Madrid - Buen Retiro Park & Crystal Palace-Oct8

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We began our first full day trying a breakfast of Churros and chocolate.  This was beautifully served but in my mind would be a better afternoon snack than a breakfast and a little is more than enough.  ( the point being if they offer you the option of sharing, by all means do).  Also, it is not a substitute for coffee .

Leischen had told us about a wonderful glass palace in the Madrid Park.  She was not able to find it and was only in town 24 hours.  After walking the park for hours we came across the glass greenhouse used as a museum. (Empty for the next two months)

  The Buen Retiro Park ( Meaning "Pleasant Retreat" )was built for the monarchy in Madrid in 1561.   The Spanish king of the time was determined to have something as wonderful as the hill land retreats of the Romans.   The palace itself  was outside the city, but the coolness of this area was a wonderful retreat for the royal family.    It has only recently been given to the pubic as a park  ("recently" by European terms.... 1900ish)

The prism light from the Palace windows gives fabulous colors throughout the inside.

We walked the grand avenue with about 50,000??? People.  We logged in 26,000+ steps and really needed that nap before going out for dinner on the plaza.  Dinner starts at 9 pm here,  Don't be late, you won't get a table

Madrid is very warm and welcoming.  You can see by the huge sign on their administration building.

We also went to see the painting by Picasso called Guernica.  This has became one of the most pivotal works for Europe as a statement of war.  Franco allowed Hitler to practice dropping bombs on the  small Bask Town of Guernicia.   Picasso painted this for the republic to share the terrors of war of what the rest of Europe would soon live through in the upcoming days of WWII.  Because it spurred so much outrage against both Hitler and Franco it had to be moved to NY, until 1981 when Spain was finally free of a dictator.