We left Santiago early this morning for our flight to Madrid.

We arrived at our apartment after lunch. We are very pleased. It is a beautiful place, comfortable and within a 15 minute walk from most of the sights we want to see, and a 5 minute walk from the Metro station for convenient airport access. Our host also surprised us with several groceries to welcome us!

We spent the afternoon walking around to cover some of the city’s landmarks.

Our first stop was the Puerta del Sol. The Square was filled with people celebrating the national holiday- Columbus Day. Next we walked down Calle Arsenal to the San Gines church, and stopped at a local restaurant famous for churros and chocolate – yum!!

Next stop was the Royal Palace and botanical gardens. For EU residents it was free admission into the palace after 4:00. The line was very, very long!

We walked through the San Miguel market- a very busy favorite stop for gourmet tapas. Since it was Columbus Day it was unusually busy!

Tomorrow we are going to do as much outdoor sightseeing as we can, since Wednesday it is supposed to rain all day. It is extremely dry here, and they need rain- just wish it could wait 1 day.