The Palace, the Prado and More

Our first day in Madrid was every bit as enjoyable as we expected it to be. We began the day with an overview hosted by our Madrid guide Leticia She explained the history behind the palaces, the museums, the cathedrals, the railway stations, and the other sites we passed on our bus ride. We stopped to tour the grounds of the royal palace, saw the changing of the guard, and then paused for a coffee break at a sidewalk café on one of the historic streets near the palace. At El Plaza Mayor, the historic center of the city, I was tempted to enjoy a local delicacy called bocadillo de calamari, an octopus sandwich that really did look delicious, but time did not permit. We hopped back on the bus for a short ride over to the Prado, the art museum with the greatest collection of Spanish paintings in the world. Leticia explained works by Velasquez, El Greco, Goya. She had obviously done her homework. Glenda and I decided to skip the octopus sandwich for now, but chose rather to amble our way through the Parque del Retiro and the other tree-lined streets back to our hotel. The temperature was about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, but we stayed under the shady trees, bought 2 generous bottles of water in the park, and made use of the park benches we encountered along our path. Our gentle three-mile hike ended back at our hotel around 3:30 pm, giving us plenty of time to relax before heading out for dinner at a nearby tapas bar.Read more