The photos below are what we saw.
The Tio Pepe sign is
truly iconic - it has been in existence since the
1930's. The Netflix sign, obviously, is a bit newer.
Spain's
road system is measured from this origin. Literally, all
roads lead to Madrid.
The
guards at the mayor's palace have the funkiest hats ever: similar
to plastic dog bowls with flat sides in the rear.
The sign
describes combat against the invasion of Napolean's troops in
1808.
Interesting
carving.
A
government building we passed on our way to the Royal Palace.
There is
a large cathedral just south of the Royal Palace: Catderal de La
Almudena.
The
front of the cathedral was recent, in European terms.
Shooting into the sun was problematic with strong shadows, but with a bit of post-processing the results were acceptable. The fellows with the blue hat and shirts were in town for the soccer game.
The
alcove at the front of the cathedral had this statue of the
saint Paul.
While we
were looking at the front of the cathedral, the Madrid police
came to confront the two young girls on the right. I
assume that they were pick-pockets as they were immediately
identified by the officers and separated from the other
(obviously American) tourists to the left. The officer on
the right is writing a citation after he searched their bags.
Once on
the grounds of the Royal Palace we got a better view of the
cathedral. In the foreground is the fence of the palace.
The
royal palace was quite imposing, one of the larger structures of
its type in the world. The original building, the Alcazar
palace of the Spanish Hapsburgs, was destroyed by a fire in 1734
and subsequently rebuilt by 1764.
A beautiful palace, worthy of a king. Literally.
Intricate
and ornate lamp posts in the courtyard.
The
internal walkways featured arched ceilings of kiln-baked bricks.
Looking
up, the brickwork on the arches created interesting patterns.
Inside
the palace on the tour, we could see some of the
treasures. While never stated, this clock is likely solid
gold.
Charles
III on horseback.
Another
intricate clock with inlaid wood and gold glint.
Charles
III was not a handsome fellow, but he had the palace anyway.
The
king'l bed chambers.
The
interior courtyard had a variety of carved stone statues.
One of
the frescoes on the ceiling; quit astounding.
The
title on the statue tells the story.
Isabella's
husband, they were married in 1469 and their marriage unified
Spain. The later funded Columbus' exploration of the New
World.
All
royal palaces should have statues on the crest of the
roof. Sadly, it was too far away to read any inscriptions.
A plaza
just to the east of the Royal Palace.
Usually,
when I say "nice knockers" I get slapped, but here is an
exception. This was on a doorway near the Royal Palace.
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Photos and Text Copyright Bill Caid 2017, all rights
reserved.
For your enjoyment only, not for commercial use.