28th June

While Sandy took a train to Toledo we headed to Puerta del Sol which is the absolute centre of the radial road network that makes up the city.  Every New Year there is a terrific crowd here as this is where the official clock chimes the hour for eating of 12 grapes to mark the New Year, a tradition we took part in many years ago when we had a Mexican exchange student sharing our camp on the Murray River. She convinced us we also had to shoot tequila, no mention of that here in the guidebooks. There is also a fairly small statue of a bear and a tree which is the heraldic symbol of Madrid, but we found it a bit hard to find amid the protesters’ camp and lots of people and shops in the area.  We checked out another Flamenco Show schedule and some shops then caught the metro to Plaza de Espana where I bought a hat to replace the one I lost in Italy at a small market. There’s also a fabulous bronze statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, a tribute to Saavedra, the famous Spanish author, poet and playright. 

We crossed the road and walked through the gardens to the Temple of Debod , an ancient Egyptian temple which once stood near Aswan but was gifted to Madrid after Spain helped save some of the monuments and archeological sites when the Great Dam of Aswan was constructed in 1960.  All the internal walls are etched with Egyptian carvings which include the Roman Emperors Augustus and Tiberius.

After lunch we visited the Museo del Prado, considered to be among the world’s greatest museums and with the finest collection of European art.  It is massive! The collection contains around 7,600 paintings and 1,000 sculptures, not to mention the drawings and prints.  I’m overwhelmed by the number of galleries to visit even though they have dispensed with any artworks later than the 19^th century.  I retire to the cafe for a cup of tea while Eric continues to the next floor. 

On our way home we wandered through a small portion of Park del Retiro. A park dedicated to the retirees of Madrid with a lake, kiosks and tables for playing chess, dominoes and cards.  Beautifully laid out with shady tress and walkways but it’s a bit too hot to enjoy this afternoon.  One last stop on our way home was to admire the CaixaForum post-modern art gallery, just from the outside.  It is an interesting building which appears to float above the ground, the rusted red top floors contrasting with the green of a vertical garden bordering the square.  Once home we immediately turn on the air-conditioning and relish the cool shower.  We went to the lively Chueca district for dinner and finished with a mystery nightcap they offered us. Their only explanation was that it was herbal????