Madrid one more time 10

Leaving behind the Fundación Lázaro Galdiano we made our way to one of Madrid's main thoroughfares, the Paseo de la Castellana which eventually becomes Paseo de Prado further along where it passes the city's three major art galleries.

At this end of the boulevard and near the junction with Calle de Juan Bravo is the rather grandly named Museo de Escultura Al Aire Libre, or Open Air Sculpture Museum.

To you and me though, it's a few lumps of stone and metal strung along an underpass, but it's a free diversion if you find yourself in the neighbourhood.

Honestly, I was more impressed by the reflections that a nearby office block was making on the pavements.

Further along and the National Archaelogy Musem was closed for a complete refurbishment, so we'll have to leave that for another trip. This did however give us a chance to admire in the plaza next door what must be Spain's largest flag which flies over a rather lumpen monument to the country's 'golden age' of discoveries.

 Evidently the flagpole is 150 feet tall and the flag is 60 feet long so it's hard to miss.

The last stop on our day of freebies was to return to the royal palace to see if the crowds had eased off a bit (they hadn't). And who can blame them? Admission is usually €10 a head, but free on Wednesdays.

Although there were probably 100 people in front of us the queue went fairly quickly. Also, the place is so massive (33 acres!) that the crowd dispersed - there are 2800 rooms here in Europe's largest palace.

All I managed to put in my journal at the time was that these were the most sumptuous rooms I'd ever seen, so the sheer vastness and vulgarity of it all must have knocked me speechless because that's all I had to say about our visit! Visitors are only allowed to take photos while in the courtyard, so I have had to crib a few photos of the interior which are below to give you a taste. 

 

 

I did sneak this snap from a window that overlooked one of the internal courtyards:

Back outside and there is a finely framed view of the Almudena Cathedral, the foundations for which were laid in 1879.

Not completed until 1993, it's one of the least interesting places of worship I've ever visited and nearly featureless inside.

Elsewhere in the palace complex there is large hall of armour to round off a full day of freebies. Click back next time for more photos, more places to eat and a trip out of town to beautiful Toledo.