rest up before our journey back to the apartment.
The Cathedral
We enjoyed a lovely Sunday afternoon strolling around the beautiful city of Madrid. It's so full of culture, historic buildings, locals and tourists taking in the summer sunshine. Plenty more to explore of this Spanish metropolis.....along the gringo trail.
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