Madrid one more time 6

That same night after polishing off our delicious onion rings and organic burgers, we had a nightcap at Mama Ines,  a cafe in the Chueca district. Most mornings we had our breakfast here as well, since it was only about a 5-minute walk from our hotel on Plaza del Sol. At night, they serve more cocktails than coffee, but it's a relaxing spot at any hour.

We were back at Mama Ines the next morning for yoghurt with honey, muesli, a platter of fruit and decaff coffee for only €4 each. By now it was nearly noon (well, we were on holiday after all) and time for some fresh air and sunshine.

First, we rode a couple stops on the metro and walked up the road and through a rose garden until we found the terminus for the city's famous cable car, the Teleferico. West of the city centre is Casa de Campo, a vast forest and scrubland which is the city's largest park. The cable car trundles across the woods and takes visitors to an amusement park and viewpoint.

Along the way it crosses over the 'blink and you'll miss it' River Manzanares, which only has water in it because it is dammed up.

Back on land and we passed on the thrill rides at the nearby Parque de Atraciones in order to spend awhile just sat under a shade tree (even in September it was 90F or more each day). There isn't much else in the vicinity to do except walk around the woods, enjoy the views...

and maybe have a cold drink in the cafeteria (at nearly €3 for a Fanta, you can see how they make their money). A there-and-back trip on the cable car cost €5.20 at the time.

Back on the cable car and this dropped us back off near La Ermita, a small church which is rather fancifully known as 'Goya's Sistine Chapel.' There are actually two identical chapels next to each other, one being the deconsecrated original and the other a 1920s copy which was built so worshippers would no longer disturb the paintings by Francisco Goya which date back to 1798.

I wasn't allowed to take photos inside, so I've had to track down some other images. The paintings depict the miracle of St Anthony, when a murdered man was supposedly brought back to life in order to point out who had really killed him, thus saving the life of someone who had been wrongly accused of the death. 

 

 

Goya (who had not long before gone deaf) attracted controversy by using people off the streets of Madrid for the characters that populate the scene, especially as this was a royal chapel. Some of them look like real oddballs!

Not far down the road from La Ermita is the royal palace and gardens. The last time we had tried to look around El Campo del Moro, the gates to the gardens below the palace were shut. This time the gates were wide open so we popped in for a quick look. Despite the name, 'the Field of the Moor' is traditionally English in style: wild and lush, more like a forest than a pleasure garden.

This also means that aside from wandering the shady paths there is not much to see, aside from a grotto and a couple of fountains which weren't working at the time. The other two gates were both closed, so we could only make a circuit before making a beeline for an ice cream place around the corner.

Next time...Madrid on the cheap as we take advantage of some freebies!