Monday, April 11. Today we went to El Parque del Buen Retiro, a 320-acre royal park originally created for the Real Sito del Buen Retiro palace. The palace was built in 1632 by King Phillip IV as a retreat for the royal family. ("Retiro" means retreat.) In 1808, during the Peninsula War, French troops stationed in Madrid used the palace and accompanying buildings as barracks. In part because the palace was constructed with low quality materials, the harsh use by the French caused irreparable damage. The palace was therefore later demolished.
When built, the park was outside of Madrid, but the city has since expanded around and far beyond the park. The park has a large artificial lake, the Estranque del Retiro. In 1922, a grand statue of King Alfonso XII was built next to the lake. See pictures of the kids rowing in front of Alfonso below. Between here and Sevilla, Haughton is now an expert rower and Ridgely is on her way.
Again, we played at the park near our apartment too. See photos below.
While in Madrid, we are staying in a residential neighborhood (still within the city), where few people speak English. We have enjoyed frequenting the fruit stands and supermarket. We have relied on both the metro and the buses. It's been a more local experience and a lot of fun.
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