Madrid was once the capital of the mightiest empire on earth. Below you can see the majesty of its palaces, museums, and today’s Madrid with its fun-loving best.
Madrid’s core is bounded by the Royal Palace on the west and the magnificent Prado museum in the east. The Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol mark the center.
Madrid has a population of over four million. Most of the city is modern urban sprawl. Plaza Mayor is a stately traffic-free chunk of 17th century Spain.
The square is filled with emblems of Spain’s powerful past. Bronze reliefs under the lampposts show how upon this stage much of Spanish history was played out.
You can not miss a bullfight in many of Madrid’s bull bars.
Madrid’s royal palace was built by Phillip the Fifth in the 1700s, he was born in Versailles and while he ruled Spain for 40 years he stayed very French. The palace was designed to be Phillip’s Versailles and it has over 2000 rooms. With acres of lavish paintings and tapestries, a king’s ransom of chandeliers, priceless treasures and bronze décor covered in gold leaf. There are over 150 fancy clocks in the palace all in working order.
If you want to go on a side trip from Madrid, San Lorenzo de El Escorial is perfect. The town has charm but everybody is visiting for the sprawling palace. El Escorial is more than an impressive palace for a divine monarch.
For another thought-provoking excursion here is a side trip from Madrid, up into the Guadarrama mountains. A 500 foot tall granite cross marks the valley.
At the Centro Reina Sofia, this modern art museum has a fine collection of paintings.
Madrid’s central park offers splendid picnicking, row boating and people lying in the grass and watching.
Madrid, permeated with passion from its grand history to its love of life today. Hope you enjoy it.
