Madrid

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We spent six nights in the lovely city of Madrid. We enjoyed exploring the city using the metro as well as the complimentary shuttle offered by The Hilton Barajas. Madrid is a very beautiful city and also surprisingly hilly. So, you definitely get some exercise in the process. Highlights of our explorations include:

Puerta de Alcala: The Puerta de Alcala is an old city gate which sits at the Plaza de la Independencia on Calle de Alcala. An original gate built on the site in 1599 was replaced by the current gate which was finished in 1778. The current Puerta de Alcala was designed by Italian architect, Francisco Sabatini. It’s stunning but somewhat difficult to photograph.

As you see, traffic goes around this old city gate
so photography isn't easy - you have to dodge the cars

The nearby Palacio de Communicaciones - a
very beautiful & ornate building

Fuente de las Cibeles: This huge and beautiful fountain is located in the heart of Madrid. It shows the Greek goddess of fertility and nature, Cybele, holding a scepter and a key while being pulled in a chariot by two lions. It was built in 1782 and it’s truly magnificent.

San Jeronimo el Real Cathedral: San Jeronimo is a Catholic church dating back to the early 16^th century. It stands on the remains of a monastery that once stood beside the royal palace of Buen Retiro, of which a portion is now the Prado Museum. The church has undergone numerous restorations and is very lovely – both inside and outside.

San Jeronimo el Real

Looking inside the length of the Cathedral

A close-up of the altar area

Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza: This museum sits in a mansion built in 1806. It originally was a private collection assembled by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and then his son, Hans Heinrich. It was bought by the Spanish state in 1993. The mansion is three stories tall and filled with amazing paintings and statues. It highlights the history of Western art from primitive Flemish and Italian painters to 20^th century pop art. It’s a great place to spend an afternoon or morning.

The Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza

The Madonna & Child with Angels by Cosimo

Saint Sebastian by Bernini

Wheat Field by Renoir

Potato Eaters by Van Gogh

Plaza de Toros: The Plaza de Toros is a beautiful and ornate building which hosts bull fights every Sunday from March to October. We went to photograph the area and not to see a bull fight although we recognize its cultural significance in Madrid.

Palacio Real de Madrid: The Royal Palace of Madrid is the official residence of Spain’s royal family. However, it currently is used only for state ceremonies (when it is in use it’s closed to the public). The Royal Palace was built during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. It’s a huge and impressive building. Photography is allowed only outside the Palace and at its Grand Staircase.

This corner view shows how large the building is on the right; the
left side is an open archway with views of parks below

The actual entry into the Royal Palace

A closer view of the Royal Palace

The "Grand Staircase" inside the Royal Palace

Barrio de La Latina: This is one of Madrid’s oldest neighborhoods. While some new buildings are present, many are old, beautiful, traditional buildings. The streets are narrow and winding with side alleys leading in many directions. The area is filled with small local markets and restaurants as well as many small parks and sitting areas. It’s a great place to relax and unwind and feel like you’re in a small Spanish village rather than being in the modern city of Madrid.

A quiet tree-lined avenue

A small neighborhood park

Cobbled streets still exist

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Sunday, 18 October: We arrived in Madrid at 7:45AM – quite early – due to being re-routed to Madrid via a direct flight on Iberia. Thankfully, when we reached The Hilton Barajas at 9:00AM they were able to assign us a lovely room. We managed to stay awake despite having had only about three hours of sleep. Of course, we did have lots of coffee and/or Diet Coke at the Executive Lounge during the day. At 6:00PM we returned to the Lounge to enjoy a fantastic red wine as well as delicious tapas. At 8:00PM we were exhausted and headed back to our room.

Monday, 19 October: The day was a bit dreary with a slight drizzle of rain. That being said, we obtained an umbrella from the hotel to use for the balance of our stay. After enjoying a delicious buffet breakfast, we took the complimentary shuttle to Puerta de Alcala. We enjoyed photographing it as well as other beautiful buildings such as Palacio de Communcaciones, the Banca de Espana and the Casa de America. Then, we walked along Paseo del Prado and photographed the Fuente de la Cibeles and the fountain at Piazza de Neptune. We did walk by the Museo del Prado but did not attempt to get inside due to long lines. We stopped at the nearby San Jeronimo de Real church for photographs.

As you see, traffic goes around this old city gate
so photography isn't easy - you have to dodge the cars

The nearby Palacio de Communicaciones - a very beautiful & ornate building

Banca de Espana

Fuente de la Cibeles

Piazza de Neptune (everyone knows this guy!)

San Jeronimo de Real

The lovely interior of the Cathedral

This is a beautiful and intricate altar inside San Jeronimo

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We then visited the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo. It has an amazing collection of paintings and statues found on three floors. We focused on some of the featured art by Rodin, van Gogh, Monet, Caravaggio, Dali and Gauguin. Afterwards we walked to the closest metro and routed ourselves to the Alameda de Osuna station which is only about a 10 minute walk from The Hilton Barajas. We again enjoyed a relaxing evening at the Executive Lounge.

The Museo Thyssen - Bornemisza

The Madonna & Child with Angels by Cosimo

Saint Sebastian by Bernini

Wheat Field by Renoir

Potato Eaters by Van Gogh

Miniatures - Objects de Arte de Toledo

Neptune & Amphitrite by Ricci

House in Grey by Chagall

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Tuesday, 20 October: Today we took The Hilton’s van into town. We walked in the opposite direction on Alcala (away from Puerta de Alcala) and found the bull ring (“Plaza de Toros”). Bull fights are held every Sunday from March to October at 7:00PM. We enjoyed photographing the ornate building and some nearby statutes. We’ll have to decide if we want to watch one of these events if we’re in Madrid in the future on a Sunday. When we were done we took the “Ventas” metro – a station right at the bull ring – back to the hotel for the balance of the day.

Plaza do Toros

A sculpture outside the Plaza

A decorative wall saluting the bulls

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Wednesday, 21 October: This morning we walked to the metro and rode it directly to the “Opera” station. From there we walked to Palacio Real. We were able to take a tour of the palace but we were allowed to photograph only the exterior of the building as well as the Grand Staircase. After finishing our self-guided tour of the palace, we went to the Catedral de la Senora which is located opposite the palace. It was a very full day after we returned back via the metro and walked to The Hilton.

This corner view shows how large the building is on the right; the
left side is an open archway with views of parks below

The actual entry into the Royal Palace

A closer view of the Royal Palace

Arches protecting an outdoor walkway on the side of the Palace

The view from the walkway at the Royal Palace

The "Grand Staircase" inside the Royal Palace

Ed on the Grand Staircase

Thursday, 22 October: We rode the metro to the quaint La Latina area. There we spent time walking the neighborhood and mingling with locals with well-trained dogs. There were no tourist shops but lots of local markets and tapas restaurants. It was a very relaxing way to end our touring in Madrid for this trip.

Friday, 23 October: We spent our final day in Madrid relaxing at the beautiful Hilton Barajas. It was nice to catch up on some paperwork and then unwind for the balance of the day.