Today I set out early in the morning for a day of touristy sightseeing. It was great!
First I stopped by a little chocolatería that specialized in Valor brand chocolate (a Spanish standard) for a breakfast of churros con chocolate. Thick molten chocolate, deep fried dough, and a fresh copy of the daily paper El País. What could be better?
Then I set out for a walk through town on my way to a 400 year old monastery that still has cloistered nuns living there, completely cut off from the outside world. The guided tour was pretty cool and culminated in the relic room, which featured box after box of bones, complete with skulls, fingers, and vials of blood. We walked through the chapel on our way out. It still has mass three times daily, open to the public. We got to see the secret chamber off to the side of the altar where the nuns attend mass (they can't mix with or see the public during mass). Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take pictures. I quietly asked the tour guide if we were allowed to and she answered me loudly that NO, pictures are NOT allowed! Yikes.
Then I went for a brief stroll through the Royal Gardens surrounding the Royal Palace. I didn't enter the palace, because I remember a horrifically boring tour I barely survived many years ago. Another room of tapestries? Sure! Then another room of them after that? Great! Once was enough. :)
After the gardens and snapping pictures of the palace, I entered Madrid's cathedral. For a country with such a profound Catholic history, the cathedral of Madrid is surprisingly understated. In a country in which every city has its own ancient cathedral, Madrid's was just finished in 1992! It has modern touches throughout and is very nice inside. The absolute best part of my visit was the climb to the cúpula, or central dome. From the viewing deck of the dome I got a great view of all of Madrid, and the mountains in the distance reminded me that Madrid is actually the highest capital city in all of Europe! Easy to forget in the summer heat of downtown.
Banners hanging in front of cathedral entrance - the Pope's comin' to Madrid in August whoop whoop!
Inside the cathedral:
The base of the dome from inside the cathedral:
Get ready to start climbin some stairs!
The view from the top! First a video, then pictures. :)
The Royal Palace and the Cathedral face each other. Part of the courtyard was closed for construction, as you can see.
After the descent from the dome, I found the Arab Wall, the last remaining fragment of the protective wall built when the Moors still controlled most of Spain and Madrid was called Maj'rit.
I crossed back through town and took a walk down the Paseo del Prado, a nice park-like area between a major road by the same name. Lots of federal government offices and company headquarters line this street, which makes for some pretty cool architecture. The famous Prado art museum is on this street, and the street ends at the Atocha rail station. I took a break for another calamari sandwich at a famous bar/restaurant called El Brillante, and briefly walked through the station. Its old section has been converted into a tropical garden, which is pretty nifty.
The Atocha station:
At this point it was HOT and I was tired, so I headed back to the apartment for a siesta.... and abandoned my plans for the rest of the day. I was going to go back to visit the Prado museum during its free evening hours, but was not feeling any more tourism for the day. So I am currently in my local bar/café, sipping a coffee, reading the paper, and putting this blog together, then heading up to a sightseeing-induced coma! Here's a pic of the bar:
¡HASTA MAÑANA!
