Goodbye Portugal, Hello Madrid

      Portugal was an amazing country with a completely different people and culture. It was now time to head back into Spain for the last leg of our trip. On our way to Madrid we stopped in Salamanca and went to the center of town to grab a bite. Salamanca had a much younger crowd, and we learned that it is an important university city, which attracts many international students. The university, which is the oldest university in Spain, draws many tourists and students because of the well known Spanish language programs.

After Salamanca, we made it to Madrid. I was truly in awe when we got to Madrid.  It is the capital city of Spain and it is full of life. Our hotel was on Grand Via, which is the main street in Madrid. We got to watch various protests and marches on the streets surrounding our hotel. During our stay,  we also saw the World Pride Parade. There were millions of visitors for the pride parade; the city was packed.

Protests in the street for security guards

The building with the red lights is actually Madrid's famous post office

The iconic "Metropolis" building

   
          For our second night, we went to see a Flamenco performance. Flamenco is a popular Spanish performance that consists of cultural song and dance. We saw this at a small venue and were able to experience the performance very close up, even meeting the performers after the show.

Flamenco Performance

     The next day, we took a guided tour of Madrid to learn about the city. Our guide _ took us to the geographical center of Spain, kilometer zero. This is the location from which the roads are measured.

 Kilometer Zero

We did a lot of sightseeing throughout the bustling city, then we went to Palacio Real, meaning the Royal Palace. It is the official royal palace owned by the Spanish state and is used for special ceremonies. 

Royal Palace

     After seeing a few more sights, we decided to go to El Retiro park. This is one of Madrid's largest parks. There are beautiful gardens and lakes. You can canoe in the lake and bike around. This was an amazing park with a perfect location to escape the busy city life. 

Lake at El Retiro Park

Monument across the lake

      In the next post, I will tell you about our trip to Toledo and our final days in Spain.