Displaced Beachbums

Nobody goes to bed in Madrid till they have killed the night!” – Ernest Hemingway

We didn’t “kill the night” but did our best to see as much as we could during our way too short visit to the wonderful city of Madrid!

Traveling has always been an obsession with me. The first “vacation” I planned on my own was at the age of 13 when I saved every babysitting dollar I made to pay for a flight to Disney World to visit family friends on my own. It took me a little over a year to save enough money for the trip and I had to wear the embarrassing “unaccompanied minor” sticker on my shirt but I made it. Fast forward many years and there’s always plans for a trip simmering away and Madrid has been on the travel list for a long time. So grateful I finally got a chance to experience it for myself.

After all those years of waiting to visit Spain’s capital, my top five favorites (in no particular order) are:

1) Madrid Marathon: well-organized and great atmosphere for both the runners and the spectators. A few degrees warmer would have been nice…

2) Chance to Practice my remedial  Spanish: I love being able to practice my Spanish with locals ~ especially those patient enough to endure the butchering of their language. The look in my daughter’s eyes when she sees me speaking Spanish is one of such respect ~ I can tell it gives her confidence to converse too. We both want to get much better at speaking Spanish so we’re looking into another trip to Spain so we can take Spanish immersion classes.

3) El Parque del Buen Retiro: my previous post said it all. This is a fabulous place to take a picnic, in-line skates and spend the day!

4) Museo del Prado: The Prado which is listed as one of the oldest and best art museum in the world. I have to agree.  Even though we were limited on time, we carved out a few hours to enjoy a stroll though some of the galleries to view beautiful and thought-provoking paintings. I used a Spanish audio guide so my understanding of some of the paintings might be suspect. Photography is not allowed. Backpacks must go through a security screening and left at the cloakroom. For more information, click here.

5) All the beautiful Plazas in Central Madrid: Plaza de la Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and Plaza de Santa Ana are my particular favorites. Would have loved to sit out at a café but the chilly weather prohibited any outdoor seating.

Recap in photos:

Iglesia de San Jerónimo , across from The Prado, Madrid

Wedding in the beautiful Iglesia de San Jerónimo

Palacio de Comunicaciones (Currently City Hall Offices) at Plaza de Cibeles

Fernando Arch Fernando VII, Madrid

Dark clouds over Madrid

Fernando Arch Fernando VII, Madrid

Cherub Fountain in Madrid

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Another Beautiful statue in Madrid

Cellar seating at Botin Restaurant, Madrid ~ considered the oldest restaurant in the world

No Dogs Allowed ~ except this fuzz-ball (on left)

Murals in Madrid