We headed first to the Royal Palace. With 3000 rooms, it is reputedly the largest palace in Europe. It was built by the Bourbon kings of Spain in the 1700s, and imitates the lavish style of Versailles, the home of their French relatives. The present Royal Family now lives in a smaller residence on the outskirts of the city, and the palace (or at least a few dozen rooms) are open to the public. When I last visited the palace, I was disappointed because photography was no longer permitted inside. This time, at least they permitted photos along the grand staircase leading up to the royal apartments. So I can give you a small taste of the sumptuous decoration of the interior.
Ruth and Doris posed with me in front of sculptures of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand (who reigned long before this palace was built).
From the Royal Palace it was a fairly short walk to one of Madrid's more curious attractions, the Temple of Debod. This structure is a genuine Egyptian temple that was built in the 2nd century B.C. In 1968 it was dismantled, shipped to Spain and reassembled in Madrid as a token of gratitude for Spain's assistance in saving the ancient monuments which would have been submerged beneath the waters of Lake Nasser after the construction of the Aswan Dam.
Nearby is the Plaza de España with an imposing monument in honor of Miguel Cervantes, the greatest Spanish writer, and the author of the novel "Don Quixote".
Of course, we had to do the typical tourist thing, and pose by the statues of Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza.
After lunch we continued with a stroll through the Retiro Park, one of the city's loveliest green spaces. During our exploration of the park, we were caught a couple times by light rain showers.
We decided it was time to return to our hotel. After all, we had to get ready for a birthday party in the evening!!
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