Madrid, Spain – September 14, 2010

This morning, the Monsignor and I hopped on the Metro and rode to the Opera stop.  From there we walked to the Palacio Real, which we toured.  We toured several rooms in the palace that were awesome.  Unfortunately, like all palaces in Spain…no photographs allowed.

When we came out of the palace, we went into the Royal Armory museum.  There were dozens and dozens of suits of armor for both man and beast.  There were just as many swords, firearms, and crossbows.  Again, no photographs allowed.

Lastly at the palace, we went through the pharmacy, which is in the actual rooms that were used early in the history of the palace.  It was extremely interesting to see the pharmacy’s furnishings.

When we left the palace, we literally walked next door to the Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena.  The tour we chose allows people to go up on the level of the bell towers in addition to visiting the cathedral.  The views from the walkway near the bell towers were quite amazing.

Coming down from on high, we went into the cathedral itself.  It was a very nice cathedral; however, it was surprisingly modern on the inside.  I really did not like it that much.  It was not anything like the other cathedrals we have seen.

Leaving the Cathedral, we walked to the Mercado San Miguel and then to the Plaza Mayor.  Once inside the Plaza Mayor, we stopped at a sidewalk cafe for lunch.  After lunch, we walked to the Puerta del Sol.  Then, we walked very near the Prado museum because the Monsignor wanted to buy some hand-fans.  We got on the Metro and headed home after that.

• Spain