Adventures in Madrid Travel Log: Day 3

We head to El Palacio Real first thing in the morning. Well, first thing in the afternoon is probably more accurate. We get a bit turned around on the way, but our confusion leads us to a really neat 3-D Christmas display occupying the length of the entire storefront of a prominent department store.

We admire and continue our search for the palace. It's not a small palace, we wonder how we could have missed it. Once we find the palace we pose for a picture to prove we have indeed found it.

I pose with a fountain outside the palace gates.

We find the royal residence in time for the changing of the guard. Apparently the actual ceremony only happens once a month so the version we see is a less official form for tourists.


We then join the line up and wait. We wait. We move forward at a very slow rate. We wait some more. We wait two and a half hours for admission.
Amy and Megan are sad to be waiting so long.

Kari is also unimpressed, but I laugh in the face of frustration.

The line is the entire length of the palace. When we do (finally) pay, go through security, and gain admittance we tour the palace for about 30 minutes. The site was originally a fortress, but a palace was built in the 16th century. In 1734 the palace was burnt down, King Philip V had a new palace built on the same location. It is now the official residence, but is only used for state ceremonies. The royal family lives in a more modest palace on the outskirts of Madrid. The palace is very beautiful and ornate. There are some distinct differences between this palace and others I have visited. There is one room where the walls are covered in ornate porcelain décor that has been attached to the wood paneling in such a way that you could not even see the panel seams.

The palace was built facing this cathedral.

Lunch is Starbucks and McDonalds and another chocolate pastry from the famous pastry shop at Plaza del Sol.

We enjoy a bit of down time at the apartment before heading out to a small, but well-know ceramics shop; Antigua Casa Talavera. There is a variety of ceramic goods that are all handmade from different regions in Spain. Kari and I buy a matching teacup and handle-less mug.


Dinner is both a historic and a culinary experience. We eat at Casa Alberto, an old restaurant in the city.
It opened in 1827 and was a converted house inhabited at one time by Miguel de Cervantes author of Don Quixote. It has been visited by many famous people, there is a picture of Martin Sheen just over my right shoulder.

I order one of the house specialties, oxtail stew. It is quite tasty, but a lot of work to get a little meat off the bones.


The main evening event is a Flamenco show at Café de Chinitas. We have close to the best seats in the house for a very entertaining presentation of the cultural experience of Spanish dancing. One of the performers even dances on our table.



We pose like celebrity guests at the show. Maybe they'll put our photo on the wall of fame.

After the show Megan and I reenact our favourite dramatic dancer. He is a man who takes himself VERY seriously and is the "star" of the show. Regrettably we do not get photos of him, so you will have to trust our interpretation.


After the show we top off the evening at the Chocolateria San Gines for their specialty, churros dipped in chocolate.
The churros (long thin fried doughnuts) are served on a large plate for the table, and each person gets a mug of chocolate for dipping their churros. Apparently this chocolateria ia a late-night tradition in Madrid and has been frequented by people such as Richard Gere, Penelope Cruz, and Naomi Campbell. Who am I to snub tradition?!? The churros and chocolate are delicious.


The city is getting pretty quiet as we head back to the apartment. Fortunately we catch the last train back to our place. I’m proud I have lasted so long. It’s definitely the latest I’ve stayed out since before I moved to Senegal. Hopefully this doesn’t bode ill for the remainder of the trip.