Looking out from our hotel terrace, we could see a thick expanse of trees in the Parque del Buen Retiro, the Park of the Pleasant Retreat. Once the site of a royal palace, which was destroyed during a war, the Park was opened to the public in 1868. It is quite large and very popular. There are many beautiful trees and flowers as well as numerous buildings, statues and fountains. We spent some time wandering through the park before dinner.
This is a map of the Park. As can be seen, it is large with many different walkways wending through the Park.
This is one of the entrances into the Park, the one we entered. The entrance was across the street and close to our hotel.
Just pass the entrance there is a pathway lined with statues of famous historical personages.
This is the Estanque del Retiro, the Retiro's Pond. In the back you can see a statue of King Alfonso XII. You can rent boats here to row across the water.
This is the famous statue of the Angel Caido, the Fallen Angel. It is said to represent Lucifer, and may be the only such statue dedicated to a fallen angel.
Just one of the beautiful fountains within the Park.
The architecture and decoration of some of the buildings is amazing.
This is the famed Crystal Palace, which usually contains artwork. For some unknown reason, the Palace contained mounds of logs. Not sure if that was supposed to be an artistic expression or not.
It was a very enjoyable walk through the Park. And it helped us work up an appetite for our first dinner in Spain.
No comments:
Post a Comment