It was sunny and cold again this morning. After waking up at 7:30 and showering in my tiny bathroom, I went to the hotel’s breakfast room. My room is in a separate building from the hotel front desk and breakfast room, so I experienced the cold morning firsthand as I walked next door. As usual, it was a buffet style breakfast, so I filled up on my choice of fruit, pastries, yogurt, and juice, with a hard-boiled egg added in for extra mileage. The hotel is in a residential neighborhood that’s next to the expressway. This is what my 1-minute walk to breakfast looked like.
Around 9:15, I set out to the subway station to go into central Madrid again. My plans for part 2 of my Madrid sightseeing included the Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, and San Miguel Market. I found the Royal Palace first.
Then I walked through the Plaza Mayor, where a Chinese dragon dance was taking place on the other side of some white tents and barriers.
I also found the San Miguel Market, which is a restored indoor market that specializes in selling beautifully made tapas and desserts.
Then I walked by the Prado Museum. If I were an art lover, I might have waited in the very, very long line to get in, but it wasn’t worth it to me. Instead I went next door to the Royal Botanical Gardens, walked right up to the admission window, paid 4 euros and walked in. It’s a large garden that is mostly dormant since it’s still winter. But they also have many bonsai on display that are really striking.
I saw a couple new birds in the garden too, including a robin (which doesn’t look like ours) and a Eurasian blackbird. After more than an hour enjoying the garden, I emerged to find lunch. It was only 1 p.m., so still early for Spaniards. I went into a family-style restaurant called VIPS, which was nothing fancy. But I was seated right away and enjoyed a beer plus an avocado and chicken burger. When I left about 45 minutes later, there was a waiting line out the door.
My feet were getting tired, so I walked to the nearest subway station to return to the hotel, found the station was closed for renovation and had to walk a few blocks further to find an open one. But I also found an ATM along the way, plus a store that could sell me a big bottle of water, two things I needed. The water in the hotel tastes terrible, but the air is so dry, I need to drink a lot to keep moderately hydrated.
Tonight I pack again and get ready for my birding trip start tomorrow morning.
Lori's Travels 