Madrid,

Toledo and SEGOVIA

The Royal Palace in Madrid was built in the late 1700s. It’s the official residence of the king and queen of Spain, but in reality, they only hold official functions there. They live in a smaller palace in a town called Zarzuela, which is just outside Madrid.

This is the throne room in the Royal Palace. Tiepolo, a famous Italian artist, painted the fresco, and the crystal for the chandeliers came from Venice. Velázquez brought the bronze lions that flank the thrones from Rome.

The Prado Museum in Madrid is arguably the second most famous museum in the world. It has not only some of the most famous works of the Spanish masters (El Greco, Velázquez, Goya) but also works by painters of other nationalities, such as Rubens, Rembrandt, and Raphael.

The Parque del Retiro is an enormous park in Madrid filled with trees and bushes, footpaths, fountains, and sculptures. In the center of the park is a lake and a former palace that now serves as the Army Museum. A large walkway surrounds the lake, and there on weekends you find entertainers and food vendors.

The Plaza Mayor used to be the center of city life. Markets, concerts, and even executions were held here. A stamp market is still held there on weekends, and the shops that surround the square include specialty shops, clothing stores, and tourist shops. There are also several restaurants—expensive ones since this is still a center of activity. You find sidewalk artists here and, particularly in the evening, street musicians.

Madrid has two large fountains in the center of traffic circles, and they serve as landmarks in the vicinity of the

Prado. One is the Fountain of Neptune.

The other is called the Fountain of Cibeles.

The Puerta del Sol is not only the center of the city but also the center of the country. There is a marker there from which distances in the entire

country are measured. The Puerta del Sol is a big commercial zone with tourist and specialty shops, restaurants, and a department store

called El Corte Inglés, the biggest chain in Spain.

This is a monument to Cervantes at the Plaza de España. Cervantes is sitting in the front part of the monument, and Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are in front of it.

Toledo Toledo is about 45 minutes southwest of Madrid.

Toledo was built on a hill for defensive purposes. There’s a lot of up- and-downhill walking, but the town is so charming that you won’t mind. In Toledo, a medieval town, you’ll find wrought iron balconies with flowers overlooking narrow cobblestone streets.

Toledo sits on the Tagus river, and to the left you see one of the bridges that crosses the river. Toledo’s main attraction is its cathedral.

Toledo is known for two handicrafts: swords and Damascene jewelry. The Moors brought the technique for making the jewelry from Damascus, and it’s a skill

frequently passed from

father to son. They take

steel and etch a design into

it with gold leaf. They then

put it in an oven to refine it,

and what isn’t gold turns black.

SEGOVIA Segovia is 53 miles northwest of Madrid

and contains both a modern area and an old town.

Segovia is famous for its aqueduct and its castle. The aqueduct dates from the 1st centure after

Christ. The castle, built in the Middle Ages, was gutted by a fire, and most of it was restored in the

19th century.

And the best thing is that if you go to Barcelona, you can take a bus to

Madrid and then to Segovia and Toledo for a

total of less than $80!