The capital of Spain, the point from which all distances in the country are measured, Madrid is quite the city to see. As always, exploring the city in one full day is such a whirlwind, but here are some highlights from my weekend in Madrid!
Puerto de Toledo Gate
Whenever we had to walk from our hotel to the metro stop, we would always pass by this Puerto de Toledo gate. This gate was the formal entrance to the capital from Andalusia.
Museo Del Prado
The Museo del Prado was filled with so much interesting and amazing art, from all time periods. I think that nothing beats going to museums in Europe, especially when the museum is filled with work by influential Baroque artists like Vasquez and El Greco.
Royal Palace of Madrid
The Royal Palace of Madrid is no longer the place of residency for the royal family, but it is still used for official state affairs. We weren’t allowed to take pictures in most of the rooms on our tour, but as expected, the palace was filled with opulence and grandeur of the architecture of several centuries worth of culture. Throughout the palace there were rooms influenced by the Renaissance period, the Baroque period, as well as rooms influenced by oriental design.
Plaza de San Miguel
Kilometro Zero
I’m such a sucker for things like this. Kilometro o is the point from which all distances in Madrid are judged, as it is directly in city centre. Urban myth has is that anyone who steps on the sign will make her way back to Madrid.
We’ll see about that I guess!
Neptuno Fountain
Palacio Cibeles
Seeing the “Refugees Welcome” Sign on this giant building in city center was actually really touching, especially in light of all the issues surrounding the Syrian Refugees. I love that there is such a public welcoming for the refugees to escape the hardships brought upon them by their country.
Madrid is a city completely engulfed in history. It was absolutely beautiful and even in this small tour through city center, I got a good feel for Madrid and it’s architecture, but also that there is still so much I want to see.
My next post is going to detail my experience on Spain’s National Cycling Day so stay tuned!
Until next time,
Ashley
Ashley Whitwell 