Day 3 – Just great day in the city

We slept till almost eight o’clock when the city came alive. The hotel provided a wonderful breakfast on the rooftop. Enjoying our second cup of café con leche we planned our day. The Prado would be stop one.

Of course, like most art museums, no photos allowed. Suffice it to say, no picture I would take would capture the works of the masters. We headed to the door that we remembered as the entrance, but a sign directed us to the end of the museum. Buying our tickets on floor zero (ground level), we climbed the stairs to the first floor to clear security. Entering into the main hall we froze admiring almost two football fields of art on the walls. There were at least twenty-five smaller chambers off the main hall.

The first floor was primarily religious art. After about two hours, all the saints had been identified and the crucifixion recreated dozens of times, we headed to floor zero.

Immediately, we recognized where we were from our 1972 visit. Goya, Velázquez, and Menes filled the walls. We really wished we would have started here. The Prado was filling up quickly and the quiet viewing of the morning had disappeared. One thing of note was the amount of school groups. Children sat quietly on the floor while teachers overviewed the paintings. It was not he children making the noise, it was the hordes of tourists from near and far. It was time to exit.

Flanking the Prado are the Botanical Royal Gardens. It was well past lunch when we entered this quiet sanctuary. Flowers, birds, and trees provided a very serene environment. The seasons seem to be the same – peonies in full bloom and tulips done for the season. People wander about with almost no direction or sat quietly lost in thoughts. I could not help humming Eleanor Rigby when I saw this motionless woman transfixed on a garden.

We even saw a tree from home. The sign is talking about the tree… not Tom.

The day was warming up, but the shade and beauty kept us from experiencing the total drain from the sun like yesterday.

A stop for a snack at the garden’s café proved a great stroke of luck. The light snack, a bottled water, and a wonderful glass of wine were all good, but it was the waiter’s recommendation of a wine bar written on a napkin was the harbinger of great things to come.

The Plaza Mayor was a buzz with clean-up from yesterday’s festival.

It was tapa time so we headed to the Mercado San Miquel once again.

With a glass of Albariño in hand, Tom headed to the oyster bar. They ranged from 2.50 to 3.80 euro per oyster, but they were better than any oyster I had tasted before. Large and salty with the taste of the sea. Just Amazing!

We walked slowly back to the hotel.  It seemed everyone was enjoying tapas.  In this plaza mannequins watched over the diners below.

We returned to the hotel where we headed to the rooftop. The owner and chef were debating about the breakfast breads. We “HAD” to sample three different breads to help them decide. Tough job, but someone had to do it.

So, we were off to our recommended wine bar from earlier in the day.

Outside the tourist district and down a small street we located the bar. They were very friendly and the wines were excellent. We asked for dinner recommendation and the response was here… of course. Well, with a little concern we ordered with the waiter’s help.

 Janet had the cheeks of pig stuffed cannelloni with mushrooms.

Tom, octopus with paprika mashed potatoes and greens.

On a scale of 1 to 10 we would have both awarded a 12.

Dinner came to an end with a 50-year-old Pedro Ximenez dessert wine.

Very few things we have experienced have equaled this nectar.

The walk back to the hotel was short, but we could hear the bed calling our names.