Favorite Places

Hola!  Time is going by and the boys and I will leave Spain in less than two weeks (David will stay here until mid-May).  Here are the places that I loved most in Madrid over the last few months:

1)      Plaza Mayor – I am drawn to this plaza with all of its arched doorways leading to other parts of Madrid and the lively street performers.

2)      Parque del Retiro/Botanical Garden – This park attracts all kinds of people, including musicians.  It’s got a pretty little lake flanked on one side by a massive monument of marble lions and bronze mermaids.  There’s also a botanical garden next door to the park that the boys and I enjoyed running around in this spring.

3)      Paseo del Prado – This is a beautiful street with some of the most gorgeous buildings and fountains in Madrid.

4)      Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza – I liked this art museum best of the three I visited including The Prado and The Centro de Arte Reina Sofia (the MoMA of Spain). 

5)      Lago – We spent many days walking near this lake close to Casa de Campo.  It has a huge fountain in the center, two fabulous playgrounds nearby and nice restaurants by the water.

Outside of town, within easy travel distance from the city, our favorite places are:

1)      Segovia

2)      Manzanares de Real/La Pedriza

3)      Toledo

4)      Cercedilla/Cotos

We've spent a lot of our time in the neighborhood near our apartment.  I described in a previous blog, the big project along the Manzanares River close to where we live (http://brandesspainadventure.blogspot.com/2011/01/out-and-about.html).  Almost everyday we have walked along bridges and walkways to see the project, along with many other people.  It is almost finished now. Here are some pictures:

A view of the project from a historic bridge

The boys on the bridge

The O man

Another view of the project

We’re renting a car tomorrow and heading to the mountainous north of Spain into the wild county for a week.  Can’t wait!