October 30, 2022: Melancholy is setting in because we’ll be leaving Spain soon. This day was our grand finale in Madrid.
El Rastro is a weekly Sunday open air flea market in the La Latina neighborhood. We got there early, before it officially “opened” but it was already crowded and got more so as time went on.
About 100,000 people visit this market each week. Not for claustrophobes or agoraphobes. We bought a few nice things there.
Here we are about to start our tour of the Palacio Real. Not many places inside allowed photographs. But we did get to see the the Throne Room. Pretty cool.
This staircase at the Palacio Real leads up to the formal entertaining area as well as the private apartments. It’s designed so that one can make a regal entrance – there is a gentle slope so it is easy to walk with your head up.
We then visited the crypt of the Almudena Cathedral. It was like a whole other cathedral, but without so many windows. This is an altar in one of the many chapels.
In Parque Emir Mohamed, across the street from the Almudena Cathedral, is a remnant of a 9th century Moorish wall, and a pretty garden.
More pretty garden in Parque Emir Mohamed
