Next Stop Madrid.

Madrid Cathedral.

Next day it was time to leave Zaragoza and head to Madrid. Again we were travelling on an IRYO high speed train for €8 each with a wheelchair. This time we were confident that the tickets would work. Peter had received an email telling him to check in at the passenger assistance office in Zaragoza Delicias Station, so we did that and that meant that we got help taking Peter from the waiting room and putting him on the train and getting him off at the other end. It made the journey so much easier.

Peter on the train.

Us on the train.

We were on the train for about an hour and a half. It was very comfortable and I took lots of photos of the scenery. We seemed to go through all weathers on the way. We started out in sunshine, went through rain and blankets of fog and emerged in sunshine.

Scenery on the journey.

Scenery on the journey.

Scenery on the journey.

Scenery on the journey.

Scenery on the journey.

Scenery on the journey.

At Atocha Station our passenger assistance woman told us our accommodation was really nearby and took us to the correct exit of the station and pointed us in the right direction. We were staying in Hostal La Estacion Terrazas, instead of our usual Accor type hotel. We had received notification the day before from booking.com that our credit card had failed to pay the Hostal bill and were worried about losing the accommodation, but we had eventually managed to text the accommodation and had been promised that they would hold the room for us.

We knew very little about the accommodation except it claimed to have a lift. It wasn't a long walk to the Hostal, but there were lots of very busy roads to cross and that wasn't easy with a wheelchair and luggage.

When we arrived at the Hostal, we had to press a buzzer to get in. I didn't realize that at first and was staring hopelessly at a key pad without having any information about a code. Fortunately someone else was entering the building and they just let us in. Inside, the building was a building site. Walls stripped, new floor in the process of being laid, workmen everywhere. The accommodation was on the seventh floor and I couldn't see a lift. I was really starting to panic. The lift turned out to be one floor up, so I had to carry the luggage and the wheelchair, and Peter had to climb the stairs. It was a tiny lift and I couldn't get Peter, the wheelchair, the luggage and me in it. I had to go up with the luggage leaving Peter and the wheelchair downstairs. I pressed seventh floor and came out at floor six and a half. By that I mean I had to walk upstairs to get to floor seven and downstairs to get to floor six. What a ridiculous system!!!!

Because I hadn't pressed the buzzer downstairs, I couldn't get in upstairs. I needed a key card. I resolved this by banging on the door so hard I think the whole of Spain could hear me. The man in charge, Martin, came to let me in. I greeted him with a: "I thought this place would be accessible. You advertise a lift. My husband is downstairs in a wheelchair." I was really very upset. Whatever else I can say about this place Martin was very nice, very calm and very polite. He assured me he could understand my concerns and would help in any way he could. He took my luggage in, while I went back for Peter.

Our room itself was ok, a bit old fashioned with sheets and blankets, rather than quilts as bedding, but it had a safe, a fridge and a balcony. We didn't use the safe in the end, as it proved to be very temperamental. It would lock and unlock on around the third or fourth attempt at using it.

I told Martin that Peter wouldn't be able to use the shower as there was no seat to sit on in there, so Martin went out and bought a plastic stool for him. It was things like this that meant you couldn't stay mad even when you knew the stories about our credit card not working were inaccurate, the entrance to the building was a construction site and using the lift involved going up or down two flights of stairs. Martin kept saying things like: "Anyway you are home now, you can start to relax."

We both felt really really tired and decided the thought of trying to get Peter out and back in again was too much for us, so I went out and found a supermarket and we ate bread, cheese, cold chicken and beer on the balcony. The Hostal was quiet on our first night and we both slept well. Maybe the accommodation wouldn't be as bad as I had first feared.

Next day we ate breakfast on the balcony and I went out sightseeing. I would attempt to get Peter out later. This was where the Hostal turned out to be really good. It was located on Rotunda de Atocha and all the main sights I wanted to see were walkable from it. The furthest one was about forty minutes away, but on that forty minute walk I would pass everything else.

Basically we were just directly across the road from the Reina Sofía Museum. I keyed the first sight I wanted to visit into my phone and off I went.

I stopped to take a photo of a beautiful building very close to Atocha Station. This turned out to be the Palacio de Fomento, designed by architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco and built between 1893 and 1897. It is now used as the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

Palacio de Fomento.

I actually first wanted to see the fountain of Neptune, but on the way I passed by the Prado Museum. I think this is another place that has to be booked in advance, but I didn't intend to go in, just to look at the outside. The Prado started out in 1819. It houses mainly paintings and sculptures and is considered to be one of the best museums in the world.

Prado Museum with a statue of Spanish painter Diego Velázquez.

Prado Museum with a statue of Spanish Baroque painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

The Prado Museum.

Stalls outside the Prado Museum.

I noticed that the botanical gardens were just opposite The Prado. In the end I didn't visit these, but they are supposed to be nice.

Real Jardin Botanico.

I passed the Prado and continued on to the fountain of Neptune. The fountain of Neptune is made of white marble and was designed by Ventura Rodríguez. It's not that easy to photograph as it's located on an inaccessible roundabout surrounded by nonstop traffic. Whenever Atlético Madrid win any trophies, their fans gather here to celebrate.

