Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Day 14 – Fri 6 Apr 07 (Good Friday)
Woke up 5+am. Drove to Sevilla to catch 8.30 am train to the Capital of Spain. Arrived at Santa Justa train station just in time, avoiding the Good Friday morning Semana Santa crowd. Returned the car at Hertz Car Rental at the train station.
Took the AVE train and arrived at Estacion de Atocha, Madrid's Central Train Station at 11 am. Walked to Westin Hotel Palace and after we have checked in,
went for lunch at Museo de Jambon. Terrible lunch and service, but reasonably priced.
Walked around old Madrid and discovered that Madrid has lovely fountains almost wherever you turn. The street signs hung on buildings are made of ceramic tiles and hand-painted with pictures that represent the street name.
Itinerary for the day, walking distance:
Plaza Mayor - visited Plaza Mayor a huge cobbled square built in the 17th century
Catedral de la Almudena - a relatively new Cathedral completed in 1993 after a century
Palacio Real - a Royal Palace next to the Cathedral.
It began to pour and we had to take cover for some time in the surrounding buildings!
Plaza de Orient - a monument
Monasterio de las descalzas Reales - a convent
Gran Via - main artery of the city
After walking around Old Madrid, it was back to our hotel to meet the Gaws for dinner.
Had delicious tapas and sangría at one of the tabernas (taverns) near Puerta del Sol. Sangría is a blend of red wine and lemonade with pieces of freshly chopped fruit, a popular cocktail in Spain. Dinner was cheap and good in a Alhambra theme taberna. Madrid offers the best eating in Spain and a tapa-crawler's paradise. It is also the most vibrant city for nightlife.
Took the AVE train and arrived at Estacion de Atocha, Madrid's Central Train Station at 11 am. Walked to Westin Hotel Palace and after we have checked in,
went for lunch at Museo de Jambon. Terrible lunch and service, but reasonably priced.Walked around old Madrid and discovered that Madrid has lovely fountains almost wherever you turn. The street signs hung on buildings are made of ceramic tiles and hand-painted with pictures that represent the street name.
Itinerary for the day, walking distance:
Plaza Mayor - visited Plaza Mayor a huge cobbled square built in the 17th century
Catedral de la Almudena - a relatively new Cathedral completed in 1993 after a century
Palacio Real - a Royal Palace next to the Cathedral.
It began to pour and we had to take cover for some time in the surrounding buildings!
Plaza de Orient - a monument
Monasterio de las descalzas Reales - a convent
Gran Via - main artery of the city
After walking around Old Madrid, it was back to our hotel to meet the Gaws for dinner.
Had delicious tapas and sangría at one of the tabernas (taverns) near Puerta del Sol. Sangría is a blend of red wine and lemonade with pieces of freshly chopped fruit, a popular cocktail in Spain. Dinner was cheap and good in a Alhambra theme taberna. Madrid offers the best eating in Spain and a tapa-crawler's paradise. It is also the most vibrant city for nightlife.
Penseur 11:24 PM