Monday, September 23, 2024
This morning was the first unregimented day of our trip so we slept relatively late and relaxed with coffee and a leisurely breakfast while we enjoyed the nice rental apartment and the sounds and sights from the plaza below us. John and Nancy had arranged to meet an Air Force colleague of theirs from their service in Berlin, Germany, over 40 years ago. So, around 11:00 am, we started walking toward Plaza Mayor where the designated restaurant for the rendezvous was located. We deliberately took a circuitous route in order to see more of Madrid, and ended up inspecting the interior of the Church of Santa Crux (Iglesia de la Santa Cruz) on the way. We arrived at Plaza Mayor in time to walk around the entire large square under the peripheral arcade.
—— Church of Santa Cruz ——
—— Plaza Mayor ——
Nancy and John had a good reunion lunch with their long-time friend Jim and his husbnd, Jose, who have decided to make Spain their home country. The meal at Los Galayos was excellent but after too short of a reunion, we were saying our goodbyes so that Jim could make it to work on time.
—— Lunch with Jim & Jose ——
We decided to walk to Retiro Park making a quick stop by the apartment along the route which took us past a lot of interesting central Madrid sites including the Prado Museum.
—— Along the Route to Retiro Park ——
Retiro Park, or Parque del Buen Retiro, is one of the largest city parks of Madrid. The 350-acre park includes gardens, monuments, a lake, unusual buildings, and lots of green space. We enjoyed stolling through it and observing Spaniards and other tourists savoring the outdoors and pleasant weather. We paused to try out the park benches for awhile as well as to listen to a couple of music groups.
Eventually, we looped back through the park and walked back to our rental apartment where, in lieu of dinner, we snacked on cheese, crackers, and chocolate before retiring for the evening.
—— Retiro Park ——
