Visit Spain, Visit Madrid…

Or so the players of Real Madrid tell me…Oh, man, I’ve seen SO much today in so little time…Here’s a rundown of my fave sights so far…

Well, first there was this really awesome monument that consisted of statues and a fountain…I can’t quite remember the name of it, but it was built to honor Miguel de Cervantes (probably the most famous writer in Spain’s history) and all of his literary contributions–not just to Spain, but to the world…

…The man himself, Cervantes…

…And of course, what’s a monument dedicated to Cervantes without his two most famous characters–Don Quixote and Sancho Panza…

Next, there’s the gardens known as El Campo del Moro (“The Land of the Moor [or Morrocan]), completed in the late 18th century…In 1109, Alí Be Yusuf attempted to conquer Madrid for the Muslims, but failed…The place where he camped his troops is where the gardens are today, and although many kings had the idea of turning this land into a garden, it wasn’t until 1844 when plans actually got finalized…

Included in the garden are various types of trees, fountains, pathways, statues, and small houses, and there can be seen in the gardens a mixture of artistic styles–Neo-Gothic, Romantic, etc….There’s also a museum, El Museo de Carruajes, but it’s closed, :-/…

…The Palacio Real in the background…

…Imagine how stunning this place must be in springtime…

And who could forget El Palacio Real (The Royal Palace), the former place of residence of the Spanish monarchs…After the Alcázar Real (Royal Fortress) burned down in 1734, Felipe V ordered the construction of this exorbiantly lavish palace…Construction was started in 1738, but the whole thing wasn’t finished until 1892…There are over 3,400 rooms, and while I would have gladly attempted to peruse through all of them, only 20 are open to the public…Also, like many the historic places I’ve been so far, no pictures were allowed inside (because some idiots couldn’t respect the “no flash” rule and ruined it for all of us), :-/…Well, I’ve got some good pictures of the outside, and some awesome pics from the Internet…