June 6, 2017 - Madrid, Spain

We are on Spanish time … we didn’t get up until after 9am, so we didn’t leave the apartment until after 10! We walked from Puerta del Sol to Plaza de España, a large square,  at the western end of the Gran Via, where there is a statue of Don Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza.  There is also a statue of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and is just a short walk south from the Palacio Real (Royal Palace). 

We continued to the Palace and approached from the north which has some gardens. The magnolia trees were blooming and the flowers were huge!

We brought our own royalty with us, King Tobey.North side of the palace – in the gardens

We took a self-guided tour which includes 50 of the 2000 rooms in the palace! The palace is the official residence of the Spanish Royal Family at the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Felipe VI and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest on the outskirts of Madrid.

We entered through the grand stairway. The ceilings were were beautiful!

The royal armory

Views from the palace

We wanted to tour the Cathedral Museum but it closed at 2:30, and it was 2:30 when we got there. Oh well, another trip! We wandered back to the apartment for naps and relaxing before we headed out to a flamenco show. We took the long way there – about 4 miles roundabout!

We went past the Metropolis building which is just an insurance company, but the building was interesting.

 

We enjoyed all the different architecture as we walked.

The building below is the Palacio de Communicaiones  (Our Lady of Communications) and hosts the post office. Apparently, the inside is dismal and resembles a prison! We didn’t go inside to check it out, we decided to take the tour book’s word!

The statue is Cybele, a controversial Greek fertility goddess. She is seated on a chariot pulled by two lions. This is located in the Plaza de la Cibeles.

We walked and walked and walked back to the Plaza de España and Las Tablas, where the flamenco show was held. It was interesting to watch. There were three dancers, one guitar player, and one singer who told the story of the dance through song.

The show was different than what we expected, but we were glad we went! After the show, we passed a few buildings with interesting door knockers. Fun to see!

And, to end the day like real Spaniards, we had dinner at 10:30 pm! It was close to midnight by the time we got back to the apartment for the night. It was definitely a busy day and have another on tap for tomorrow.