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Today saw the return of the sun, which decided to stay out all day. I spent the day exploring the royal side of Madrid.
I made an effort to leave a little earlier today and arrived at the Palacio Real de Madrid (Royal Palace of Madrid) just after it opened at 10am. Nevertheless,there was still a little queue. I paid my 12 euro entrance fee, plus another 4 euros for the audio tour. Both proved to be excellent value for money.
The Palace was built on the orders of King Felipe V, to replace the Royal Alcazar, which had been almost completely destroyed by fire. Construction began in 1738 but was not completed until 1764. Therefore, the first monarch to continuously live in the Palace was Carlos III.
Although it is still the official residence of the King of Spain, the last one who actually lived here was Alfonso XIII, until the declaration of the Second Republic in 1931. It is still used for State Ceremonies and other similarly important occasions.
Covering some 199,000 square meters an consisting of 3478 rooms, it is the largest palace in Western Europe, double the size of Buckingham Palace.
Inside it is suitably grand and ornate, with many precious works of art and impressive decor. I spent over two hours in the main palace and the Royal Armoury exhibition. The audio guide was extremely informative.
Leaving the Palace, I hopped back on the Metro to cross the city to Banco de Espana, where I could continue from where I left off yesterday. I strolled down the side middle of Paseo del Prado, pausing at the Fuente de Apolo (Apolo Fountain) before arriving at the impressive Fuente de Neptuno.
This is in the Plaza de Canovas del Castillo, which is another busy intersection. Constructed between 1782 and 1786, it depicts Neptune standing on a carriage pulled by two sea horses with a fish tail. Surrounding the carriage are seals and dolphins throwing jets of water into the air.
The fountains of Neptune and Cibeles have become symbols for the city's football rivalry. Cibeles is the focal point for any Real celebrations, while Atletico fans head for Neptune.
My next port of call was Real Jardin Botanico (Royal Botanical Garden). Begun in 1781 as a centre for botanical research, it continues to serve that purpose today. They are currently setting up the lights for a Christmas enchanted trail.
Finally I wandered through the Parque del Retiro. The large park is full of many curios - the Palacio de Cristal being one and the highly impressive Momento a Alfonso XII, which sits alongside the Estanque Grand (literally Big Pond) which is a popular boating lake, as was very evident today.
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