madrid
Madrid is in the dead center of Spain for a variety of practical reasons too numerous to expand upon here. My plan was to visit my cousin Jennifer Greer, who was living with a host family in the city not far from the Prado museum, one of the world's most famous art galleries. I took the train from Barcelona to Madrid and booked a room at the Hotel Alfaro, which was on Jennifer's street, Ventura de la Vega. The street is not only close to the Prado, but to the Puerta del Sol as well. The Puerta del Sol is the center of Madrid, and therefore of Spain, and it is the official point from which all distances are measured.
For a brief moment at the marker stone of la Puerta del Sol I am the only person at the very center of all Spain. Then the next tourist is.
Jennifer and I pose in front of the Palacio Real. Madrid has long been the seat of Spanish government, and of the monarchy. Nevertheless Juan Carlos, the successor to Francisco Franco, decided not to reside at the traditional home of the monarchy. Instead Madrid's impressive Palacio Real is used only for ceremonial functions, and is generally open to the public.
The Palacio strikes the visitor as an expensive building. You wouldn't build one like it in Newark, New Jersey, for example. It is worth a visit if you're in town and enjoy touring palaces - this one reminded me of an urban Versailles, and the interior is breathtaking.
