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| The Gran Via of Madrid |
10/21 On this dark and
rainy morning in Madrid, we dressed up as cute as we could and headed out into
the city, umbrellas in hand. After stopping for donuts Julia, Liz and I decided today would
be the perfect day for some sightseeing- from the dry interior of a tour bus-
and we were right. We bought a daily" unlimited use" ticket for the iconic “hop
on hop off” double-decker red city tour buses that are now ubiquitous across Europe. It was a bit pricey (about 18 euros I believe), but it proved to be
worth it. It can act as transportation across the city, you can do different
circuits at your leisure, and you also have the chance to use the audio
headsets to learn historic information if you want. With the rain coming down
hard, we did Ruta 1 and Ruta 2 without leaving the bus, and were able to see
all of the historic landmarks and buildings of Madrid in a relatively short span of time. It was a very efficient way to see it all and get a good feel for the city. We drove past Plaza
Cibeles, the famous art museums, many statues and fountains, Plaza Neptuno, The Bernabeu stadium, and more. We sat
on the top of the bus which had a rain cover, and while we couldn't take very good photos we still enjoyed the chance to sit back, relax, and see the sights
with our own eyes.
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| One of the main plazas- I forget which :( |
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| Next to the famous Oso Statue |
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| Plaza Mayor de Madrid |
We
hopped off the bus at the Puerta del Sol (which today felt like a cruelly ironic name) where
the big protest happened last week. While walking around the plaza I saw a bear statue and thought it was cute
(plus it’s what John and I call each other as our couple name), so I took a
photo with it. I had no idea that it is a famous symbol and icon of the city of
Madrid, but now I’m glad I posed next to it! We then walked from there over to
the famous Plaza Mayor. We took several photos there (with umbrellas in hand)
and did some souvenir shopping too. We took a break for lunch, and then got back
on the red city bus. This route took us to the other side of the city where we
got off again to see the Royal Palace (Palacio Real). The rain picked up harder
and so while it was a beautiful building, we were grumpy and getting wet and so
peeked through the gates, took a photo or two, and got back on the bus. This
time we headed to the world famous Prado Museum (Museo del Prado). On Sundays admission to the
museum is free, so we took advantage of that! We had to wait in a gigantic line
wrapping around the whole building, in the cold and rain, but once we were
inside it was worth it. It is a massive museum (although still smaller than the
Louvre I believe), and we spent several hours walking around and trying to see
as much as we could. I personally was excited to see all of the work from Spanish
artists like El Greco, Velázquez, and Goya. Seeing Rembrandt and Monet was just
a bonus! The building was designed in 1785, so it is not only beautiful, but historical too. I am so happy that we went because the last time
I was in Madrid I didn’t make it to the Prado, and it is definitely a must-see
for any art or history lover.
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| Rain outside El Palacio Real |
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| The long line for the Museo Prado |
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| A contraband photo taken inside the Prado |
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| Julia posing outside of the Prado Museum! |
Exhausted
from all the walking we headed back to our sketchy hostel, and did as the
Spaniards do – napped! We had a nice two-hour siesta, and then walked across
the street to the giant McDonalds so we could use the WiFi and get icecream. The inner Americans in us just can't help it! Later that night back at the hostel our Italian neighbors were being extra
crazy, and I recall being afraid to shower because the tub was flooding, cold,
and gross. What a high class establishment!
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| Liz and I on the tour bus! |
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