Day 3 in Madrid, Walking around the City &, Seeing the Sights

I woke up late this morning, around 11 am.  My goal was to get as much sleep as possible to help my body recover from the cold I have had the past two days.  I went to the reception desk at my hotel before leaving and asked the staff to mark Madrid's main sights on the map.  I then headed out to begin my day.

I walked from the hotel to Puerta del Sol, the center of Madrid.  Madrid has a stone in front of the main building which marks the center of the city.  Madrid's main square is similar to those in other Europeans cities, busy with people sightseeing, eating, and people sitting near the fountain relaxing.  I got lunch in the square, took a few pictures, then headed towards Madrid's Royal Palace.

Lynnae with Bear Statue in  Puerta Del Sol 

After lunch in Puerta Del Sol, I decided to walk towards Madrid's Royal Palace.  My guidebooks said there was a lot of interesting architecture to see in the plazas along the way.  My first destination was Plaza Mayor, but I somehow missed it, or I saw it and did not know it was the plaza I was looking for.  I decided not to walk back to Plaza Mayor, I have two more days in Madrid, I may visit it on another day.  I realized I had passed Plaza Mayor when I got to Plaza de laVilla, I did not miss this Plaza because of its unique architecture.

Lynnae in Plaza de la Villa 

From Plaza de la Villa I went to Madrid's Almundena Cathedral, I spent awhile at the Cathedral, sitting in the pews.  My energy level was still low during my walk, I have felt run down since I caught a cold earlier this week.  I stayed in the Plaza to give myself a break from walking and Madrid's hot son.

Alundena Cathedral 

Madrid's Royal Palace is located across from the Cathedral.  I walked the short distance from the Cathedral to the Palace, took some pictures, but did not go inside for a tour of the palace.  I continued on my walk after the palace and went to Plaza de Espana, my guidebook says the plaza is home to statues of Cervantes, Don Quixote, and Sancho Panza.  I read Don Quixote about 3 years ago and wanted to see these statues.  There were statues in the Plaza near the fountain, but they were not labeled, I do not know if they were of Cervantes, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza or not. Looking at Wikipedia, the statues I saw were indeed of Cervantes, Sancho Panza and Don Quixote.

Lynnae in front of Statues of Don Quixote & Sancho Panza

Lynnae at fountain in Plaza de Espana 

After Plaza de Espana, I walked back to my hotel along Gran Via, a major street in Madrid. I did not do much this afternoon, I was tired and relaxed in my hotel room.  I went to a department near the hotel this evening to buy a backpack, the Chinese backpack I bought in Pisa, is already falling apart.

Tomorrow I move to a hostel, my 3 days of hotel room privacy will come to an end.  I leave Madrid on Monday, I have not decided my next destination.

Day 3 in Madrid Photo Album