We hopped on our first high speed train ride of the trip. Upon arriving in Madrid the information centre gave us a map and some good advice about how to get to our accommodation. We were staying with a friend of Silvia. He lives an hour train ride from the centre.
Once we arrived it was almost dinner time. Our host, Peter, had been called away on business so we set out to find the local supermarket.
We had some dinner and went to sleep early (we'd slept badly in Sevilla, Jay because he felt unwell and I couldn't deal with all the light and noise.)
About half an hour after bedtime our host, Peter turned up. He'd been stuck in the traffic. We had a chat and he gave us some advice about what to do in Madrid. We then went back to sleep.
5th April
We caught the train into town and immediately started walking the wrong direction!
Due to our error the first thing we saw was Plaza de Espana.
Having figured out our location we then headed to the nearby Templo de Debod. The views from up there were very good.
Next we went to check out the grounds of Palacio Real de Madrid. Some of it was closed off as the palace was shut for the day.
We walked around to the other side of the castle and found some guards on horses circling around.
We carried on to the main gates of the palace and to our surprise there was a lot going on. Apparently the King of Spain was arriving which was why the palace was closed.
After the guards marched and the horses paraded some chariots arrived. Once the King and important guests arrived the calvary left and the guards marched away.
We then had a quick look at Catedral de la Almudena.
After that we headed down the main street towards Plaza Mayor. To our surprise a parade of horses were headed down it.
Along the way we found a very busy food market (Mercado de San Miguel). It was definitely marketed at tourists.
We also saw Casa de Villa.
Finally we reached Plaza Mayor. It was a busy square with a tourist information centre and lots of restaurants. We went to the information centre to ask questions about a day trip and also to check when Retiro Park would reopen.
We carried along the main street stopping at Sol Plaza to have our sandwiches. There were lots of buskers looking like statues there and dressed up as cartoon characters.
After that we decided to head to the river. On the way we saw a church called San Francisco El Grande and Puerta de Toledo.
Finally we reached Madrid Rio. The river was disappointing as there was so little water. However there were nice walking paths. Jay decided to have a quick nap as it'd been a busy day!
We followed the river to a nearby train station and headed home.
 |
| Thought we'd buy some healthy fruit |
6th April
Today we decided to have a day trip to the nearby town of Toledo. We meant to start early but we both slept in!
We caught the train for the one hour ride into Madrid Central, swapping lines to get closer to the bus station. On the walk to the bus station there was a beautiful bridge and park.
We arrived at Plaza de Eliptica and weren't sure where our bus would be located. After asking locals one took us underground where we thought the metro was. As the lift descended three floors we were surprised to see the buses underground!
We purchased our tickets and headed to our bus. The queue was very long so we missed the 11 o'clock and had to wait for 11:30.
When we hopped off the bus in Toledo we'd no idea which direction to go so we made a guess then followed other tourists.
Eventually we found the tourist information and got a map. First we saw the Alcazar Army Museum. This was of no interest to us so we moved on.
There were many churches but most of them you had to pay to enter. We could go in the Cathedral though.
We went to the Jewish quarter. It wasn't very Jewish any more. Ham and shellfish were sold everywhere! Eventually we found one of the synagogues but it seemed to be Christian now.
For lunch we tried some empanadas. They were good.
After a few hours of wandering around and enjoying the views we caught the bus back to Madrid.
 |
| Lots of swords in Toledo |
 |
| Street... Err Road performer outside Plaza Eliptica |
Our host, Peter invited us out for tapas. I liked the fish which was similar to what we ate in Greece. We drank tinto de virano or Spainish Summer wine. It was sweet and not strong.
7th April
We woke up to find it very cloudy and threatening rain. This was disappointing as it was the first day Retiro Park was open since we arrived.
After walking to the local McDonald's to use the WiFi we decided to go to the park regardless.
 |
| On the way to the park |
We found the Crystal Palace but it was closed due to the rain. There were lots of buckets inside so I think it leaks.
There was also a building that had an art exhibition in it. The rain was heavier so we went inside. The artworks were alright.
The ground was getting muddy and puddly and my shoes were getting soaked through. We saw a monument next to a lake and then made our way out.
Our host had suggested a place to go and eat. We followed the map and after a few false starts we were on our way.
When we arrived at Plateau and found it to be bustling and ordering food looked confusing. A flamenco show was about to start so we waited around.
The show was two dancers. There we were also some live music to accompany them. The dancing wasn't to my taste but it was interesting to see.
After the show we walked down the main street that connected Plaza Mayor with the Madrid Royal Palace. We looked at all the buildings again and went through the palace gardens again too.
It was pleasant as the rain had stopped. It was then back on the train home. We did a quick shop, had some dinner and organised our things ready for our trip to Barcelona the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment