Tag Archives: Madrid

Spain

A walk in the park in Madrid

I decided to take an early morning walk from my hotel to one of the biggest parks in Madrid called “Parque del Buen Retiro”. I started out walking along some of the back streets of Madrid towards the park. It was a fairly quiet walk and I was able to enjoy the serenity of being fairy alone in this large city of 3 million people. What was enjoyable was seeing things at a slower pace and noticing the beauty of the city. I walked along a quiet street and noticed some inlaid writing on the road. Normally the street would be too busy to read it.

Writing on the road in Madrid

It translates as “The Beauty” “What it is we do not know what for now with certainty mathematics, maybe we never know; but that beauty is something, that exists, that pulsates in nature, and that, just as the wave that reaches the beach breaks into foam ..  speech of entrance in the real Spanish academy” -José Eche garay

I came across some unique bronze statues or city workers that appeared to be randomly placed in areas of the city.

A statue of a street sweeper in Bronze in Madrid
A bronze statue of a worker who would light the street lamps in Madrid

I arrived early at the Parque del Buen Retiro which literally means – park of the pleasant retreat. The gate that I entered into the park was stunning and was very welcoming.

One of the gates to the Parque del Buen Retiro in Madrid

The park itself has some very beautiful vistas and paths. I began to walk the paths with no set direction in mind. I was simply enjoying the tranquility and beauty of the park.

Each path would join other paths that could lead you in many directions. I walked along some of the secluded areas of the park admiring the beauty of the trees.

I eventually found my way to an area called the Crystal Palace. The palace was constructed of ornate glass and was visually stunning to see.

Crystal Palace in Madrid
A section of the crystal palace in Buen Retiro park in Madrid

The palace which was built-in 1887 to exhibit flora and fauna.

Section of the Crystal Place in Madrid

The palace was almost completely made with glass and was an impressive building. I walked around the building and came across a pond at the front of the Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace in the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid

I walked around for approximately three hours enjoying the sights and sounds of the park. There were people gathering in the park as the day progressed. I could see people jogging, kids playing, couples holding hands and people on tour bikes.

People enjoying the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid

There were some interesting groups in the park as well. One group was doing synchronized moves using Spanish hand fans called “Abanico”

Another group was playing music for money as people walked by.

Musicians playing music in the park for donations.

The Buen Retiro Park is a beautiful and a large nature area in the heart of Madrid.

Below are some of the pictures that I took of the Buen Retiro Park.

It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day. I recommend to anyone who goes to Madrid to take a relaxing day and walk through the park.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

A visit to Madrid

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We decided to take the train and spend a few days in Madrid. It is very convenient having the high-speed train system in Alicante. We headed to the train station and boarded our train. It only took us about 20 minutes in total to get to the station and board the train.

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Shelley, Louise and Brad on the High-speed train to Madrid

The train ride took two and a half hours to arrive at the main train station in Madrid. The Atocha Train Station is the largest and oldest station in Madrid.

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Train track area of Atocha Train Station
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Outside view of the Atocha train station in Madrid

Once we arrived at Madrid it was a short walk to the hotel. We dropped off our luggage and headed to the “Hop On Hop Off” bus. We took the “Hop on Hop Off”  bus which gave us a great tour of the city.

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Hop On Hop Off Bus in Madrid

We managed to see a lot of the popular sites along the way. It was a nice way to travel and get a feel for the city. Below are a few of the sites we saw while traveling on the Hop On Hop Off bus.

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The bus took us to the modern section of Madrid and we enjoyed seeing some of the newer building.

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Madrid football stadium

After we toured the city by bus, we headed off on foot to explore the city. We came across some very interesting locations, including this one which is a building that has real grass, flowers and plants growing on the outside wall of the building.

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Building with grass, flowers and plants growing on the outside wall.

The City of Madrid is beautiful and has lots of history. We enjoyed walking the city and taking in all the sites and sounds. Over the course of the two days, we were in Madrid we walked over 35 kilometers. It was a full two days but a very enjoyable time.

 

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Mercado de san miguel

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On Sunday went to the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid with friends to check it out. The Market is a very popular and lively place where the locals come to eat and socialize. The market which has been established for over 100 years is set in a unique old structure.

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San Miguel Market Madrid

The market was very busy and there were people wandering around the market eating and looking at the products.

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Inside the San Miguel Market

We walked around checking out each market stall. There were amazing fruits, fish, vegetables and assorted other unique items.

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People walking through the market

There was an olive stall selling every imaginable type of olive. They even had olives made into small sandwiches with sardines and other meats.

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Olives and assorted olive sandwiches

We decided to buy a few different olives and try them. We had an assortment of olives, with sardines, cheeses, garlic and in different brines. They were extremely tasty and went very well with the beverages.

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Shelley, Louise, and Ray having a drink and olives at the market

After having a few snacks of olives we walked around and checked out the other stalls. There was a stall with homemade potato chips which looked very appealing. Brad decided to buy some and try them out. It was all very tasty and fresh.

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stall of homemade chips, sweets, and assorted deserts
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Bard with homemade potato chips

We walked through the market for almost an hour enjoying the sights, smells, and sounds of the market. Below are just a few of the neat things we saw.

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fruit drinks and smoothies of all kinds.
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sweet treats of very kind imaginable
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bags of mini sausages, bacon, and ham
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homemade peanut brittle and peanuts candies

There were several stalls with fish and seafood in the market. One display of seafood contained fish on ice that you could buy. It drew our attention because there was a huge fish on display.

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Huge fish on display at the market
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Fish at the market
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Big fish on ice at the market
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Assorted fish on display at market

The market was very impressive and unique. It was not just a market but also a restaurant for people to sit and enjoy the food. We enjoyed ourselves at the market.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”