Madrid - Palacio Real de España

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Spain and most of Europe is suffering a heat wave.  Temperatures all over the country are in the high 30Cs and low 40Cs.  Here in Madrid, the temperatures are hovering around 39C.  We have a lot of experience with those temps so they are tolerable.  Lots of water and as we walk along the streets we dart in and out of department stores where the air conditioning is set on "chill".    We are in the center the major tourist area and we are taking advantage of the sites.   Anxious to move out of the big city and into the countryside, we return to the airport tomorrow to pick up the car for our trip north.  We don't expect the weather to cool much but we will be passing through higher altitudes.  

Yesterday, we took off early in the morning to form the line for the Palacio Real.   A huge complex of wealth and royalty.  The lines were long but moved very quickly.  Three lines; groups, purchased tickets, and those without tickets.  We took our chances and got in line about 15 minutes before opening without tickets.  It was fast and we were in before we knew it.  We took advantage of the 65 and over prices and paid 6€ or half price.  It was well worth it.

Walking through the esplanade of the palace after paying for the tickets.  People-watching is the best for me in addition to walking through the covered arches along the sides of the palace.  I can only imagine what life was like and how they lived.  

The main hall and staircase take you up to the apartments where the royalty lived.  If you've watched the "Crown" on Netflix it gives you a good idea of what life was like.  All of the European royalty was related and the Hapsburg family played a huge roll in most throughout the 15th to the 20th centuries.  

The ceilings are lined with beautifully hand-painted murals.  Ceilings are mostly angels floating around above us while the tapestries that line the walls depict the daily life of rural areas and citizens.  In fact, many of the tapestries were initially sketches made in the 16th century and woven 200 years later.  It truly brings things to life and how people lived, worked, and even played.  Unfortunately, I can't share those views.  After we left the main halls cameras were forbidden. 

It's funny the lengths people will go to for "forbidden" pictures.  We watched as a man told his kids to "cover" for him while he took photos.  Another couple, blatantly took pictures and were told twice to stop and threatened with having their phones taken away and the pictures erased.  

The interior courtyard of the palace.  Seeing someone walk through there (staff only) looks quite demure compared to the size and height of the palace.  

The current royal family, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

We're not into guided tours and groups but what we saw that we may try is the tablet tour.  You receive a tablet and recorded information that takes you from room to room, painting and display.  The people we saw using that were free to roam and seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit.  I'm not sure about the cost but if we run across it again, we may give it a try.

Much more to share.  Today we are visiting the Palacio de Cristal and the surrounding park.  We will pack up this afternoon to head out early in the morning for the airport.  The metro takes about 45 minutes but is easy to use.  Google Maps has been a great app for us.  Yesterday we were a bit turned around and used "Maps Live".  You point the phone at the surroundings, signs, buildings, and streets and arrows appear on the screen directing you.