A free morning on our last day in Madrid presents one last chance to see whatever we want, in three hours. So many possibilities. I've heard travel advice to assume you will return someday, to which I respond, well maybe, but we're here now. Let's see what we can fit in.
We start off in the direction of the Puerta del Sol, the geographic center of Spain, for a better look at some of the places we breezed by yesterday on the bikes.
The Policia are still keeping a tight rein on the Calle del Prado, where our hotel is.
Monument to King Charles III in the Puerta del Sol, the plaza that he made into a hub, along with opening El Retiro park to the public, building the Prado museum, and numerous other works that earned him the nickname "the best mayor of Madrid"
Shoes are a thing in Spain. Every city we've been to has streets lined with shoe stores. I noticed many people taking the classic Km.0 photo here in Spain's geographic center wearing more fashionable footwear than our smelly biking/walking/everything sneakers. Dance with the ones that brung you.
We haven't done too much shopping on the trip, owing to our aversion to carrying around more things. This being our last day in Europe, we can handle a little more cargo.
If it's things you're looking for, this is the place to find them. In the souvenir shops we score some t-shirts with colorful bulls on the front, puzzles and the like for the kids back home. Then we celebrate our shopping success with pastries from La Mallorquina - a gooey mirliton tartlet for me, a chocolate napolitana for Barry.
Treats galore at La Mallorquina. It's too busy to sit and enjoy them here so we'll just take them across the square to McDonald's and buy our coffee there.
Our next stop is the Mercado de San Miguel, one of the landmarks we pedaled by yesterday. It's jammed with foodies chowing down on all kinds of tapas. I wish I was hungrier. My timing is off after that pastry from La Mallorquina. Still, it's fun to ogle the wares.
My pick for the most compelling display - pyramids of skewered olives and other tasty things. First time I've seen white olives.
In the Plaza Mayor we stop at La Torre del Oro - Bar Andalou to check out the bullfighting lore. Here the beer comes with a paella snack, gratis. Not gonna turn that down.
As much as I profess not to be interested in seeing a bullfight, I can't look away from the photos on the walls of bulls tossing matadors into the air. Other photos show famous visitors who came to see the same stuff we're gaping at, like Robert F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter and Che Guevara.
Matador finery, bull trophies, hanging hams, Moorish tile on the walls... all the ambience of Andalucia
Leaving La Torre del Oro, we make our way back east towards the Museo Nacional del Prado. I learned my lesson about reservations in Sevilla and got tickets ahead of time for this afternoon.
Monument to five labor activists killed in the 1977 Atocha Massacre by right wing extremists who opposed the transition from Franco's dictatorship to democracy
Our visit to the Prado is the first time in the two month trip that we've seen the inside of an art museum. The Prado is one of the top art museums in Europe. It holds a massive collection of Spanish paintings along with masterpieces of Flemish and Italian artists. No photos are allowed, which is fine. We'll just immerse ourselves in Velazquez, Goya and El Greco.
The Goya paintings are pretty dark so we spend some time in the Rubens gallery for a palate cleanser. Rubens' "The Three Graces" are just what we need to lighten the mood.
In front of the Prado, a monument to Diego de Velazquez, the brilliant 17th century Spanish painter
Railings of the day on the beautiful Plus Ultra Building. On either side of the clock on the first floor balcony, carillon bells play music to accompany a show of moving characters including the bullfighter Pedro Romero, King Charles III, and the painter Francisco de Goya.
What to do with our last evening in Madrid? I keep thinking about that flamenco show we saw in Sevilla. When will we have a chance to see something like that again? Good sport that he is, Barry goes along with the idea and we get tickets to a show at Cardamomo.
Unlike the Sevilla show which was all-acoustic and more intimate, this is a bigger production with more artists and amplifiers that sometimes drown out the rhythm of the dancers' footwork. While we liked the smaller show more, this one is still very entertaining.
Cardamomo offers a classic tapas plate of acorn-fed jambon, chorizo, Spanish tortilla, Catalan fuet sausage, Manchego cheese, tuna pie and Extremadura olives. Perfecto.
Between the lovely afternoon we spent in El Retiro Park the day we got here, a gas of a bike ride yesterday, the bullfighting bar, the food, flamenco, and all its other charms, Madrid really has been the dessert course of the tour. To cap off the evening we'll take one more suggestion from David, our bike tour guide yesterday. At the Circulo de Bellas Artes we take the elevator to the terrace on the roof, order dessert and take in the view.
The Palacio de Cibeles from the rooftop of the Circulo de Bellas Artes
Just when we think our tour of Spain can't get any better, Madrid offers up one last little thrill when we walk by the Paradis restaurant on the way back to the hotel. What's so thrilling about that? My family name is Paradis, descendants of Pierre Paradis who emigrated from France to Quebec in the 17th century. I have a picture of a monument to Pierre Paradis on the land he farmed in Quebec.
Last year on the way back from a day ride to Chateau de Chenonceau in the Loire Valley, we went by a gite called the Chateau du Paradis. My journal for that dayhas a picture of the monument to Pierre. I didn't expect to see my name in Spain, but here we are.