The Neptune Fountain.

Walking a bit further on, I came to the fountain of Apollo and the Muses. This was also designed by Ventura Rodríguez and was completed in 1780.

Fuente de Apolo.

Further along the same road I came to the final fountain I wanted to see - the Fountain of Cibeles. This fountain depicts the Roman goddess Cybele on a chariot pulled by two lions. This fountain is also the work of the architect Ventura Rodríguez and was completed in the late eighteenth century. Like the Neptune Fountain it is located on a roundabout and surrounded by nonstop traffic. Real Madrid fans come here to celebrate their team's victories.

The Cibeles Fountain.

The Cibeles Fountain.

There are some lovely buildings around the roundabout such as The Palace of Cibeles and the Bank of Spain. The Palace of Cibeles was built in 1909 and was originally Madrid's main post office building, however since 2011 it has been home to the Madrid City Hall. The Bank of Spain was designed by architects Eduardo Adaro and Severiano Sainz de la Lastra.

The Palace of Cibeles.

The main headquarters of the Bank of Spain.

The main headquarters of the Bank of Spain.

From here I wandered along some of Madrid's finest streets like the Calle de Alcalá and Gran Vía. There were extremely impressive buildings everywhere. These included: the headquarters of the Instituto Cervantes, the Círculo de Bellas Artes, which is a cultural centre, the Metropolis Building designed in French Beaux-Arts architectural style, the Parish Priest's House (which is connected to the Church of San José), the Bank of Bilbao, the Four Seasons Hotel and the Academy of Fine Arts.

The Instituto Cervantes.

Círculo de Bellas Artes

The Metropolis Building.

The Priest's House and the Church of San José.

The Teatro Alcázar, Petit Palace Alcalá,Edificio del Banco de Bilbao.

The bank of Bilbao.

The Four Seasons Hotel.

The Four Seasons Hotel.

The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando.

There were buskers playing some very enjoyable music on this street.

Buskers.

I kept on walking towards the Puerto del Sol, which means the Gate of the Sun. This is the meeting point for six of Madrid's most famous streets. It's also Spain’s Kilometre 0, the starting point for all major radial roads in Spain. There's a building here called the Casa de Correos, it's the headquarters of the Madrid regional government. People assemble here to bring in the New Year. It's traditional to eat a grape on each chime of the Casa de Correos' clock for good luck in each month of the New Year.

The Casa de Correos was being renovated, but was covered over with a picture of how it should look.

Puerto del Sol.

Puerto del sol.

There are three statues on this square. One is the Oso y Madroño, the bear and the strawberry tree. This is the symbol of Madrid. Another statue that can be found here is a statue of a woman, known as the La Mariblanca. This dates back to the seventeenth century and was once part of a fountain. The final statue is an equestrian statue of Charles III of Spain. He is famous for making many improvements to Madrid.

The bear and the strawberry tree.

The bear and the strawberry tree.

La Mariblanca.

Charles III.

From here it was a short walk down the Calle Mayor to Plaza Mayor or Grand Square. This is a bustling lively square with beautiful architecture, restaurants, shops and cafes. It dates back to the seventeenth century and was once the site of bull fights, royal ceremonies and public executions.

Nowadays this square hosts markets, concerts and festive activities. On our first visit to Madrid we visited a Christmas market here.

Plaza Mayor.

Plaza Mayor.

Plaza Mayor.

There's a bronze equestrian statue of Philip III in the centre of the square.

Statue of Philip III.

I kept seeing Spanish clothing everywhere. I didn't realize at first that people pay to stand behind these and pose for photos.

Costumes to pose with.

Next I arrived at the Plaza de la Villa, one of the oldest squares in Madrid. It is home to the Lujanes House and Tower, which dates from the fifteenth century, the sixteenth century Casa de Cisneros Palace, and the seventeenth century Baroque Casa de la Villa, which was Madrid's City Hall from 1693 until 2007. There's a statue of Álvaro de Bazán, a Spanish admiral in the centre of the square.

Casa de la Villa.

Casa de Cisneros and Cascade la Villa.

Statue of Álvaro de Bazán.

Further on I came to a church, a palace and a monument.

The seventeenth century Catholic church I found here was originally known as the Iglesia del Sacramento. It has been used as the Cathedral of the Armed Forces of Spain since 1986.

The Cathedral of the Armed Forces of Spain.

Cathedral Church of the Armed Forces.

The palace is called Palacio de Abrantes and is now home to the headquarters of the Italian Cultural Institute.

Palacio de Abrantes.

The monument is dedicated to Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenie. On their wedding day in 1906 an anarchist hurled a bomb from his hotel window into the royal procession down below. The royal couple survived, but twenty-four bystanders and soldiers were killed and over a hundred people were injured.

Monument to the assassination attempt on Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenie.

