For breakfast we decided to try Churros, fried batter sticks that you dip in a chocolate pudding like sauce. Can't be the best way to start your day but they are into it in
Madrid so we gave it a try. We went to a place called La Chocolateria San Gines that our book recommended and it was pretty good but we both agreed we probably woulnt be doing that again.
After breakfast we headed back to the Royal Palace since we couldn't get in the day before and waited in line for about 20 minutes to enter. We rented some audio guides to explan all the rooms as we walked through which was a good idea. The inside of the palace was really intricately and meticulously constructed and all the rooms looked amazing. I tried to take more pictures but they yelled at me shortly after I took the one above. Aside from loud tour groups the visit was very enjoyable. After the palace we stopped in the Cathedral of Almudena next to the palace then walked to the Temple of Debod park. The Egyptian government gave Spain an actual Egyptian temple in 1968, Egypt being grateful to Franco for helping to rescue monuments in Egypt that were threatened by rising Nile waters and here it sits. The temple has artwork on the interior from around 200 B.C. The park was nice and had great views over the city but unfortunately we just missed being able to walk in.
We walked to Mercado San Miguel for lunch which turned out to be a poor choice for where to hve lunch. We had both worked up quite the appetite and having to wait a combined 45 minutes once we got there to be served at the cheese, then meat, then soda counter really wasn't helping matters. I think we ate our food in 5 minutes including desert once we finally got it.
We stopped back at the hotel then walked to the Prado art museum which has one of the best collection of art in Europe and the absolute best of Spanish art. It has over 3,000 canvasas. The museum is free from 6 to close (7:30) so we arrived at around 6 and grabbed some audio guides. The museum has a ton of Goya, Velazquez, and Italian art like Titian to name a few. We started with Goyas "black painting" which were part of a later period of his when he was gradually detaching from the world and began mixing black printers ink into his colors to make them so dark and reflect his seclusion. We saw the famous paintings "Saturn Devouring one of Children" and "Colossus." all very cool stuff. We also saw his "2nd and 3rd of May 1808" which depicts a massacre by the French of Madrids citizens who were protestjnh the French occupation which happened right in Madrids Puerta del Sol. We finished the visit having not even finished floor one (of 2) so we knew we would come back the next day.
For dinner we were deteimned to have paella finally, which is saffron rice with some sort of sauce and meat and vegetables, very popular here. We headed out to a place we were planning to go only to realize it closed at 10:30 which is just ridiculous, but luckily found a good authentic place in Plaza Mayor right by our hotel. A lot of restaurants serve cheaper microwaves paella but this one was legit: it took 30 mibutes for our food to come out and was served in a huge pan that both of us ate from. We got it with chicken and vegetables. I though it was delicious, possibly my favorite meal of the trip. Alison was less enthusiastic about it.
A long day especially since we had to make up for the lack of progress on the day before but I think we it a lot done. Tomorrow would be just as busy.
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