Madrid del los Austrias - or how the other Royal half live...

Palace of the Spanish Habsburgs - the Palacio Real
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Nothing beats a continental breakfast..

One of the pleasures of Europe is to sit down at a pavement cafe.Bliss is breaking rolls and sipping hot morning coffee in the early sunshine. My find was just north of my hostale on Plaza de Cheuca. This hidden away square hides a METRO station but hides an excellent cafeteria where the locals start their day with their first cigarette and a churro (hot chocolate) to wake them up. Unlike the Costa resorts you need a smattering of Spanish here in Madrid to make yourself understood. I managed to purchase a cuenta de casa (bacon baguette) without making too much of a fool of myself.

Its not every day you get to see a real live 'Throne Room' and it was a real explosion of baroque - glittering chandaliers, brown and gold decor, ornate tapestries..

A major piece of parkland in the middle of the city - the Casa del Moro
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Then it was off to explore Madrid del los Austrias - the royal segment of the capital. I started at where I had finished last night - Plaza Mayor. The narrow alleys south and west of the Plaza are pure timetravel but eventually lead you to the epic buildings surrounding the Palacio Real. The great royal palace of the Spanish Bourbons is enormous, stretching in grey baroque splendour for 150 meters. Its exterior was covered in balconies, statues and built in white Colemar stone. Even at this time in the morning the hot Castilian sun bounced off the white stone and made the eyes water.

Plaza del Cibeles - Madrids fairytale postoffice..
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The Spanish Bourbons built the Palacio in 1764 as a monument to the might of Spain. Nowadays its 3000 rooms are used for ceremonial occasions with King Juan Carlos and Reina Sofia preferring more modest habitation.The concourse leading up to it is huge and one side is a marble balustrade. Its only when you approach this balustrade that you realise the Palacio is perched on a cliff in the middle of a city. And the green Casa de Campo (Field of the Moor) stretches to the horizon.

850 pesetas gets you inside this marvel. I'm rather a connoisseur of palaces and this one was very impressive. Its not every day you get to see a real live 'Throne Room' and it was a real explosion of baroque - glittering chandeliers, brown and gold decor, ornate tapestries..The King and Queen of Spain sat on a dais holding two thrones surrounded by lion statues. The other rooms were just as impressive. The 'Sala Porcelana' was decorated in exquisite 'chinois' porcelain and the dining room chandeliers so big hung from the ceiling they almost touched the tables. Frescoes on the walls showed the meeting of Colombus, Ferdinand and Isabella and finally there was the 'Capilla Real' - a chapel so opulent that gold clothe cushions were on show to protect the royal knees.

Back in the sunblasted heat and the rest of the day was spent aimlessly wandering the streets between the Gran Via and Paseo del Prado. Bristling with life they showed Madrid at its most interesting with many a Bordega covered in azulejas (painted tiles). When I got tired in the heat of the day I pulled up a seat and ordered a sherry and waited for my feet to recover. There were lots of little touches to Madrid that made it unique. First were electronic signs at nearly every junction. They showed the time and temperature at regular intervals and were very useful - today was 34 degrees in the shade. Even the pigeons immersed themselves in the fountains to keep cool. Talking of birds the pedestrian crossings made the most extraordinary noises when activated - like the trilling of birds. On more then one occasion I involuntarily glanced upwards to see what was making the noise.

East of Puerto del Sol is Calle Jernonimo which is lined with expensive hotels, restaurants and hordes of banks but eventually breaks into the massive Paseo del Prado at Plaza de Cibeles (just north of here is the Museo Thyseen-Bornmizsas). Plaza Cibeles is the junction seen in all the tourist brochures. The goddess Cibeles stands in her chariot drawn by lions splashed by gushing fountains. Behind her is a fairytale edifice of white towers and crenelations. It looks like another Bourbon palace but is in fact the main post office.

An extraordinarily grand way to buy a couple of stamps. But thats Madrid for you - it doesn't do things by halves.