Today was walking day! The weather continues to be fine and over 30C. It's a very dry heat and not unpleasant.
We headed out on an extensive search for breakfast (next door) which cost €6 for us both, better than €40 being charged by the hotel. Fortified, we caught the metro to Atocha to visit the Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. This place was difficult to navigate and half closed. After roaming through frankly boring exhibits, we found Picasso's Guernica. This work represented Picasso's dismay at the bombing of Guernica by German planes in 1937 during the Civil War. It was an early taste of what became the Blitz over London in WWII. He bequeathed the work to Spain, but only once democracy had returned to his country. Seeing it in person, it is certainly a powerful piece.
After a reviving coffee we headed to the Parque de Buen Retiro. El Retiro is a haven in central Madrid, about half the size of Central Park in New York but better appointed. There are heaps of cafes scattered around and a couple of impressive buildings, especially the Crystal Palace. These are used for exhibitions. We had lunch looking toward the Alfonso XII monument.
A lot of people were cycling, running and walking about as well as rowing on the estanque - the lake. They do have a boat numbered 99!
From here we caught the metro (there's a station on the very edge of the park) to Palacio Real. This is the official royal court and the family moved out to the Zarzuela some time ago. Given the generally gaudy decor, I don't blame them! The palace is nonetheless spectacular. It was built by Felipe V after the previous one burnt down on Christmas Day 1734 - never trust those candles on the tree. Phil wanted to show off to his relatives in Paris and Vienna by out-building Versailles and Schonbrunn, however at his death the Palace had only been 25% completed - that's still 2800 rooms! Many of the frescoes were by Tintoretto. From the look of the paintings of some kings and queens, the artist clearly wasn't paid to make them look good. Or maybe they did their best with what they had to work with.The building is impressive and was well worth the visit.
From there it was another reviving bebidas (drink) and back to the pool.
Dined locally at a restaurant with not much variety but good service and no rip-off!