Madrid, Spain
Ten minutes before we were about to jump onto the train and head to our next destination, we were still taking our last minute to walk in the old city square, sip our last coffee in the morning sun. Really wish we had stayed here longer than planned.
The doorway to Plaza Mayor where we had our first dinner in Madrid.
The Plaza Mayor, a grand arcaded square in the center of Madrid is very popular with tourists and locals alike. The symmetrical rectangular square features a uniform architecture, very similar to the contemporary Place des Vosges in Paris.
The Palacio Real or Royal Palace is the largest and certainly one of the most impressive palaces in Europe. It has more than 2000 luxuriously decorated rooms, 50 of which can be visited.
One of Madrid's best known landmarks: the Puerta de Alcalá or Alcala Gate.
The Parque del Buen Retiro is the most popular park in Madrid. It can get crowded during weekends when many Madrilenian families go for a stroll in the park and street musicians, sidewalk painters, fortune tellers, jugglers and street performers animate the crowd.
The Retiro Park was a royal park; it belonged to the Real Sitio del Buen Retiro palace. In 1632, the palace was built by King Philips IV as a retreat for the Royal family.
The one street you shouldn't miss on your trip to Madrid is the Gran Via. This lively street is one of the city's most important shopping areas. It also contains a large number of hotels and large movie theaters. But what makes this street so special it the architectural design of many of the large buildings. While walking through this crowded street make sure you look up once in a while and admire the often lavishly decorated grand 'edificios'.
Soon after King Philips II made Madrid the capital of Spain in 1561, he wanted a cathedral for his new capital. Partly due to political turbulences and strong opposition by the powerful archdiocese of the then larger city Toledo, the construction was constantly postponed. Finally in 1868 a congregation devoted to Virgin Almudena, the female patron saint of Madrid, received the permission from the archdiocese in Toledo to construct a new church dedicated to the patron saint.