jetjunkies

April 29, 2026

Madrid a large city of 3.4 million in the city proper and over 6.8 million in the metro region as of 2025. It is the largest city in Spain and was founded in the 9th century. It is also my favorite large city. The metro makes it so easy to move around the city and there is so much to see.

Our first full day we bought our Metro card and headed for Parque del Buen Retiro a 350 Acre park near the Prado and Acalá Gate. It has cafes, monuments, fountains, an artificial lake, galleries, exhibition buildings, gardens and many little paths that make the city seem to disappear. Pete and I both love parks. They are especially lovely in Spain were you can watch extended families gathering for walks or picnics, friend groups doing the same and younger people wheeling out their elderly neighbors, grandparents or friends to enjoy a visit together. There seem to be a more children in Spain too, which is a bit of a mystery as we saw hardly any pregnant women.

The park was created in 1680 and belonged to the Spanish monarchy until it became public in 1868 during the La Gloriosa a Spanish military revolution, that disposed Queen Isabella II, when the country moved to a provisional government Sexenio Democrático that started on 29 September 1868 with the overthrow and ended on 29 December 1874 with the Bourbon restoration, when Isabella’s son Alfonso XII became King after a coup d’état (Wiki). The sexenio spawned the most progressive 19th-century Spanish constitution, dedicating the most space to the rights of the Spanish citizens.

After some serious people watching and working on our Duolingo Spanish we decided to go to one of the best fine dining restaurants of our trip.

A short walk from the park we immensely enjoyed our meal with starters of fresh sautéed morels, scallops, then John Dory for me and Monk fish for Pete, then an incredible tart lemon meringue with ice cream for dessert.

We took the metro back to the hotel, we were so full we could barely waddle.

The next morning we got an earlier start to a viewpoint next to the Royal Palace that Pete had a desire to visit.

Since we were right there, we thought we’d take in the Royal Collection Gallery. Three floors of artworks: paintings, sculptures, tapestries, weapons and armour, clocks, musical instruments, objects made of precious metals, furniture, carriages, books, documents, etc. The collection ranges from the Catholic Monarchs to the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties, reflecting the personal tastes of the various

sovereigns and their families.

Many of the monarchs collected tapestries, Isabella the Catholic Queen collected a large number and came to own more than three hundred, which were sold at public auction after her death.

Please note that the sculpture above was created by a woman, which was inconceivable for the time. She was appointed court sculptor to Charles II in 1692, the first woman to receive the title.

If you expand the photo of the painting above you will see the absolutely incredible detail of this floral painting.

Much to the surprise of those who expected him to name an heir from his own dynasty, Charles Il stipulated in his will that the Spanish crown would pass to a Bourbon: Philip, born in 1683, the grandson of Louis XIV of France. This decision had a major impact on artistic tastes and court manners.

Charles III, son of Philip V, came to the Spanish throne as a mature leader with years of experience in government, and he took steps to modernise the country.

Madrid in particular benefited from his urban planning and architectural initiatives, giving the city an appearance befitting its capital status. He also mounted scientific expeditions to the Americas.

He opened a Royal Porcelain Factory in Madrid and supported the royal workshops and the Royal Tapestry Factory founded by his father, where Goya received his first court commissions.

Francisco de Goya (1746-1828)

In 1799, Goya was named chief court painter to Charles IV.

Some of his earliest court assignments were cartoons for the Santa Bárbara Royal Tapestry Factory, a finished sample of his tapestry cartoon is above.

Well that’s it for the Royal Collection although obviously there was much more including a somewhat confusing and long lineage of Spains various royal families.

We have arrived home after a fantastic trip and dive into Spanish culture and language. We absolutely love Spain and the Spanish people. So, that’s it for now….more next time.