Today we started the day with a leisurely stroll through the nicer parts of Madrid. There was certainly a time when Spain was a wealthy nation which is depicted in the magnificent architecture. I tried on a top in a sportswear store, only to leave my camera in the changing room, and then Michael and I having to make a mad dash back to the store and up the escalators to the changing room. Fortunately it was waiting there to be re-homed to me so no drama!
We found by accident a lovely building which was essentially a covered in upmarket food stall. Trish managed to buy herself something to eat for breakfast as earlier her order for breakfast had been a dud. Michael was in his element deciding which tart looked the best option (I mean the ones you eat).
As we wandered to the Grand Palace it was getting hotter and hotter. The guy selling fans to the queue waiting to get into the Palace grounds managed to deplete Grant of a few euros and they bought a fan each. As Grant said, he is comfortable in his own skin.
This palace is aptly named as indeed it is very grand, and reflects a period of former glory in Spanish history. Unfortunately the number of tour groups going through the Palace was a bit much.
We had been given a recommendation for a nice restaurant from the receptionist at the hotel. We found it with the guidance of Google map, and set ourselves up for the next couple of hours. We were outside in a plaza, under shade, with a lovely cooling mist emanating from the umbrella framework. Because we are in Spain we felt it was obligatory to order sangria, which only comes in a large jug. Michael, Grant and I managed to polish that off without any difficulty with Trish sticking to her trusty Chardonnay.
Feeling a tad intoxicated we finished lunch at 3.30 (we are on Spanish time now) and headed to the Prado Musuem, which was one of the things to do on Grants bucket list while in Madrid. The Musuem is massive and we restricted ourselves to looking at the Spanish painters (while in Spain etc....). Some of it was very good, and some of it was probably good art work but not appreciated by me.
Behind the museum is the botanical garden and this had also been recommended because it has a very good collection of bonsai's, which is something that I enjoy. The garden had been established by King Charles III in 1781, and contains areas of medicinal plants, and edible plants, in addition to the bonsai's. Fortunately, we found the bonsai collection relatively quickly, as by now the temperature was hovering around 31 degrees and it was much better to be in the shade than the sun.
On our short stroll back to our hotel we happened to pass the garden entrance to the Ritz Hotel, so we popped in there and were duely welcomed by the Ritz staff. We order a drink each (I have to add that I was the only one to have a non-alcoholic drink) and enjoyed the ambience of the hotel, with the pianist playing on the balcony.
After a short siesta we had a planning meeting (in the hotel bar - where else!) at 7.45 pm around organising car rentals, and flights to Italy on the 25th. We headed off to dinner at 9 pm, feeling like we were now on "Spanish time".
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