Spain, Day Two

Friday, May 21st, was our second day in Madrid.  Mom and I decided that the best way to discover what Madrid had to offer was to take a ride on the Madrid Vision.  This is a double decker bus that stops all over the city and takes tourists to all the different sights along two different routes.  It was such a great investment because not only was the city large and there was so much to see but the weather was hot and really humid.  We got a two-day pass and boarded the bus at 9 am to see the city.

The first stop we decided to get off at was at the Palacio Real.  This is the former home of Spain's Bourbon rulers and has more rooms than any other palace in Europe.  We ended up taking the guided tour of the palace but there is a strict no pictures policy so we only have pictures of the outside.  The palace was amazing and so beautiful.  Each and every room we saw was a different theme/color and had a different purpose.  The palace is still used today by the Spanish government to hold ceremonies and government meetings.

The outside of the Palacio Real

The inside courtyard of the palace

Right across from the palace is the Catedral de la Almudena.  This is a georgeous cathedral that was completed in the 1980s and opened in 1993.  We were able to take pictures inside and I think mom wanted to stay there all day.  She loves old churches.

The view of the side of the Cathedral from the palace.  The cathedral was undergoing some construction but visitors were still allowed to tour the church.

The inside of the cathedral was so beautiful.

The stained glass windows and the alter were breathtaking.  I love this picture.

After a long day of touring the palace and the cathedral and walking around the city we decided to try out some authentic Spanish food for dinner.  We sought out a tapas bar to see if we would like the food as much as everyone else seemed to.  I was really unsure of tapas because I don't like fish (neither does mom) and I'm really hesitant to step out of my comfort zone.  We found a restaurant on a side street that looked good and we ordered some tapas.

Mom and I toasting with sangria.  I came to learn in Madrid that sangria was a good thing. 

Our appetizer.  Bread, cold ham and cheese.  Very greasy but not too bad.

Our main course.  An omelette, a sampler dish of a croquette, tripe, beef, and cod.  I ate most of it but the tripe just about made me throw up.  At least I tried everything.

And there was dessert, of course.  It was very good. 

Day two was a lot of walking and sightseeing.  I was very tired still from the long day of traveling the day before and the hot sun didn't help much.  Mom and I walked around the city for a while longer after dinner and then called it an early night.