Up on the Roof

A beautiful sunny morning in Madrid and a bit chilly. We bought tickets for the hop on, hop off double decker bus and took a ride around the city for an hour and a half. We sat up top and all my photos are rooftops. Now this is not a bad thing as the buildings have magnificent roofs and decorations. Madrid is really pretty and so many parks and trees and boulevards. So much to see in a few short days.

As we drove we saw many churches and gorgeous apartment buildings and hotels. Lots of commercial structures with beautiful details. An abundance
of fountains and statues too.

One area we passed was hosting a demonstration and people clogged the streets and were setting off fireworks. Lots of smoke and commotion. We had also seen these planned scenes in Barcelona and they also have scheduled bus strikes where they bring the city to a halt. There is something going on tonight as I write. There were police everywhere when we went out earlier and a helicopter hanging around overhead. More about that in the next blog.

After our city tour we got off and found a cute place for lunch. I had an open face toast with Brie and olive tapenade which was delicious. Also some fresh orange juice which I have come to love and drink often. We then walked to the Prado and spent the afternoon admiring some of the world's greatest art.

My favorite was Bosch's Garden of Delights. I remember it from Art 101 and loved seeing it in person. Jeff liked it best also. It was amazing to see Titian, Rubens, Goya, Velasquez and Fra Angelico all under one roof. And let's not forget El Greco, alas not one of my favorites.

After the Prado we got back on the bus and took it home where we rested before our evening activity in the next blog.

Photos are city scenes.