Desde la parroquia de Nuestra Señora del Carmen y San Luis. Limpieza extra para la semana santa. The interior of the church had been cleaned to a fare-thee-well for Holy Week.
Mariachis desde México en la Puerta del Sol. We heard and saw a mariachi band from Mexico in Puerta del Sol. They passed the hat and I was happy to contribute. I'm pretty sure they were authentic.
Statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree (in Spanish “El Oso y el Madroño”) is a sculpture from the second half of the 20th century, situated in the Puerta del Sol. It represents the coat of arms of Madrid, in the historical centre of the capital. [Wikipedia] the legend this statue represents goes back to the 13th century.
The Schweppes sign changes colors. We could see it clearly from the Gourmet Experience. Our hotel was, more or less, on the other side of that building.
Sunset from the Gourmet Experience outlook.
The Royal Opera House. Note that it is sunny. Of course it is: this is our last day in Madrid.
Aida was playing tonight.
Iglesia Catedral de las Fuerzas Armadas de España.
Iglesia Catedral de las Fuerzas Armadas de España. An interesting anme for a church. It means "Church Cathedral of the Armed Forces of Spain." It was started in 1615. It is also known as Catedral Castrense, which can make finding it interesting.
I liked the top of the church with its glass observation area. As with many of the older churches, finding a time when it was open for visiting was difficult. We did not get in.
La Catedral Real The Royal Cathedral is also known as Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena. It was begun as recently as 1883 and was "consecrated" by Pope John Paul II in 1992. Inside, it has the feel of a much older church--mixed with some modern touches.
Las puertas de catedral de Almudena. These doors are not often used.
This is one of the ceilings.
Some of the stained glass (almost all of it, in fact) is very nice.
This, despite its appearance, is not the main altar. In the center, just above the line of people, is a statue of teh patron saint of Madrid.
Estatua de Virgen de Almudena, patrona de Madrid. (siglo Xv o XVI) A statue of the Virgin of Almudena. This statue is a big deal. It is also big. I would say that from the base of the pedestal to the top it is 9 feet tall. Some like to claim that this is the same statue hidden in the city walls in 714 and uncovered in 1085, but that is highly unlikely.
El vitral se ve muy moderno. These stained glass windows are quite modern.
detalles de cúpula mayor. Details of the largest dome
I would like to have heard this organ play.
While the cathedral was begun in 1888 (or 1890), construction was sporadic and only fully resumed in 1950. It was finish in 1993.