Our last day in London was spent at the Victoria and Albert Museum and then a walk into Hyde Park, a place we haven’t been for 35 years! Still the same.
Tuesday 29 August – Flight from London to Madrid. We checked into the Westin Palace Hotel and were upgraded to give us continuity in the room once we joined the tour. Early evening was a walk around the surrounding streets to orientate ourselves and then a tapas dinner at a small local pub. The Palace hotel in very central to all museums.
Wednesday – Breakfast in a small cafe was interesting – a large toasted roll with pureed tomato and milky tea. For the morning we took a walk to the Museum of Archaeology which holds a fabulous collection of exquisite carvings made from stone and ivory, gold crowns, pottery and rare Andalusian glass. There was a replica of cave paintings from the Atamira caves in N. Spain. After lunch we walked back towards the hotel to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum which contains one of the world’s foremost private art collections – old masters from Holland, France,Germany, Italy as well as modern works. Painters such as Hans Holbein, Carpaccio, Caravaggio, Rubens, Renior, Degas, Jackson Pollock, David Hockney. There was also a special exhibition of Venetian Renaissance artists.
Thursday – We decided on a quiet day. Caught up with the UniWorld Rep and took a walk to Parque del Retiro, a huge and beautifully manicured park in central Madrid. The weather was warm, many people on the lake in boats. We viewed the Crystal Palace which is like a huge glass house now used for special events.At 4.15 we joined a neighbourhood walk with a guide, Ana. Even though we had covered most of the area ourselves she gave a very informative commentary of the history of the area and suggestions for eating. With a Canadian couple we walked to the oldest pub to have a drink before finding a restaurant in St Ana Plaza.
Friday – Today we took the Go Active tour which involved a bus tour of some areas of Madrid then a 11/2 hour walk through15th, 16th 17th century Madrid called the Hapsburg area. The areas included wonderful old buildings from each era. The bus then took us to the Prado Museum where our guide Ana, gave us a most informative tour of some old masters. We decided to stay on and after lunch viewed more rooms. At 6.30 we headed off for dinner and a Flamenco Show. The dinner consisted of tasting plates of Spanish cuisine which was delicious. The dancing was excellent – very energetic – with 2 female and 1 male dancer, all with international reputations, accompanied by two guitarists, a drummer and three singers.
Saturday – our last day in Madrid and we are on tour to Toledo – a World Heritage site about an hours drive from Madrid. Toledo is built on a hill surrounded by the Tagus River which gives it natural fortifications. The buildings are Muslim, Jewish and Christian dating from the middle ages. The three cultures managed to live in harmony. We had a great walk around narrow alley ways and cobble stoned streets. After returning to Madrid we walked to the old City Hall taking an elevator and steps to a viewing platform which gives beautiful views of Madrid.
Sunday – We leave Madrid and head towards Portugal and our ship which is waiting at Vega de Terron near the border. On the way we call into Salamanca an old university town with a tour of the UNESCO designated old town.
