Back home, but first . . .

Well, today is the day we return home from Madrid but first we want to see more of the city including, hopefully, the Palace. So we head down for our breakfast and then pack up to leave the room and checkout. The Hotel offered a checked bag service so they watched our luggage while we did our last bit of exploration. We had a little less than 2 hours and so we headed off to the Palace. However I couldn't help but photograph along the way.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

Did you know that there is a whole tour developed around seeing the statuary along Madrid's skyline?

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

When we reached the Palace there was quite a queue and so we opted to not go in . . since we would have never made it through in time.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

We took some pictures of the outside and then of the nearby park. As we decided to start walking back toward the hotel David noted people leaning over a railing and so curiosity took the best of us and we had a look. Ah, the queue wasn't for getting into the Palace, per se it was for seeing the various units in dress parade.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

And they did more than just parade into the grounds. They also did a display of sorts. Although I couldn't get pictures of the best of the action because of the crush of people trying to see through the gate (Palace is closed during these festivities unless you are a VIP), I was able to get some really nice photos here and there.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

After the fervor died down, we headed over to the Cathedral to see how Spanish Cathedrals differed from English Cathedrals. Well, they still have the overly large door.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

But inside we were thrilled to see the beauty.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

Reluctantly we agreed that it was time to head back toward the hotel and see about getting a quick bite before our shuttle to the airport. So we headed to Burger King (BK) where David could enjoy the pleasure of ordering by number.

We arrived back at the hotel with plenty of time before the shuttle and so we just chilled in the lobby (after picking up our bags). Traffic evidently had become difficult and so the shuttle was delayed. . .and then cancelled . . but the hotel staff once again came to the rescue and ordered us up a taxi to make sure we got to the airport on time.

If you are interested in seeing all the pictures I took in Madrid, use the following slideshow.

The full day in Madrid

The first full day, David and I headed down to the restaurant to make use of the breakfast and then David headed off to work and I headed out to see the local architecture. I'll admit that I didn't wander too far off the street that the hotel was situated on. The crush of people and the beauty of the buildings around me kept me more than occupied though.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

Having wandered quite a bit up and down the main strip I decided it was definitely time for lunch and so I headed back to the hotel briefly before heading over to the KFC. Once again, brilliant, the Chicken Burger was written in English and if that failed I could remember that I wanted "Numero Uno". Problemo . . she started asking me questions. Thankfully she was patient with me and we used a little bit of hand gestures to get the "tostatos" or potatoes and the size of the drink figured out and I sat down to a tasty lunch. Unfortunately the KFC in Spain doesn't offer biscuits either . . what a shame. After lunch I headed back to the hotel for a rest and to await David's return from his meeting.

Once David returned, he rested a bit and then we headed out to see what else we could see. As we came upon a TGI Friday's we decided we were hungry enough for an appetiser and so in we went.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

Once inside, however we decided we were hungry enough to eat dinner and so David partook of the steak and I partook of the chicken and steak fajitas. Hunger satisfied we headed out again to see what we could see.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

The Christmas lights were once again illuminated which made the place even more magical. Despite the hustle and bustle of the city, they have lots of parks with fountains and/or statuary which provide these bits of calm.

As we walked we ran across a "Taste of Home" in that there was a restaurant called The Iowa claiming to sell Iowan dishes. I'll admit the menu did not look appetising in the least but we found the concept comical.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

We wandered as far as the Palace to check on the opening times for the gate so that we could come back Wednesday before our flight.

2 Days in Madrid, Spain

Have I mentioned how lucky I am yet? Well, I am. I have a wonderful, loving husband who wants to turn me into a world traveller and I'm relishing the new experiences. So he had to go to Madrid for a meeting and invited me to tag along. Wow!!! Let me say it again, Wow!! What and experience!!

So we rose early and the three of us piled in the car to head to the airport. Mom was going to catch her morning flight back to the US and David and I were going to stick around until our flight to Spain in the afternoon. The time passed quickly and before we knew it it was time to board and a short time later we were landed in Madrid.

First of all, yeah for a European Country that drive on the right side of the road with their drivers on the left side of the car (as we do in America). It was slightly comforting. However, only slightly as I noted the cab driver (and all the drivers around him) press what I would consider the limits for tailgating and pushing yourself in to merge. The lightening reflexes of all the drivers amazed me!

Second . . what a spectacularly diverse city. We saw some buildings with "old world feel" and some modern skyscrapers. And the city seemed to stretch for such a long way. This photo was taken from the Copula of our Hotel and as you can see the city stretches for MILES.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

Third, the Hotel Atlantico was fantastic. It is in the center of Downtown and so you are quick walking distance to just about any shopping or walking about you may want to do. Which worked out well especially for me since I was going to be doing some walking about while David was at work. The rooms were fabulous as well.

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

And the staff was great!

Now, on the downside . . . My Spanish is TERRIBLE. I took Spanish in the 9th grade and really wanted to take French, which I took the two following years, and so I don't remember one lick of Spanish. Thankfully, there were the local KFC and BK where I could order by number and pointing at the picture. I did make an attempt while I was there to listen around me and see if I could pick up or remember ANYTHING of my Spanish and had very little luck. I wonder, does English sound that fast to people who can't speak it, I suppose so. The Spanish I heard was beautiful though and I found myself regretting not having paid more attention to my lessons in High School, not just from a communication standpoint but from an enjoyment of the language standpoint.

So anyway, that first night we headed up to the hotel bar to meet some of David's co-workers and have dinner. I was amazed to discover, that Madrid doesn't really come alive at night until 8 pm. Matter of fact, most restaurants don't open before then either. So we hung around for a bit until it was time to start walking to the restaurant. We followed Collen blindly (since he was the only one who knew where this place was) and enjoyed seeing the Christmas Decorations of Downtown Madrid. We arrived at La Casa Argentina (I hope that is correct) for a fabulous meal. I opted for the goat's cheese ravioli which was superb. After dinner we parted ways so that David and I could take in some more architecture (and take some pictures).

From 2008-1201 Madrid Spain

Spectacular and tomorrow I would have most of the day and some sunlight to see more.