There were some nice shops here, too, such as souvenir shops and a Caganer shop. I had no idea what a Caganer was until I looked it up. Apparently it's a small wooden figure that can be placed in a Nativity scene. The Caganer is always depicted with his pants down, having a poo. He is normally placed in a fairly hidden part of the nativity scene and children love to try and find him. If you do manage to find him, you will have good luck. Who knew such things existed????

I love Madrid

Caganer Shop.

Detail on building.

Just round the corner I arrived at Barcelona Cathedral. I think we went inside here on our first visit to Madrid. This time I didn't go inside. I photographed it from right next to it and from the viewpoint I reached by climbing the hill across the street from it.

The foundation stones of Madrid Cathedral were laid as early as 1883, but the plans for the cathedral kept changing and it wasn't until 1993 that it was actually complete. In 1993 the cathedral was consecrated by Pope John Paul II on his fourth trip to Spain.

Madrid Cathedral.

Madrid Cathedral.

Madrid Cathedral.

Madrid Cathedral.

Right next to the cathedral is Madrid's royal palace.

The Royal Palace of Madrid is the one of the largest palaces in the world, occupying over 135,000 square metres and having 3,418 rooms. It is necessary to book a visit here in advance. There was a huge queue to get in.

Royal Palace.

Royal Palace.

Royal Palace.

Between the cathedral and the palace there are views over Madrid.

View.

I watched the royal guards outside the palace. Unlike in The UK, they didn't keep still or silent, they kept chatting to each other.

Guards.

Guards.

Just across the road from the royal palace is the Plaza de Oriente, a statue filled park. There's an equestrian monument to Philip IV here.

Monument to Philip IV.

The Plaza de Oriente.

Plaza de la Platería de Martínez fountai.

Behind the Plaza de Oriente is the Teatro Real or Royal Theatre.

Teatro Real.

I wandered into The Sabatini Gardens, located on one side of the royal palace. Last time we were here we wandered all the way down to the river, but this time I just viewed the palace from the side and admired the layout of the gardens.The Sabatini Gardens were once the site of the palace stables.

The palace from the Sabatini Gardens.

The palace from the Sabatini Gardens.

The palace from the Sabatini Gardens.

The Sabatini Gardens.

The Sabatini Gardens.

Rose.

I decided to keep walking to the Temple of Debod. On the way I passed a beautiful church called The Church of Santa Teresa and San José.There was a fountain in front of this. It's called The Fuente de la Concha, or Fountain of Shells, and was built in 1969 by Manuel Herrero and Antonio Campillo.

The Church of Santa Teresa y San José.

The Church and the fountain.

Detail of Santa Teresa y San José Church.

Detail of The Church of Saint Theresa and Saint Joseph.

Fuente de Las Conchas or Fountain of the Shells.

Fuente de las Conchas or Fountain of the Shells.

Selfie with the fountain.

I didn't realize this whole area and the nearby Plaza de España had all recently been pedestrianized. I should have explored this area more.

All around me there were beautiful autumnal trees. I loved all the vibrant colours, statues and monuments and beautiful buildings. I didn't realize I was very close to the statue of Cervantes. I remember going to see that on our earlier visit.

Autumn colours.

Autumnal tree.

Autumn colours.

Autumn leaves.

Pedestrianized areas.

Autumnal colours.

The Senate Building.

Autumnal colours.

Casa Gallardo, a notable example of Madrid's Art Nouveau architecture.

This is a bronze statue of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican poet and scholar.

This is the Monument to the Heroes of May, which commemorates the Dos de Mayo Uprising of 1808, when the people of Madrid rose up against the French occupation.

The Temple of Debod was actually built in Ancient Egypt in the 2nd century BC. Then in the 1960's, Egypt was building the Aswan Dam and this temple would end up being underwater. Spain donated a lot of money to Egypt to help them save several precious buildings from the flood waters and were given the Temple of Debod in return. I'm sure we went inside the temple on our first visit, but this time it was shut and undergoing some restoration work.

The Temple of Debod.

The Temple of Debod.

The Temple of Debod.

The Temple of Debod.

The Temple of Debod.

Selfie with The Temple of Debod.

The temple is situated on a hill and there are great views all around it, especially back towards the cathedral and palace.

View from the temple.

View from the temple.

View from the temple.

View from the temple.

View from the temple.

View from the temple.

View from the temple.

From here I walked back home and took Peter out for a walk then we went to dinner in one of the many bars on our street. Peter had a pork and cheese sandwich and I had a tomato and serrano ham sandwich. They were both very good.

Me at dinner.

Peter at dinner.

Peter at dinner.

My sandwich.

That evening at around ten or eleven pm two Swiss people suddenly let themselves into our room with a key card. Apparently they had checked in earlier, lost their key, couldn't remember where their room was, had been let in by other guests and had phoned the emergency number on the office door, as no staff are present in the hostal at night. The member of staff they spoke to had explained where a master key was located and they were now using it to go in every room in an attempt to find theirs.

Honestly maybe we should just get a sign printed 'Pete and Irene's Room. All Welcome.' Once again I rammed a chair against the door to keep out the marauding hoards, so I could get some sleep.