The Road from Santiago

  Today is the big day of the reveal, but, to be honest, I am not going to be free to do anything about this until Wednesday so you have two more days to get voting. As we have nothing better to do, let’s go and get something to eat. Across the park we go and so to the monuments of Jacinto Verdaguer. Keen players of Caesar III will remember bunging statues in areas to improve the ambience and distract barbarian invaders, who would waste time destroying them while you mustered troops. This is one of them.  Jacint was a Spanish writer and priest, who has been named ‘Prince of Catalan Poets’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacint_Verdaguer   He died in 1902.  The statue went up in 1953. There are several pet based boutiques around here, including Gentlecan. It is a 4.8 star pet groomer.  https://gentlecan.es/   Four hours ago Berk wrote ‘ They are professional and punctual. No surprises on pricing, and our dog was not nervous at all. Thanks! ‘  Four days ...

  We are walking to El Retiro. I once did this with the son and heir. I suspect his mother was sleeping. We were staying in a convenient and cheap place known to the family.  I thought, here I am, a dad, doing dad things as the world rushes by. It was at the playground a Spanish lady taught me that the amount of Spanish I spoke was un pocoito, not un poco. Casa Salesas is restaurant in the Calle de Fernando VI.  https://www.casasalesas.com/  The website is a trifle cool. Let us look at brunch. 55 euros is the tariff.  Yesterday Elena said ' There are thousands of restaurants better than Casa Salesas, and with better value for money. The food was unremarkable. The tables were very close together and the atmosphere was noisy. I won't be back.' However Soukaina reckoned ' Excellent spanish food, full of colours and flavours. Ambience and decoration exquisitely chosen for an ultimate unique experience. The service is highly dedicated and David made sure everyon...

A short walk today - a mere 36 minutes Google wise.  We are passing the Alonso Martinez metro station. It gets 4.2 stars, which is fairly good. The most recent worded review is three days old.  Manuel said ' I got there by chance. We were just driving around and decided to hop off the car and have a coffee. We ended up spending quite a nice afternoon. I might be wrong, but this neighborhood seems to be one of the posh parts of Madrid. Either way, it's a beautiful place to spend some time waking around' The idea of the Metro came about in 1916. A Royal Decree decreed a four line plan. The plan was estimated at costing four million pesetas. 2.5 million was raised from various donors. Alfonso XIII stepped in and gave the other 1.45 million required. The first section was opened on 19th October 1919. Following Line 1, Line 2 opened in 1924, R in 1925, 4 in 1932 and 3 in 1936 - on the 9th August. Further lines were added, two in 1961 and so on into the 2000s. We are passing th...

We left our trawl through the History of Madrid in 1800.  As we wander back into the heart of the city we will do a bit more. In 1807 Charles IV agreed to let French troops enter France. As you may have guessed, the French decided to stay. On 2nd May 1808 they entered Madrid. The Madrilenos revolted and the French did beastly things - as Goya recorded. By 1812 things were going against the French and an Anglo-Portuguese force engaged in a short siege which ended with the French kicked out. This did not last long. Marshall Soult returned and Wellington quit. This annoyance did not last long and in 1814 Ferdinand VII was back and showing he had learnt nothing. Madrid did the things that a good capital should do. The Lhardy patisserie opened as did the Teatro Royal Opera house. The Naval Museum was founded, presumably to take advantage of the copious waters of the local rivers and the National Library was added, giving everyone a chance to find where the nearest sea was.  Of real...

 We are heading out of the central city for a bit of fresh air. We will start in the landscaped Jardines de Sabatini.  Tan is very descriptive. Just behind the Royal Palace, the Sabatini Gardens offer a more structured and elegant green space in the heart of Madrid. Visiting in winter at the beginning of the year, the gardens were moderately crowded, with tourists strolling along the symmetrical paths and stopping to admire the palace views. The bare trees and trimmed hedges gave the gardens a clean, almost minimalist appearance. The calm design of the gardens contrasts nicely with the busy areas around the palace. Fountains, statues, and carefully arranged greenery create a sense of order and balance, even in winter. Although the cold weather limits how long visitors stay, the atmosphere remains pleasant and relaxed. Overall, the Sabatini Gardens are a beautiful place for a short walk or a quiet pause. Despite some New Year crowds, the gardens still provide a refined and pe...