Visiting Madrid for the First Time @ Madrid, Spain

Madrid is the capital of Spain.
We spent two nights in Madrid; however since we traveled through a travel agency that have fix itinerary to follow, we only had about 24 hours to walk around the city of Madrid because we had a stop at Cuenca when we drove from Valencia, and also spent a morning hanging out in Toledo.
I will blog about Cuenca and Toledo in my next separate post.
So, the first impression about Madrid was doing well.
I was impressed with the colour, the vibrant, the architectures and buildings that I saw.
But the city was super crowded, lots of people walking, shopping, eating on the street.
And of course, we did a lot of walking in Madrid too; strolling around the city, enjoying the sights and visiting most of the popular attractions in the city.



Reina Sofia


First stop at Madrid is the Spain's national museum of 20th century art, Reina Sofia.


The national museum showcase the masterpieces mainly from Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali etc.
Most of the masterpieces are focusing on feminism, dreams, the Spanish civil war, and the most highlighted one is the "Guernica" from Picasso.



It's a very well organized museum with different floors where you can spend a good afternoon browsing about the art pieces. 
"Guernica" indeed an incredible piece of art and that's also the main reason we visited this museum.
I also enjoyed the other works by Picasso, as well as the other artists, so many interesting stories to tell from a piece of artwork.


Plaza Mayor



The Plaza Mayor located in the heart of Madrid.
It is a major public space for the people of Madrid and tourists to shop, walk around, eat and enjoy the outdoors as the the plaza is filled with plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, dessert cafes, bars, street vendors, and souvenier shops.
The big space is so crowded yet very lively.



That colourful buildings and vibrant atmosphere at the plaza were so beautiful, how I wish I could stay at this main square a bit longer.
Perhaps a cup of coffee while watching the people walking around?!
Well, I heard the night life here is fun too. :)



We then slowly walked through the streets in Madrid, from one place to another place.







Never thought about it...the balconies in Spain, especially in Madrid are so creative in terms of architecture and built.
I enjoyed them everyday. :)
The balconies have colourful walls, looking so fresh, youthful and inspiring, some are even with interesting paintings too. 
Well, I've never been to Italy yet, but I heard my sister said that Italy also has the same kind of beautiful balconies too. :)


Teatro Real



Then we walked to the Plaza de Oriente, another beautiful plaza that surrounded by two of Madrid's most important buildings; the Royal Palace and the Royal Theater.
Teatro Real is the major opera house that hosting both local and touring opera production, as well as big concerts in Madrid.


Royal Palace of Madrid



From the Plaza Mayor, we walked to the Royal Palace of Madrid, the official residence of the Spanish royal family at the city of Madrid. 
This grand palace is the largest functioning royal palace and also the largest by floor area in Europe.
It is now only used for state ceremonies.
Well, we were supposed to go in and walk around the palace, unfortunately the palace was closed for a ceremony during our visit. :(


Monument to Philip IV



Other than the historic sites, one of the main sculptures in Madrid, he Monument to Philip IV also can be found in the center of Plaza de Oriente.


Real Madrid Stadium


I've been to Chelsea Stadium when I visited London in year 2014.
I wrote about my visit at Chelsea Stadium, and you can check out the post at HERE if you are interested about it.
So yea, Real Madrid Stadium is my second soccer visit in Europe. :)








The Real Madrid Stadium has a big museum that contains a wealth of treasures for the fans; a long written history about the team, a wall full of photos, hundreds of trophies, minutiae of the stadium etc.
If you are the fans of Real Madrid, I bet you gonna spend few hours there to explore the museum as this is the best space for you to learn about the soccer team, and also to travel back in time with the team and learn about their earliest victories.





I'm not sure about you, but I think visiting a soccer stadium in Europe is really a must!
The tour inside the stadium was insightful to learn about the team.
It's really a fun experience!


Monument of Christopher Columbus



The Monument of Christopher Columbus is located at a roundabout called Plaza de Colón to celebrate the 400th anniversary of his first voyage to America.


Julia Sculpture



Getting a picture with Julia Sculpture by Jaume Plensa at the Madrid Square.


Last but not least, ending this post with the Spain's most famous artwork that taking over the streets of Madrid.
Thank you for reading my Madrid post and I truly appreciate your time and effort.
Hope you guys enjoy reading and I can't wait to share with you guys about my next travel post in Cuenca and Toledo!
Till here...XOXO


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