We started our day finding our bearings and were pleasantly surprised by the handy location of our hotel which is central to a lot of attractions and eateries etc. On our stroll we discovered the Palacio Real de Madrid, Teatro Real and the opera house, all great architectural buildings. On first appearances, the apartments are reminiscent of Paris, with few storeys and small wrought iron balconies, more facade than usable area. There are also many plazas or squares and green areas, parks and open spaces.
Lunch was very pricey in a cafe catering for tourists, note to self, more prudence and research required! As our luggage was still wandering unaccompanied we paused tourism and launched into shopping mode for some much needed fresh, in every sense of the word, clothes. In the early evening thanks to Lonely Planet we located Plaza Mayor, a 17th century arcaded square once used for bullfighting until 1878 and also the place where the Spanish Inquisition was held. It is now full of cafes and restaurants but still very touristy so again we heeded Lonely Planet and moved a short distance to Mercado De San Miguel one of Madrid's oldest and beautiful markets promoted as the 'culinary cultural centre'.
What a find! A multitude of freshly prepared food and beverages, mainly alcoholic, shared at tables either standing or if lucky sitting so conversations were easily struck. Tapas starting at about €4 made lunch pale in memory. Firstly we met a lovely Spanish couple with the husband very fluent in English so we gleaned some travel tips like 4€ for Spanish champagne is equal to a 9-12€ glass of the French stuff and spend more time in Toledo rather than Cuenca. Next were Charlene, Bob and Brookes from Michigan so many travel stories were swapped, the rise in micro breweries in the US and more recently in Australia were discussed and sage advice was given to Bob for his trip to Oz January 2016. Lastly was a Dutch couple whose two daughters both live in Australia, Manly and the Gold Coast so naturally they love visiting.
As we wandered back to the hotel we soaked in the party atmosphere full of people, buskers and various entertainers. We settled on watching young teenagers strutting their stuff on roller blades. We ended a great day with a donation and a declaration by Col to one of the skaters that he was a 'star'!
