Photography

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If you find your way to Seville be sure and visit the Alcazar, you won’t be disappointed. When we first passed it, I was not so sure I wanted to go inside but Cynthia was ever so slightly insistent so I agreed.

We queued up in a relatively short line and we were inside in no time.

The place really gives you a sense of the Moorish history of this region of Spain.

In all honestly, it was difficult to shoot in a way that captures the size and the magnificence of this place. All I could do is try to highlight some things that caught my eye:

Click for full size

Click for full size

The detail in much of the ornamentation was just gorgeous

The most surprising feature was the garden/park within the fortress walls. Fountains, giant palm trees, rose gardens and more on a scale as to boggle the mind. I bet we could have wandered for hours and not seen it all

Click for full size

Click for full size

Interestingly enough, the garden was very cool temperature-wise. It also seems to be the home of some wild parrots. They fly way up in the canopy of the tallest trees so we haven’t had a good look, but they appear to be some type of green ring-neck. Hopefully one of us will grab a snapshot of one before we leave.

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We ended up cancelling one of our day trips (Valley Of The Fallen and El Escorial) so we had an extra day before heading off on the next leg of our journey tomorrow which is Seville.

The sun was up and it was a glorious day so we opted to take another run at Retiro Park since it was overcast and rainy the last two times.

We stopped off at the local Starbucks and I noticed this sign hanging over the station where you doctor up your coffee with cream and sugar and so forth…

Click for full size

Cynthia and I were rather amused by the warning symbol featuring the purse and the hand…

After getting our coffee we proceeded to the Metro station and rode to Retiro Park. Am I ever glad we went again. The weather was perfect and I was able to re-shoot some things, like the The Fuente de Alcachofa (Artichoke Fountain)

As well as some detail shots…

And, more importantly, The Fountain of the Fallen Angel

I’m particularly fond of this one…

Click for full size

We continued to wander the park and we saw a puppet show called El diablo y El Panadero

And as we were leaving we noticed the oddest tree

Click for full size

We set off in search of a vegetarian restaurant that was recommended to us called La Isla Del Tesoro (Treasure Island). As it turns out, it’s health food restaurant and it’s very nice. Certainly not a tourist trap.

Cynthia enjoyed her meal of pasta and zucchini. I had a veggie burger that tasted more like an oatmeal sandwich. Cynthia asked how it was and I said it was “a delightful blend of textures and flavors, some of which resembled food”.

Regardless, it was filling and Cynthia had a good meal so it worked out.

We headed back to the hotel and we took a 2 hour siesta which I really needed as I am starting to feel a little worn around the edges.

Tomorrow is the high speed Ave train to Seville. Should be a nice change of pace for a few days.

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In Madrid it’s almost as if smoking is mandatory. Everywhere you go, you see people smoking. With most restaurants offering sidewalk dining there’s no problem sitting down for a meal and lighting up. At one point Cynthia asked the waitress if smoking was allowed (she was concerned I was breaking the rules) and the she looked surprised. She said (in Spanish) that we’re outside, why would you NOT be able to smoke? She seemed dumbfounded.

If it weren’t for the army of sanitation workers patrolling the streets with there brooms, dust-bins and walk-behind mechanical street-sweepers this place might resemble one huge ashtray.

There’s even the local joke that the reason the Spanish Guardia Civil tricornio hat is flat in the back is so it will be easier for them to lean against a wall and smoke without damaging the hat.

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Oddly enough, you can’t buy cigarettes in the local stores. You have to go to specialized tobacco shops to get them or purchase them from a vending machine in a bar. And all tobacco products are labeled with a huge sticker warning you of the hazards of smoking.

Since I am travelling abroad I am taking the opportunity to show my opposition to a certain US foreign policy

Mmmmm….cuban cigars! Viva La Resistencia!

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The Rick Steves guide book indicated that the Egyptian Temple of Debod was a good vantage point to catch the sunset in Madrid. Since it is a relatively short walk from the hotel we decided to head out after our siesta and catch it.

When we were there earilier in the day I surmised that as the sun went down the palace and the cathedral would be well lit for a photograph and I was right…

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A small crowd gathered as the sun slowly descended toward the western horizon. It was absolutely beautiful and quite romantic…

Spain is so lovely at night. This is the cathedral that you see in the center of the first picture and is right next to the royal palace

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We grabbed dinner at one of the local restaurants and drank some sangria while chatting with some fellow travellers who were from Toronto, Canada. Oddly enough, all the English speaking tourists we have interacted with have been from Canada.