After Zaragoza, it was an uneventful journey down south to Madrid. Like Barcelona, Madrid is constantly humming with activity, with throngs of people rushing through the streets to where they want to go. Kinda reminds me of Hong Kong except that here, there is infinitely more space.
Started my journey through the city at a leisurely paceto Puerta del Sol - the centre of Madrid and a main artery of the city. Here, it was a pleasant ecletic mix of Spanish who never seem to be tired of shopping, tourists gawking at buskers made up of quartets performing popular tunes, cafe owners doing a roaring business selling over-priced coffee and snacks to the beleaguered weary tourists seeking a respite from exploring the city.
Eventually made my way to just outside Palacio Real - the Italian Baroque colossus built by Felipe V. Unfortunately, the palace was closed to outside visitors due to some official state functions and I missed the chance to visit its sumptous interiors.
Nevertheless, all is not lost. Jerry managed to catch the changing of the palace guard in a simple ceremony. All the soldiers in their smart uniforms are a sight unto themselves; especially when they did not manage to march in lockstep with each other. But well, the uniforms and cute berets made up for it. Also, enjoyed the surroundings when he caught La Vie En Rose being played by a busker with an accordion while another busker nearby posed as a silver fairy floating around in an ethereal fashion in accompaniment.
As Lonely Planet suggested, the Prado Musuem was also not to be missed so I went there too the next day. While the sights are rather attractive, with Goya and El Greco amongst many others; I was lost after a while. It was simply a matter of too much art in too short a time and then all the paintings and sculptures seem to morph into something similar to each other. Really reminds me of the Louvre Museum in Paris though the building does not have the same kind of grandeur in architecture.
Rounded off the night with authentic Spanish cuisine of Castilian soup and Madrid-style cod fish. Rather scrumptious overall though the experience could have been enhanced if the waiter was a little more friendly (too matter of fact IMHO) and more careful (spilt my Perrier on the table). One piece of cod fish was also not cooked fully. But then again, who cares? The ambience is great, everyone is having a good time in town and so Jerry ignores all these to have his own fun too!
Good food is always a sure way to round off a day of sightseeing for that perfect travel experience!
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