This was the first photo from this trip. Yan liked the cartoon ad.

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Paseo del Prado (the street) has a very wide median that makes it like a small park.

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This is one of the streets (probably Calle las Heurtas) where we looked for a restaurant. Had to take this one for the writing on the walk.

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We walked around a bit after visiting the Prado, but ended up at the hotel restaurant. It was actually written up in the New York Times and was pretty trendy. We ended up with sitting at the window. Since we were in Spain, we decided to start dinner with sangria.

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I think this was Spanish ham on top of bread.

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Fried eggplant. We thought these were fried potatoes at first.

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Patatas bravas. This was our first exposure to this tapa dish. This was by far the most elaborate presentation of this spicy potato dish.

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This was steak with a chimichurri sauce.

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The walls and ceiling were decorated with the restaurant's symbol.

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This mural was also a major piece of the decor.

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Plaza Mayor. This square is quite a gathering place for tourists. There are restaurants with outdoor seating and various performers.

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A small parade passed through while we were there.

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MadridSpainPlaza Mayor

Palacio Real. This is the palace. Now, it's mainly for tourists, but occasionally, it's still used for royal functions. When we visited, a military band was performing outside. This is the east side of the palace. The visitor entrance is on the south side.

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This is one of the sitting areas in the Plaza de Oriente. It's just east of Palacio Real.

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This is a wider view of the Plaza de Oriente with the statue of Felipe IV. The Palacio Real is in the background. There are several more statues to the left and right.

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Two Asian tourists get a snapshot with some Spaniards in traditional dress.

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This is the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena. It's just south of the Palacio Real. This photo is taken from inside the courtyard of the Palacio Real.

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This is the western side of the Palacio Real's courtyard. To the left, you can see a garden.

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This is the main entrance to the palace.

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We picked up audio guides at several sites on this trip.

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MadridSpainPalacio Real

MadridSpainPalacio Real

This is a leg of a bench inside the Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena.

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A view of part of the ceiling of Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena.

MadridSpainCatedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena

The middle door on the east side of Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena.

MadridSpainCatedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena

Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Almundena.

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Inglesia Catedral Castrense.

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Plaza de la Villa.

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MadridSpain

MadridSpain

We stopped for a late lunch just west of Plaza Mayor at the Mercado De San Miguel. This is a indoor market with several restaurants and food shops. Here you can order tapas and eat it at the counter. We had lots of different seafood based dishes.

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Ham (with feet) for sale.

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Dried and butterflied fish.

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This is Mercado De San Miguel from the outside.

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On getting back to the area near our hotel, we saw a large gathering of people. A small group had flags and masks. We think it was some kind of protest that was about to start, but our limited Spanish wasn't enough to know what was happening.

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Grilled vegetables and fish for dinner.

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The local fire fighters were on strike. They actually camped overnight in the median of the Paseo del Prado. Several of them were in a restaurant watching a soccer match.

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Another parade passing through Plaza Mayor.

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MadridSpainPlaza Mayor

MadridSpainPlaza Mayor

MadridSpainPlaza Mayor

We passed the Palacio de Comunicaciones many times coming from the Banco de Espana metro stop, but we finally took a closer look about an hour before we had to catch the bus to the airport. This ornate building is actually the central post office of Madrid!

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Inside the Palacio de Comunicaciones.

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MadridSpainPalacio de Comunicaciones

MadridSpainPalacio de Comunicaciones

You won't find such color furniture at a US post office.

MadridSpainPalacio de Comunicaciones