Madrid in Depth

After a delicious desayuno (breakfast), Madrid native and local guide Fred led us on a fascinating and entertaining tour of the city. We learned about the Spanish kings who built Madrid and planned a navigable "butterfly" of streets, visited the "center of the Iberian Peninsula" in the Puerta del Sol, saw the oldest restaurant in the world and many other treats and surprises along the way. 

We even went to a small side street where Fred rang the cloister bell and asked the nuns if they had any dolces (sweets) to sell today. 

We were in luck! The cloistered nuns live behind convent walls and do not interact with the public, so they use a torno (lazy Susan) to sell their sweets without being seen. 

Delicious!

We continued our tour through the historic streets where kings and queens ruled and famous writers and painters lived, then toured the luxurious Palacio Real de Madrid. 

Can you believe we did all that before lunch? What a great morning. Time to relax Spanish style with a long lunch at Toro Tapas. 

Next we rode the Metro across town to spend the afternoon gazing at masterpiece paintings at the Prado. Such a treat. Dinner at the Museo de Jamon was plentiful with lots of delicious courses. Back at the hotel we are ready to rest up for an early morning tomorrow!