We took a train at 10 am for the 4 hour ride to Madrid. We arrived at EXE Suites Hotel at about 2:30. Great hotel - the nicest we have stayed in at 75 Euros per night. It is located near the Plaza de Espana and the Palace. We set out to explore and walked down Gran Via to Plaza de Callao, down Calle de Preciados to Puerta del Sol - this is the centre of Madrid and its hub of people. We found the Museo del Jamon (Museum of Ham) - Kate's favourite place in all of Madrid (maybe Europe). This is actaully a restaurant not a museum and we had ham and cheese and bread. We then walked up to Plaza Cibeles and down Paseo del Prado to the Prado Museum - many say that this is the greatest collection anywhere of paintings by the European Masters. Each evening from 6-8 pm admission is free (otherwise about Euros). We arrived about 4:30 and decided to have a siesta on the lawn in front of the museum and then take advantage of the free admission. We took off our shoes and socks, I took off the bottom of my shantz (pants that convert to shorts with the very convenient zipper holding on the portion of the pants below the knee to the upper portion of the pants) and we snoozed for a bit - just like all the other 20 somethings on the lawn. We awoke to find the "free" line (non-existant pre-siesta) to be snaking around the building. We quickly put on our stuff and got in line. The museum is magnificent, the paintings have painstaking detail and are brilliant. We left the Prado about 8 pm and walked back to our hotel (quite a distance). There were people everywhere - busier than we have seen in New York (even in Times Square) - it was crazy. We had an overpriced not that great dinner at a restaurant near our hotel and now we are going to bed. Tomorrow we are planning a walking tour and a to go and see the palace. There is also a massive flea market which me might try to see.
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| Museo del Jamon (Museum of Ham) |
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| Puerta del Sol |
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| Velazquez - Famous Spanish Painter |
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