This is going to be a kind of lazy day. Maybe too much wine last night. Ha. After breakfast, we walked down to the Palacio Real Madrid (the Royal Palace)
The Palacio Real or Royal Palace is the largest and certainly one of the most impressive palaces in Europe. It has more than two thousand luxuriously decorated rooms, fifty of which can be visited.
Soon after the Royal Fortress burned down on Christmas Eve of 1734, King Philips V wanted to replace the fortress by a palace, this time built from limestone and granite to make it fireproof. It was to be modeled loosely on the Versailles Palace near Paris, where Philips V had spent part of his youth.
Statue of Philips IV
Construction of the new palace started in 1738 based on a design by the Italian architect Juan Bautista Sachetti. Twenty-six years and three kings later, the huge palace was completed. It would take another one hundred years before all the rooms were decorated.
King Carlos III, son of King Philips V moved into the new palace in 1764. The Palacio Real would be the main residence of the Spanish kings until 1931, when king Alfonso XIII went into exile
King Carlos III, son of King Philips V moved into the new palace in 1764. The Palacio Real would be the main residence of the Spanish kings until 1931, when king Alfonso XIII went into exile after republicans had won the elections and demanded him to step down.
Today the royal family lives in the small Zarzuela Palace, a former hunting lodge outside Madrid. The Royal Palace is still used for official ceremonies and receptions.
Plaza Oriente in front of the Palace
The gardens
A couple of images I found on the internet to show the decoration of the rooms
Throne Room
The Gasparini Suite, named after its creator is overwhelming
Gala Dining Room
The Mirror Room
King Phiips
Terry practicing with her selfie stick. Way to close for old people. Ha
From here we caught a cab to Parque de el Retiro
The Buen Retiro Park (park of the pleasant retreat) is a 350 acre park at the edge of city center. It belonged to the Spanish Monarchy until it was opened to the public by decree of the First Spanish Republic in 1868.
The park was born in 1630-1640 when Gaspar de Guzman, Count-Duke of Olivares gave King Philip IV several tracts of land in the vicinity for the Court's use.
The walkways in the park are named after countries that speak the Spanish Language, such as Argentina, Columbia etc.
Such a nice warm day, lots of people out enjoying the park
More selfie stick practice. We gotta get a longer stick.
The 19th century Palacio de Velázquez was originally built for a national exhibition to celebrate the mining, metallurgy, ceramics, glass-making and mineral water industries.
The building is named after its architect, Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. His style is also characterised by the use of ceramics, and this building is no exception with its colourful ceramic patterns all around the outside. He commissioned Daniel Zuloaga to produce the tiles, which stand out alongside the two-toned brickwork of the exterior to create an impressive effect. The main structure is made of iron vaulting with a large dome and ample use of glass to provide natural light. An impressive set of marble steps lead to the main entrance from the park.
The Palacio de Cristal, an imposing glass palace modelled on London's Crystal Palace. It was built around 36 years after its London counterpart in 1887, and also designed by the architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco.
It is in the shape of a Greek cross, is made almost entirely of glass set in an iron framework on a brick base, which is decorated with ceramics. Its domed roofs makes the structure over 22 metres high. The glass palace was created in 1887 to house exotic flora and fauna as part of an exhibition on the Philippines, which was then still a Spanish colony. The exhibition spilled out into the park itself, and included a reconstruction of a native Philippino village.
Monument to Romon de Campoamor, a Spanish realist poet and philosopher
A beautiful park in the beginings of Spring
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