"Madrid overwhelmingly beautiful" Madrid by Korin79380083

This Spring, to take a break from the norm i.e. Carnival in Nadur, (Gozo, Malta) we decided to take a few days’ break in Madrid. In Madrid there is lots to see and do, however, we found out that they have a very reliable and easy-to-follow Underground System. We bought a 3 day ticket and were able to go everywhere with it. We purposely chose a hotel which was slightly out of the centre, so it worked out to be cheaper, but which was right next to a Subway Station.
The buildings, palaces and museums in Madrid are all majestically enormous so be prepared to walk as one block here is big and distances are far greater than in Malta. First visit was to the Plaza del Sol which is the centre of Madrid. Here one finds El Oso y Madrono which is the symbol of Madrid – The Bear and The Strawberry Tree. A few paces away from there you come to the very centre of Madrid – El Kilmetro Cero – which mean 0 Kilometres and is bang in the centre.
Walk up the shop-lined street up to the Plaza Mayor on the left hand side of the road. Here tables and chairs are set outside cafes and artists and other entertainers and musicians embellish the square. It has a very Spanish atmosphere. When in Spain, try the Paella. This is rice with everything imaginable from prawns to pork and chicken and veg etc. – delicious!

La Puerta de Toledo

Next day is Sunday and Sunday is market day in Madrid. So after a visit to Bernabeu Stadium, we headed for La Puerta de Toledo which is a landmark in Madrid.This free-standing gate is 19 metres high and is comprised of three archways. The central arch is the tallest. It has a rounded semicircular arch and was the main gateway on the road towards the city of Toledo in past centuries. It is flanked by two smaller square lintelled gateways that have ornamental columns on either side.
After that we head for the market called El Rastro which is very close to La Puerta de Toledo. El Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Madrid (Spain). It is held every Sunday and public holiday during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and the Ronda de Toledo (just south of La Latina metro station). A great variety of products (new and used) can be found at el Rastro. A number of antique shops in the local area are also open on Sunday.
After an exhausting 4 hours at the market we took the Underground to the Prado. The Museo del Prado is a museum and art gallery located in Madrid. It features one of the world's finest collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture, it also contains important collections of other types of works. A new, recently opened wing enlarged the display area by about 400 paintings, and it is currently used mainly for temporary expositions. El Prado is one of the most visited sites in the world, and it is considered to be among the greatest museums of art. The principal attraction takes root in the wide presence of Velázquez, Francisco de Goya (the artist more extensively represented in the collection), Titian, Rubens and Bosch, of that it possesses the best collections that exist on a global scale. Back to our hotel for dinner and an early night after walking for miles and miles around the market and round the enormous and interesting works of art at the Prado.

El Parco del Ritiro

Next day, we decide to take thing easier as it is our last day in Madrid so we take a visit to El Parco del Retiro. This is a park in Madrid which covers 118 hectares and is one of the main attractions of the Spanish capital. The gardens, as well as the Royal Palace of Happy Retreat, was designed and built in the decade from 1630 to 1640 , when the Count-Duke of Olivares ( Gaspar de Guzmán y Pimentel ), donated to King Philip IV had some land to create a space for the idleness of the court, near the Monastery de los Jerónimos . The park was the original area of 145 hectares and the location was close to the urban center of Madrid . It is a lovely park full of monuments, fountains, the Crystal Palace and a lake. As the name implies, it is the perfect place to relax with the boats on the lake and the tree-lined avenues and the fabulous momuments.

• Pros:The Weather - the underground system - the monuments and buildings
• Cons:Food is rather expensive inthe centre
• In a nutshell:Madrid - overwhelmingly beautiful