We unpacked and found the room very modern and large for Europe. As I said we look down on the plaza and have two large double windows with French balconies so we can step outside. Luckily the windows are well insulated so not too much noise.
Our first venture was to take a Rick Steves' walking tour that started in our plaza. Once downstairs we found street musicians, crowds and lots to see. There are fountains and statues and three metro stops and more. We tried to see everything mentioned here and then walked down the street. First stop was a famous pastry shop and the cakes, Danish, candy and other sugary items were tantalizing. We decided to share a cream filled long doughnut type of thing. Very sweet and delicious. We walked on and got to Plaza Mayor where the tourist office is located. Got some information and saw some amazing living statues.
This plaza is ringed with cafes and bars and the buildings are neat. We walked out the other end and entered a high end enclosed food market. Oh did they have goodies there. I had a huge green olive stuffed with cheese and Jeff and I sampled some stuffed mushrooms with different fillings. A wonder for the eyes and palate.
We were getting tired so we headed back to our hotel stopping for Jeff to get a quick dinner and I had a yogurt with toppings at an outdoor place where we sat for a while and watched the world go by. Also saw some amazing street musicians. A trio from
Hungary with two of them playing instruments we had never seen before. They looked like harpsichords and played with a hammer. The third played a guitar and all were good musicians. They played a long rendition of Hava Nagila which made me smile.
Now we are in our room and relaxing. We hope to get up early and see some of the city and then visit the Prado. It is pretty cold and I wore a knit scarf to keep warm. At least it is not raining.
Photos: the view from our room, street scenes, a plaque marking the geographic center of Spain.
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