The Royal Palace and more

Today Phyllis and I began our sightseeing in earnest.  After breakfast we passed through the Puerta del Sol (Gate of the Sun), the plaza which for years has been the heart of Madrid,

Two landmarks on the Puerta del Sol... the monument to King Carlos III, and an advertising for Tío Pepe sherry which has graced the plaza for decades.  Recently the building with the Tío Pepe sign was purchased by Apple.  When the company removed the beloved sign it stirred up a controversy.  Tío Pepe was put on top of a different building facing the plaza.  Actually, I think I prefer the sign's new location since now a photographer can capture two of the Puerta del Sol's iconic images in one photo.

 

 Another landmark of the Puerta del Sol is the old post office building with its clock tower.  On New Year's Eve, crowds gather here in a manner similar to New York's Times Square.  As the clock strikes twelve midnight, it is traditional to eat twelve grapes to insure good luck in the new year.

From the Puerta del Sol, we continued on through the old city.  We admired the beautiful architecture of the buildings, and the tiled street signs  which adorn the street corners.

On the western edge of the old city is the Royal Palace.  It stands on the site of the Alcázar, the old fortress that had once served as the royal residence.  In 1734 on Christmas Eve, the old Alcázar burned down.  King Felipe V ordered the construction of a new palace more in the style of his Bourbon cousins in France.  The new palace contains more than 3000 rooms, and is the largest in Europe.  It is still the official residence of the royal family, but King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía actually reside in a smaller palace on the outskirts of the city.  The Royal Palace is used only for state ceremonial occasions, and most of the time a couple dozen of the ornate rooms are open to the public.

Unfortunately, photography is no longer permitted within the Palace, but here are a few images of the interior that I found on the web...

One of the most ornate rooms is the Gasparini Room, which served as the dressing room of King Carlos III.

It is lavishly adorned in the Chinese style that was popular in the eighteenth century.

The state dining room

The Throne Room

I asked Phyllis, who has been to France, which palace is better... Versailles or the Royal Palace in Madrid.  She did not really commit herself, but she indicated that Versailles was so crowded with tourists that it was easier to appreciate the splendor of the palace in Madrid.