The capital of Spain is a city filled with beautiful parks, monuments and pedestrian-friendly areas. Staying with friends makes the experience seem less touristy and certainly more interesting. The morning temperature of 30°C (86°F) was a bit daunting, but the low humidity and the light breeze made our day less sweaty.
The stadium where the Real Madrid Fútbol team plays its home games is where we began the day. There is a major renovation going on both inside and outside, so we skipped the very abbreviated tour and headed to the city center. First stop the San Miguel Mercado. There are always so many options to choose from, all of them delicious.
Sated with far too many tapas, we walked to Puerta del Sol, one of the most popular city squares. Puerta del Sol translates to the Gate Of The Sun, and it served as one of the 15th C. gates to Madrid. This pedestrian square is considered the center of Madrid and of Spain. There is a plaque on the ground which denotes Kilometer Zero. (Every time I tried to photograph it, someone walked over it). There are several statues, my favorite is the bear and the strawberry tree (El Oso y el Madroño), the symbol on the coat of arms of Madrid. The two chariots being pulled by horses over the BBVA bank building also charms me.
A short break in the Plaza Mayor was the next stop. The square is filled with restaurants and souvenir shops, buskers and bright sunlight. The local residents are not pleased with the musicians and have signs hanging from their windows.
El Retiro is one of the largest city parks in Madrid. The park belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868, when it became a public park. We explored and relaxed in all of its shady areas on this very hot day.
The sun sets after 10:00pm which adds extra hours of enjoyment to the day. We returned to our friend’s home and took a long walk exploring the neighborhood, then relaxed by the pool and finally enjoying Spain beat France in a Euro quarterfinal match.
Me gusta Madrid!
Where is Wendy 
I was away myself, so I did not get to comment on your Azores posts, but wow, I loved seeing them.Madrid is beautiful. I’m sure you will go to the Prado, a magnificent museum. The nearby https://www.museothyssen.org/en is a favorite of mine as well. For me however, the real moment is at the Reina Sofia, seeing Picasso’s Guernica. The first time I saw it (I have been there twice) I burst into tears.
Also, at Puerta del Sol at midnight on 12/31 you eat 12 grapes as the bells toll!
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Now I want to go visit the rest of Spain!
That’s great that you’ll be in Spain for the Euro final! Viva Espana!
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