Still a Busy Little Traveler

Madrid is such a great city, and I've cherished the time we have spent here. There is never a shortage of places to visit, foods to try, or streets to saunter through. This is the best of Spanish culture and I love it.

After hanging out at Plaza Mayor, we moseyed over to Puerto del Sol, the old gateway to Madrid. I really liked the general ambiance of the area. As with other parts of Madrid we visited, Puerto del Sol is replete with statues, cafes and beautiful architecture.

Spain's famous El Oso y el Madrano (The Bear and the Strawberry tree) which is the symbol of Madrid.

Statue of Carlos III



There is a very cool market in Madrid--and apparently world famous-- called Mercado de San Miguel. Boy, did it smell fishy!






Yum! If we only had time...


The Almudena Cathedreal is a magnificent representation of Gothic revival style and Neo Gothic interior architecture. Interestingly, I was surprised to learn that its construction began in 1879, abandoned until 1950 and then finally completed in 1993.






My favorite picture from the Cathedral is the organ. It's resplendent.

Busy Little Traveler

Despite our earlier plans of visiting the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) on Monday, the Palace was closed for an official ceremony. Very well. What to do? Plenty.

In the small town of Alcala de Henares, which is about 20 miles outside of Madrid, we visited the birthplace of Spanish writer Miguel Cervantes who wrote the classic, Don Quixote. Regretfully, the museum is closed on Mondays, so we were unable to visit inside.



The street running past Cervantes' birthplace.


My sister and I didn't think the experience would be complete without a photo op with Don Quixote and his trusty sidekick, Sancho Panza


After a train ride back from Alcala, and a quick jump on the Metro, we found ourselves in the Plaza Mayor.




King Philip III, the statue in the center


Not sure what happened to the venerable superhero, but Spiderman doesn't look quite the same in Spain.

Beer and Bulls

In our effort to fully experience the Spanish culture, we decided to check out a bull fight on Sunday night. But before taking the train to the Plaza de Toros, there was beer to consume -- Spanish beer that is. We stopped at a little outdoor cafe, Coliseo, and enjoyed the ever popular Estrella Damm


From a cultural standpoint, I'm glad I added a Spanish bull fight to my collective, life experiences. I'm aware of the controversy this traditional spectacle elicits, and, at times, I found myself wondering if the rules could be changed to allow for more sport and less blood. With that said, I was impressed with the deft madators--displaying their ability to "dance" with a dangerous bull and not get gored in the process.

Outside the stadium in Madrid





The bull fight in progress

Prado Redux

I found the area around the Museo del Prado to be quite charming and interesting. There was a gentleman playing his classical guitar. He had excellent musicianship. Unfortunately, I didn't take his picture since there was a possibility he would demand a "donation." I must say, though, the street musicians I've encountered in Madrid have been of above average quality. These cats have chops.

Since one isn't allowed to take pictures in the Prado, most of my photographic endeavors came from the surrounding area.






Goya. Enough said.




It's Spain. Who could have predicted there would be a church nearby?

Prado

Today we visited the Museo del Prado, a "must see" attraction in Madrid. Transversing the multitude of rooms housing the collections of art, we were impressed by the history, symbolism and talent on display. During the college days, I had taken a few courses in art history, and seeing some of these works in real life took me by surprise--particularly their size and presentation. It's always better in person.

Sleep deprived in Madrid

After a short nap, we decided to explore the city a bit. May 1st is Día del Trabajador in Spain, which is like our Labor Day in the States. We decided to walk to Parque del Retiro, a large urban park with lots of trees, a plethora of walking paths, and two small lakes. The park was filled with families, couples, and individuals taking in the gorgeous day.

There were lots of rowboats. Parque del Retiro is an absolute gem in Madrid. We enjoyed being part of the collective experience.




We ended the night eating dinner, and then enjoyed a nice stroll back to our apartment. Madrid was hopping.

Arrived!

The flight over to Europe was smooth, albeit tiresome due to the 6 hour time change.

We left the Cincinnati airport at approximately 2:05 PM and arrived in Atlanta International around 3:00 PM. Due to a 4 hour layover in Atlanta, we decided to roam the concourses, "sight seeing" the various establishments and buying a few items to make the 8 hour flight to Madrid more pleasant--sleeping masks, ear plugs, and candy. We capped off our layover festivities by drinking Sam Adams summer ale and munching on chips and salsa.

After a night flight, which consisted of semi-tolerable airplane food, movies, and maybe a couple hours of sleep, we landed in the Madrid Bajaras airport around 9:35 AM. It felt exhilarating to be on European soil. Customs and picking up luggage soon followed, along with a short taxi ride to our apartment. Then...sleep.