A two hour Renfe train ride brought us to Madrid, the capital of Spain. Upon exiting our metro stop we came across this statue.
The statue weighs about 20 tons and is the symbol of Madrid. Not sure what the significance is of a bear eating fruit off of a strawberry like tree, if anyone can offer any insight that would be greatly appreciated!
Madrid offered another NYC type vibe. Very crowded, loud, and our walk along the Gran Via was much like walking along Times Square. Ryan and I noticed some scantily clad "ladies"- "ladies of the evening" h
anging out in this area.
(no, Ryan was not harassed. Nor did he make any propositions.)
Onto a different topic~
Interested in art?
We went to three art museums while in Madrid. Museo Nacional del Prado, containing works by Goya, El Greco and Rembrandt, among others. Museo Thyssen- Bornemisza and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. Picasso's Guernica is on display at Reina Sofia. Guernica was a small village chosen for bombing practice by Hitler's army. The town was bombed for three hours and left 1600 civilians dead or severely wounded.
The Palacio Real underwent construction from 1738 to 1755 after the previous royal palace was destroyed by fire. The current King and Queen do not reside in the palace. With 2800 rooms I hope their decision was not due to a lack of space!
We continued to walk around the city. Ryan and I agreed a stop for Chocolate con Churros (thick hot chocolate with thin slices of fried dough) would be a nice treat. This "treat" had become a daily occurrence during our stay.
The Royal Palace: Day and Night
After a whirlwind two days in Madrid it was time to say goodbye to Spain. It was eerily quiet at 8 am when we left our hostel for the airport. Would I return?- YES! (but that is how I have felt about every country I have visited. So far.)
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