8.11.2008 - 15.11.2008 Wondering around Madrid - Visit to El Retiro

One nice and relaxing tour in Madrid is to visit El Retiro (Jardines del Retiro de Madrid), which is an enormous park of 118 hectares that was once owned and enjoyed just by the royalty. Nowadays this park is a really great spot, where one can spent and entire day, especially in summer. It is a Central Park of Madrid, very pleasant, also in November, with the cold, one can enjoy its beauty.

Fuente de los Galapagos - Galapagos fountin

The Galapagos fountin in the Park was constructed in 1832 to celebrate the birth of the queen Isabel II.

The statue seen at the end of this nice lagoon, situated in the Park, is the Monument to Alfonso XII, that the queen Maria Cristina had ordered to do in honor of her deceased husband. This nice lagoon can be seen also by boat, that you can rent there. Apart from countless Statues and Monuments dedicated to the kings of Spain and also Queens, as is the Galapagos fountin, there are also nice Palaces in the Park. One of them is the Velazquez Palace (Palacio de Velazquez).

Palacio de Velazquez

The Velazquez Palace was built between 1881 and 1883 as a central pavilion of the National Exhibition of of Mining, Metallurgical Arts, Ceramics, Glassware and Mineral Waters, which were celebrated in Madrid between May and November, 1883.

I was particularly fascinated by the painting of the pavilion, as you can see in the picture below.

Another really spectacular Palace in the Park is Crystal Palace (Palacio de Cristal). Really awsome, as you can see from the picture below.

Palacio de Cristal

In front of the Crystal Palace there is a wonderful fountain and trees in the warm red autumn colours, really awsome. The red trees are growing in the water. A pretty awsome view.

fountain n front of the Crystal Palace

Another amazing, but almost night view of the Crystal Palace.

Palacio de Cristal

The Crystal Palace was built in the 1887, it served as a pavilion to lodge exotic plants brought for the purpose of the General Exhibition of the Philippines, which was celebrated in that year in Madrid.

This park is amazing, and my guide, my brother-in-law was so gentle to accompany me to this wonderful place and told me a lot about its history and the monuments. A really must see place without a doubt.