Madrid II Old and New

We visited the Temple of Debod on one of our bus stops. It is a 4th century B.C. Egyptian temple that was donated to Spain in 1968. It was moved from the banks of the Nile just before the area where it was built was flooded by the Aswan High Dam. We didn't actually get to see the inside because it was, of course, closed when we arrived. I chose this picture (courtesy of Shari) because it captures the old and the new of Madrid. It is a thriving, busy modern city but still has standing churches and buildings dating back to the 15th century, and excavations have revealed that people have occupied the area far before that. Europe is different from the States in this way--we are such a young country. Our oldest buildings in America are like new construction in comparison to here!

On this trip we discovered why Madrid is aptly named "the city that never sleeps." The restaurants started getting busy around eleven p.m. or later, and people were out (in the streets, clubs, restaurants, etc) all night. After all that they then sleep in late, eat breakfast, work a little, lunch and then siesta when the city shuts down at mid-day, then work a little more before doing it all over again (so we were told).

Below you see me in La Puerta del Sol by a statue of the symbol of Madrid: El Oso y El Madrono (the bear and the Madrona tree). On this trip we enjoyed eating in the many Plazas (below, eating tapas in the beautiful Plaza Mayor at sunset), strolling the Botanical Gardens, exploring the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and Shari and Pat went to the Prado. There are museums and exhibitions galore, too many to see in one short trip. We only wish we hadn't missed the Royal Palace three times...