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Published: August 31st 2008
Hello all! Hope everyone is doing well. We took an overnight train from Lisbon to Madrid thinking we could catch some sleep and be refreshed and ready to tour Madrid in the morning. However, this was the furtherest from reality. Our vision 'of a cozy sleeping bunker' was instantly crushed when we boarded the train to see we would be crammed in with all the other backpackers into airplane-like chairs. Throughout the whole night people were talking, laughing, couching, and walking up and down the isles. Brutal. The only people who were quiet were the hippies who sat in front of us, however, they kept us awake with their 'lovely' aroma.
We arrived in Madrid around 9am feeling like we had not slept at all. Although the troopers we are, this did not slow us down. First on the list was the beautiful Royal Palace surrounded by gardens. We saw a number of other buildings including the Cathedral of Almudena, the Bolsa de Madrid (Spanish Stock Market), and plazas like the Plaza Mayor, Plaza Cibeles, and Plaza de Oriente.
As we went to take a break for lunch we realized we needed to 'quickly' restock our wallets. One hour
later we were still wondering the streets trying to find a bank that would handle foreign accounts. Ewa felt the Bank of Spain would be a 'sure thing', however, when we arrived and had passed through full security (metal detector and all) we were turned away. As we walked away feeling frustrated and confused why withdrawing money it so difficult, Jill saw the German bank and it saved the day. Money in hand we set off to find lunch.
Ewa was once again determined to find us an authentic Spanish lunch so we went to the famous Plaza Mayor were we ordered an bocadillo de calamares (squid sandwich) and paella de marisco (seafood stir fry). We were famished and it was delicious!
We spent what was left of the afternoon relaxing in the central park of Madrid (el Retiro). Jill napping and Ewa pampering her wounded feet. (Apparently the 'Jesus shoes' aren't exactly as amazing as they are suppose to be... however, she does claim the fantastic arch support makes up for a 'few sores'- definitely shoes the doctor would recommend).
With our second wind we visited the Museo del Prado, which highlighted works such as, David
Inside the Plaza Mayor
Jill obviously missing her horse.with the Head of Goliath by Caravaggio, the Black Paintings of Goya, and masterpieces by El Greco and Bosch. Surprisingly no photos are allowed to be taken in the museum unlike France and Portugal where it is a frenzy of camera flashes and people.
We spent the evening enjoying a baguette and cheese at the Templo de Debod which is an Egyptian temple located in one of Madrid's most beautiful parks. There wasn't too much of a city view to write home about, however, there was a fountain that made it all worthwhile.
Our second day in Madrid we decided to spend it enjoying the amazing Spanish shoe selection. We walked the streets in style (for once) and looked the part. To end the day we went a ballet and saw a Flamenco performance, which was superb -a little rhomba never hurt anyone.
We left Madrid early the next morning by bus for Barcelona.... more to come
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Yorkie -Rik
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Classy living!
So good to hear of your exotic wanderings! Neat to hear you've enjoyed a few of the wonders of the sea side in Portugal and artful Madrid. Your photos are super to see, and to think beggars can put on such a show! Are they government employees? It is Labor day here and maybe that's how some of us should dress up more often. Thanks for your newsy update. We're thankful you've put aside the high heels. So may your feet do you well all the days to come!