After a delicious breakfast of churros and tostada con jamon y queso, R. and I walked along C. Gran Via, headed for Plaza Mayor. The square was completed in 1620 for King Felipe III, and in the 17th century nobles on horseback spent Sunday afternoons chasing bulls in the plaza, while citizens joined on foot! Today, the plaza is filled with tourists and buskers.
We then stumbled across the Mercado de San Miguel, a tastebud-tantalizing indoor gourmet food market, selling everything from jamon iberico and stuffed olives to fresh oysters and paella. We could have spent plenty of time and plenty of money tasting our way around the market, but reason pervailed and we wondered off in search of the Palacio Real.
Today, the Palacio Real, or Royal Palace, is only used by the royal couple on offical occasions. It was commissioned by Felipe V, to replace the Alcazar, which burned down in 1734, and was intended to be a palace that would dwarf all others! It was in fact built according to rejected designs for the Lourve.
Before heading back to the hotel for our mandatory siesta, we visited the Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena Cathedral, which houses the Almudena Virgin, the patroness of Madrid. Her history dates back to 1085 when King Alfonso VI found an image of the Virgin inside the city wall of Madrid.
No comments:
Post a Comment