La Caminata En Madrid

Today, our last day in Madrid and our first full warm sunny day in Spain, we enjoyed a nice historical walk through the city. On our way to the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) we stopped in the Plaza de Oriente at an equestrian statue of Felipe IV designed after drawings by the famous artista Velázquez and with scientific advice from Galileo. We saw some of Velázquez’s works at the Prado Museum earlier this week. The Palacio Real has an interesting history. Originally it was built from mostly wood but burned down in 1734. The rebuilding of the palace occurred in 1738 and used mostly stone to ensure another disastrous fire did not occur again. The Palacio Real is the largest palace in Europe, larger than Buckingham Palace in England. Currently, Spanish royalty do not reside in the palace.

A short distance away from the Palacio Real is the Catedral de la Almudena. The cathedral was named after the patron saint of Madrid: la Virgen de Almudena. El Papa Juan Pedro II (Pope John Paul II) consecrated the cathedral in 1993. There is a statue of el Papa in the front of the church. Interestingly, the outside of the cathedral was built in the neoclassic style while the inside was designed in a neo-gothic style. After walking up the steps to the entrance of the cathedral, one can see the intricate carvings on the door. The scene on one of the doors depicts a congregation on the bottom with el Papa and a crowd of cardinals. Above are angels, cherubs, and a crucifix. Inside, the cathedral is just as elaborate if not more. The ceilings are decorated with colorful intricate patterns. The cathedral contains pieces of art depicting the saints, la virgen madre, and Jesus. Interestingly, the altar is located in the middle of the church. On the right wall there is an enormous pipe organ that likely fills the cathedral with music when played.  The focal point of the cathedral is on the back wall there are stairs leading up to a statue of la virgen madre and Jesus. There are paintings surrounding the statue which show the life of Jesus. There is a lovely little shop located outside the cathedral that sells rosary beads and other religious paraphernalia.
            The rest of the day was spent shopping at the nearby centro de comercial (mall) which has three floors (the top primarily containing food) and a carousel outside. After spending the afternoon shopping we headed to the bus station and traveled back to our host families in Segovia. When arriving home, we were happily greeted by our host mothers. Another day well spent.