A whirlwind tour of Madrid

So I had one day to revisit some familiar spots. I started with the Puerta del Sol, regarded as the centre of Madrid and also Spain. This is an approach road.

The iconic Tio Pepe (Uncle Pepe) sign on the north side. It's a brand of dry sherry.

This is the Real Casa de Correos. It's the office of the president of the Community of Madrid, the one that encloses Madrid.

And this is the reason I was there, to pose my feet for a picture on the Km 0 marker, the point from which the distance to all of Spain is measured.

This the equestrian statue of Carlos III of Spain. Apparently he was the most able of Spanish monarchs.

Just off the plaza is the Museo del Jamon. It's not actually a museum but a tapas restaurant that heavily features jamón, Spanish dry-cured ham. Naturally the shop is a tourist drawcard.

As you can see from the hordes waiting outside. No I didn't join them.

Just a few minutes walk down Calle Mayor is Plaza Mayor (Main Square).

A bit further west, Mercado de San Miguel, which isn't a traditional produce market any more, but a venue full of stalls serving tapas and other gourmet foods. Last time I passed through, I had a jamón bocadillo and a slice of truffle cake.

Drinks and tapas.

Croquettes. And in the back row, albondigas (meat balls).

Teeming with people.

Oysters, and fried fish further down on the right.

Yum, baked goods.

One last look at the side of the market. I was in and out of there inside of 10 minutes; I didn't feel like mingling with the crowd for too long.

About 15 minutes walk north found me at Cines Callao just off Gran Vía, a major east-west artery.

Another building on Plaza del Callao, advertising a jazz festival.

Another view with a metro station entrance. The Madrid metro system is very extensive and can whisk you large distances which would require a long walk.

A view down Gran Vía, full of traffic, with gleaming buildings of many styles.

About 15 minutes walk found me opposite the Palacio de Cibeles, which is the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) of Madrid.

You can see that I had planned my walking path using knowledge from previous visits.

I got my lunch at Mercado San Antón in the Chueca neighbourhood.

There are the usual produce stores.

But on the top floor there are stalls serving meal from many cuisines.

I liked this mural. The bear is the mascot of Madrid.

It was a long way to walk back to my hotel so I went to the nearest metro station, Gran Vía.

Waiting on the platform.

I rested until the evening.

For the evening I decided to visit Parque del Buen Retiro. It's a large green space in the middle of Madrid.

I like the Spanish custom of taking a paseo (walk) in the evening.

In the middle of the park is the Estanque Grande with waterfowl naturally.

But this duck on the edge of the lake wasn't perturbed by the cat nearby. I guess they were practising convivència.

This is the Fuente de la Alachofa (page in Spanish) which translates as Fountain of the Artichoke. Interesting.

Further south is the Fuente del Ángel Caído (Fountain of the Fallen Angel), depicting the expulsion of Satan from heaven. It's claimed to be the only major sculpture depicting the devil.

I liked the look of these Italian stone pines with their foliage bathed in sunset light.

I exited the park near Atocha metro station and returned to Tetuán for dinner and to call it a day.

There are a few more pictures such as of Chamartin station where I boarded the train for the airport the next day, and from the few days I spent in Penang indulging in retail therapy, but this is a good place to conclude the blog of my time in France and Northern Spain. I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did.