Madrid is a walkable city with something new in every direction. When planning a visit to a city or anywhere for that matter, I do a search to see what the top attractions are. For example in London I recently realized that of the top 20 things to see I’ve done 19. Inside Westminster is the missing one.
A few blocks from my hotel there is the famous Plaza Mayor.
From there I went to see Madrid’s Royal Palace was constructed on the site of the old Alcazar fortress which was a Moorish castle. This is the city’s largest building and Western Europe’s largest royal palace. It is situated next to the Plaza de Oriente Square. The castle was originally designed by Filippo Juvarra for the court of Felipe V which consisted of 3,000 courtiers. The first royal to live here was Carlos III. The palace has continued to be the royal residence since then and today although the royals no longer live here it is still the official residence. Unfortunately it was not open to the public. Bur there were some great views from the 667 m (2,188 ft) city top.
Almudena Cathedral was right across the plaza so I checked in. When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo and the new capital had no cathedral. Plans to build a cathedral in Madrid dedicated to the Virgin of Almudena were discussed as early as the 16th century but even though Spain built more than 40 cities in the new world during that century and plenty of cathedrals, the cost of expanding and keeping the Empire came first and the construction of Madrid’s cathedral was postponed. Making the cathedral the largest that the world had ever seen was then a priority, all other main Spanish cities had centuries old cathedrals, Madrid also has old churches but the construction of Almudena only began in 1879.
Outside the doors to the cathedral is this work called Homeless Jesus. Notice the feet
And a sadly creative homeless shelter for 1.
Some of those living rough simply sit in with all their possessions, maybe a sign and a cup. Others literally beg in a supplicating position not moving until they hear the sound of a few pennies hit the cup and then they look up with a smile before even looking to see what was put in the cup and offer a blessing of thanks.
The door details were impressive, as was the bulk.
Holy water font
The inside to the cathedral was as impressive as the outside
I’ve learned that the best way to take photos of ceiling is to use the front facing camera on your phone and keep your mug out of the shot. Mush easier than straining the neck!
Behind and under the cathedral is the crypt.
Across from the cathedral & Palace was a nice park to stroll & sit, Plaza de Oriente. Including this impressive statue of Philip IV by Pietro Tacca
The park was littered with statuary.
And I recognized the sound of the parakeets before I spotted them. These were the same invasive, not resident ones I had seen in Barcelona.
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