A weekend in Madrid

Going on vacation with the girls is always a great adventure. We had done Madrid together before but having a home base there at a friend’s place made visiting the city again almost a must. The plan was to not only visit Madrid this time but also the surrounding area. We were in for a great weekend!

on the way to Madrid

We left Vienna with a smile and a sunny sky only to arrive in a grey and overclouded Madrid. We had a driver pick us up and drive us to the residence of our stay. Love it, a residence. Not a measly hotel but something bigger and grander, plus a driver. Oh the life of the rich and famous, I could almost smell it.

We spent our first evening at home. After an afternoon snack (more like late lunch come to think of it) while watching the rain fall outside, there was no reason to leave the house for dinner. No point in getting wet and cold. We could do that early enough the next day.

late lunch or afternoon snack @Madrid

Saturday was a full day of adventure outside of Madrid, about which you can read all in my next post. But at first we were singing a “Happy Birthday” to our Birthday Girl!

Birthday girl!

Sunday started lazy and full a full residential breakfast which included the chocolate soufflé that I loved so much last time. To my shame I have to confess that I couldn’t finish it during the rest of my stay, about a quarter was still left when we headed back to Austria. In case you are wondering what happened to my sugar fasting, this was the only weekend I made an exception and if you follow the liturgy you know that Sunday is not a fast day anyway.

Sunday breakfast with chocolate soufflé @Madrid

We made it out of the house around 1pm and headed for the Museo des América. Recommended by our host, it showed some excellent pieces of what the spanish found when they discovered America. An added benefit was the free entry on Sunday. That we would run around in circles to get to the entrance of the museum and that they would kick us out at 2:45pm sharp (although closing time was 3pm), was not to be expected. The visit was unsatisfactory to say the least. We didn’t even manage to get to the first floor. But if you have time and understand Spanish (no to almost no information in English available), it’s an excellent museum.

Arco de la Victoria, built under Franco @Madrid

Museo de América from the wrong side @Madrid

Museo de América @Madrid

After our short visit we walked through the nearby Parque del Oeste to get to the Egyptian Temple of Debod which was gifted to Spain for her help with Aswan High Dam. The walk was rather long since we were making a couple of detours due to my map reading skills and the trust of my friends.

a bust in the Parque del Oeste @Madrid

Parque del Oeste @Madrid

Parque del Oeste with the Temple of Debod @Madrid

Eventually we reached the temple and lined up. Again it was free to enter (our lucky day) and the closing time was a bit later. Since the temple is quite small inside it makes sense to only let a couple of people at a time inside, otherwise there would be a lot more pushing and shoving inside.

Temple of Debod @Madrid

Pollybert at the Temple of Debod @Madrid

From there we passed by Sancho Panzo and Don Quixote

Plaza de España with Don Quixote and Sancho Panza monument @Madrid

and headed for the Prado. Our host has lent us his special card, so there was no waiting and no fee. It was late though and we decided to just go for one master piece. So we set out to look for the Maja from Goya. Always great to see.

Prado @Madrid

After a quick beer we took the metro home and called it a night. The evening was rather uneventful with us eating dinner and our host watching motor cross.

Sunday evening on the couch @Madrid

The next morning we got a lift from the driver

morning traffic in Madrid

to the Palacio Real. Although I had been there years ago, I took another tour of the palace. It’s so opulent that it’s almost unreal. On the other hand there is not a single thing that is remarkable enough to be remembered. It was as if I saw it the first time all over. Personally I don’t think it’s worth it going inside. It looks much more impressive from outside.