Parks and Sun in Madrid

Friday, April 3 Ashley and I left our dorm in the late afternoon for our trip to Spain! We flew out of Heathrow, which is oh so convenient because we can take the tube the whole way there! The flight was delayed, but that was okay because we didn't have plans for that night anyway. We took a taxi to our hotel, a Best Western Carlos V and passed out so we could get up early for a big day of sightseeing.

Saturday, April 4 we woke up early and grabbed breakfast at the hotel. The buffet was pretty good but had one interesting feature: KIT KAT BARS! Ashley and I loved the whole candy at breakfast thing, more hotels should do it!

Our hotel was located one block of Puerta del Sol, which is one of the main squares. According to the guide book, the sign for Tio Pepe, a brand of sherry, has become synonymous with the square.

















There is also a famous statue of the symbol of Madrid, a bear, in this sqaure...



















The location of our hotel was perfect! Everything was in walking distance and we never used public transportation once!

Our first stop of the day was Palacio Real, or Royal Palace. On the way we saw a pretty sqaure, Plaza de la Villa.















The palace was built in 1734 by Phillip V and was modeled after Versailles. It is still used for state occasions. The rooms were very pretty and ornate. One of the coolest rooms had walls completely made out of porcelain.

































After the palace we started our day of park visits! If London is full of Musems, then Madrid is full of parks. I guess it just has to do with the beautiful weather, everyone wants to be outside.
The first park we visited was Plaza de Oriente which is right across from the palace.













































The next park we visited was Jardines del Palacio Real, which was right next to the palace.





















































Then we went to Plaza de Espana, which isn't necessarily a "park", but I am pretty sure the city of Boston would call it one.







































We took a break from parks and visited a beautiful church, San Francisco el Grande.


































Then we walked to Plaza Mayor, which is a place full of crazy people, kind of, haha. The Plaza was very lively with lots of music, cafes, and restaurants, but it was also full of people who dressed up and tried to make money various ways.






































































Our favorite was the chunky spider man, but we saw several Winnie the Poohs, Shreks, and Mikey Mouses.

Next, we walked to Palacio de Comunicaciones, which is really just a famous building for its architecture.














We also saw the Puerta de Alcala, which is an old gateway to the city.














Then we walked down the Paseo Del Prado, which is a a very nice boulevard with a gorgeous park down the center, looking for some lunch.




















































We finally stopped at a little cafe and ordered tapas, which are Spanish appetizers. We both orders smoked salmon with brie, and then a 5 cheese plate to share. It was so good, and we got to sit outside in the gorgeous sun. The weather forcast for that day called for about 70 degrees, but I swear it was atleast 75.

After lunch we continued with our walk down the beautiful boulevard, looking for the Reina Sofia, a modern art museum with Picasso's Guernica.







































When we got there though, we realized free admission started in an hour. So we held off on the museum, and went to......A PARK...Parque del Retiro. But we had really been looking forward to this particular one because of its size and fun boating activity we had heard about. On the way to the park we walked through this awesome outdoor used book market. Too bad they were all in Spanish!



















Parque del Retiro was huge and absolutely gorgeous! There were so many people and families out enjoying hte nice weather.



















We magned to find the pond with the row boats! The pond is based around a momument of Alfonso XII...














We rented a boat right away and had an amazing time with our rowing! At one point in time, some Spanish boys waved to us, so we kind of waved back but basically ignored them. Then, they hoped in a boat and rowed out to us! Ad they rowed closer they asked us where we were from and what we were doing that night. Ashley told them we had husbans to get them to go away! Haha, but I don't think they understood because they kept trying. They basically gave up after we repeatedly yelled to them we had plans and they weren't invited. It was by far the funniest experience of the trip.





























After our boat ride we definitely deserved some ice cream and so we sat and got some. I won't bore you with anymore park pictures, except for this one of a crazy tree!




















After the park, we went pack to the modern art gallery and saw Picasso's "Guernica", but that's it. We had a long day so we basically saw the painting we wanted to see, and started the walk home. We passed through Plaza Mayor and saw some awesome music from a Flamenco band!














We saw another music group on the way home that was more of an orchestra and we stopped and watched it for a minute or two. Finally, we arrived back at our hotel after a day of walking in the sun. Oh and I forgot to mention that our hotel room had a really cute balcony looking over looking a busy street and the weather was still gorgeous so we open up the balcony doors and let the breeze come through the room.



















Back in the room is also when we both started to notice our awesome new tan (burn) lines. I curled up and took a siesta while Ashley did some homework. After an amazing and much needed nap, Ashley and I got ready for our traditional Spanish night.

We had asked the hotel to book us reservations for a Flamenco show, which involves traditional Spanish music and dance. They made us reservations at Torres Bermejas and was conveniently right down the street from us!

The night was a little bit more expensive then we planned, but it was so worth it. The place was very well decorated and ornate.















































^^^ Check out those hot tan (burn) lines

The food was awesome. First, we ordered sangria and shared clam soup. Then for dinner I ordered vegetable paella, which was so good! Ashley and I ended up getting an extra pitcher and a half of sangria, so needless to say, we were having a great time! The dancing and singing were great! It actually sounded to me like it had a very middle eastern influence. I even took some videos on my camera!



































































The next morning we grabbed breakfast at the hotel again and headed out to a famous street market El Rastro. The street market reminded me a lot of a huge market I went to in Ecuador. The market had everything, clothes, shoes, appliances, books, jewlery. There were even hardware stands which were surronded by men, haha. It was really fun and I bought a bunch of fun street jewelry.















































We had a few hours left before we needed to leave for the airport and we wanted to relax. So, we headed back to Plaza Mayor and sat in the sun at a cafe. We ordered cappuccinos...nothing beats Roman cappuccinos, but cappuccinos anywhere in Europe beat those in America. I will really miss cappuccinos when I head home. Then we switched cafes and ordered paella and fried squid for lunch. The fried squid was amazing!


































Overall, I found Madrid to be beautiful! The parks, flower, and weather are just wonderful. I also find the culture and architecure to be strikingly different than other places. Some day I really want to go to Barcelona, but I am glad I went to Madrid because I heard it is more traditonal Spanish than Barcelona.

I can't wait for Ashley and I's next adventure to Dulbin for Easter! :-)