Parque de El Retiro

El Retiro is one of the most famous parks in Madrid, just like Central Park is famous in New York. Since this was our last day and we hadn't really visited Madrid, we decided to see as much as possible.

We started by heading to Puerta de Alcala, which is just outside the park. To our disappointment, it was under renovation and was not visible at all. So we just headed straight into the park, and right away, we started finding characters in costumes that were irresistible for Oliver (and for us given how happy it made him).

As we strolled into the park, we found a pond where one could rent a small boat and row around. The pond had turtles and fish that came outside the water every once in a while.

We then headed towards the Crystal House (which was also closed for renovation) and ended our walk in the Fountain of the Fallen Angel, the only monument in the world dedicated to Lucifer. We took a quick refresher just in front of the fountain and took a cab to our next destination: the Royal Palace and Madrid's famous Almudena Cathedral.Read more