Spain

Day 5

We spent some more time exploring Parque del Oeste, this time observing some sentry houses and large concrete bunkers that are relics of the Spanish civil war.

A random concrete cylinder atop a hill in a grassy park with trees. The cylinder is about 10 feet wide and 15 feet tall and has a narrow slit partway up to look (or shoot) out of

Next, we travelled on the Teleférico en Rosales, a gondola connecting the park to Parque Casa de Campo, the old royal hunting grounds that are now a very large park. The views from the gondola were impressive, but not spectacular as there was little elevation gain on the 11 minute ride.

Lauren inside of the small enclosed gondola car. She is holding a pole in the center and looks uneasy with the whole situation. Through the windows, many trees and brick apartment buildings can be seen, as well as a partly cloudy sky.

We walked back through the park, which had a very California vibe with dead grass and sparse trees, and stopped for a drink at a small lake with many outdoor restaurants. That evening, we attempted to visit Museo de Prado, the main art museum in Madrid. They ran out of tickets for the day right as we arrived, so we instead visited the neighboring San Jerónimo el Real, a 16th century church.

The interior of a decently sized church from the back right corner. The walls and ceiling a white with golden trim. There are ornate chandeliers. At the front of the church is a large painting that is hard to see but looks religious with angels and such. There are small stained glass windows.

We ended the day at Parque de El Retiro, possibly the most impressive park that I have ever seen. It had well kept gardens, trails through wooded areas, lawns, a lake, a palace in the center, a few patio restaurants, and numerous arches and sculptures scattered around. The people of Madrid seemed to know how good this park is, as it was filled with people walking, sitting, reading, and chatting.

A well landscaped section of a park with sculpted trees and bushes, red flower beds, and white gravel walking areas. A few people are walking around. In the distance, larger trees are visible in front of city buildings in the background. It is light out and a few clouds are visible.

We only explored a portion of the park and will certainly be returning!

Day 4

After a pleasant morning in Argüelles, we had a late lunch at Frutas Prohibitas, now one of Lauren's favorite restaurants;

Lauren, holding a fork about to dive into the eggs benedict in front of her. A quesadilla is in front of me. The table is small and wooden, and the small restaurant looks crowded around us.

We then continued onto the free Museo de Historia de Madrid, dedicated to the local history of the royal capital. We learned that Madrid had a bit of a strange history of artificial growth and development around the royal residence with little urban planning until the 20th century. Much art was on display, including some sizeable floor to ceiling paintings.

Lauren to one side of a painting taller than her and wider than it is tall. In the foreground, famished residences of Madrid look sad. Around the periphery are uniformed French soldiers. Bonus note for those not seeing the painting: Its topic is the famine in Madrid caused by Napoleon's occupation of Spain in the early 1800s.

That evening, we took the metro to see the National Orchestra of Spain perform in the Auditorio Nacional. Poor planning and metro timing led us to miss the opening act, but the main number (Eine Alpensinfonie by Strauss) still impressed.

The view from the upper balcony seats looking a modern symphony hall. Two tiers of seats are visible above the floor and symphony area. The ~80 piece orchestra is standing. The seats are mostly full. Wood is the dominant material visible, as the ceiling and seats are all wooden.

Day 2

We started the morning off with a run through Parque del Oeste, a sizeable park with many trails a few blocks from our apartment. The mornings have a definite chill in Madrid, which was welcome after the slightly muggy Lisbon weather. On our way back from the run, got coffee at a nearby cafe. Overall, the cafes here feel a bit more like US coffee shops than they did in Lisbon, and this was no exception. In the evening, we walked through Plaza de España, an enormous square, into the heart of Madrid. This part of town was packed with people and filled with well maintained 8 story brick and stone buildings.

A busy street and a packed sidewalk lined with imposing 7-10 story buildings. There are many large advertising screens and a bit of a times square vibe. It is daytime.

We had dinner at a pretty good American diner style vegan restaurant before continuing our walk through Madrid. We saw the formidable Plaza Mayor, a bustling plaza entirely enclosed by a 5 story brick building dating back to the 1600s.

3 sides of a busy square enclosed by a brick building on all sides. It is dusk and there are many lights on the square as wells as people sitting and dining. The clouds above look dramatic in the dark light.

After going by another few sites that we plan to return to later, we walked back to our apartment along the Rio Manzanares, a truly unimpressive river running through the city.

Day 1

Our flight landed in Madrid in the early afternoon. To our surprise, no passport check was required upon arrival (#EU life). We got a metro pass and took the metro to our apartment in Argüelles. Right off the bat, Madrid felt like a much larger and more modern city than Lisbon. The trains were shinier and larger, the sidewalks and roads were wider (more like a US city), and the quantity of people was greater everywhere.

An intersection with 4-5 story buildings on the sides of the street and equally tall deciduous trees on the sidewalks. The road is 6 lanes wide and there is mild traffic

The apartment itself was a smaller, but well appointed and with a nice balcony.

A narrow studio apartment with the kitchen, living room, bedroom, and door to balcony visible in that order. Lauren is in the living room. It looks like it was recently renovated with nice white cabinets in the living room. The kitchen has a washing machine, stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher, and table with 2 chairs visible

We hadn't eaten a meal that day, so after checking in we rushed to a late lunch/early dinner at a nearby vegan restaurant followed by some donuts next door to it. Since we're in Madrid for 3 weeks, we immediately went to a supermarket across the street to stock up. It was much larger than anything we had found in Lisbon, though the prices were a bit higher (still ~25% cheaper than Sacramento on average).

Lauren trying to select jarred peppers in a grocery store aisle. There are a lot of options!

That night, we explored Parque del Oeste, a nearby park that proved quite impressive in size and liveliness. Argüelles proved to be a good choice of neighborhood!