Written by Kim
Now that we’ve been here a few days we finally know our way around the city. We’ve walked an average of 12,000 steps each day. On the first day it took us about 25 minutes to walk to the Palace because we went in a very roundabout way. Today the walk from our hotel was about 6 minutes (downhill so an easier walk). We enjoyed our last breakfast of toast with tomato and cafe con leche then went back to the hotel to do our Covid tests before heading to the Palace. I was feeling a little congested with a scratchy throat yesterday so was a bit panicked about the Covid test. We need to get home for Stephen & Bethany’s wedding with no time for a 5 day quarantine.
We both tested negative so all good.
The Royal Palace of Madrid (Palacio Real de Madrid) is quite an impressive building. It is the official residence of the Spanish royal family although no one lives here anymore. It is now used only for state ceremonies. The palace has 135,000 m2 (1,450,000 sq ft) of floor space and contains 3,418 rooms. It is the largest functioning royal palace and the largest by floor space in Europe. You enter through a stately plaza and lobby where the horse and carriages back in the day pulled right up to the stairs.
The palace was initially built by Muhammad I, Umayyad Emir of Cordoba, between 860 and 880. After the Moors were driven out of Toledo in the 11th century, the castle retained its defensive function. Emperor Charles V extended and renovated the castle in 1537. Philip II made Madrid his capital in 1561 and continued the renovations, with new additions. Philip III and Philip IV added a long southern facade between 1610 and 1636.
In the twentieth century, restoration work was needed to repair damage suffered during the Spanish Civil War by repairing or reinstalling decoration and decorative trim and replacing damaged walls with faithful reproductions of the originals.
The interior of the palace is notable for its wealth of art and the use of many types of fine materials in the construction and the decoration of its rooms. It includes paintings by many great artists. Other collections of great historical and artistic importance preserved in the building include the Royal Armoury of Madrid, porcelain, watches, furniture, silverware, and the world’s only complete Stradivarius string quintet. The furniture and decorations were over the top to say the least Pictures are not allowed in the living quarters so we grabbed some screen captures from our audio guide as we toured.
The banquet hall was converted from 3 of the Queens chambers. The table seats 130. Protocol requires that the King & Queen sit on opposite ends of the table. If we did that I wouldn’t even be able to see Alex
We saw the Crown room and Royal chapel.
After exploring the palace we were hungry so found a cute restaurant tucked away on a side street. The food was fantastic. We found Google reviews the best to help us find restaurants in Spain.
After lunch we went back to the hotel for a siesta before heading back out for some tapas. We walked back to Plaza Mayor and enjoyed a light meal & some ice cream
Tomorrow we begin our journey home. We’ve really enjoyed Spain we
