A Spanish holiday

Visiting Madrid in June

As a gift for my recent retirement, we booked a one-week trip to Madrid, Spain. I left behind more than 30 years of a professional career in software development and design, with some regrets, mostly regarding the loss of attributes that defined me, but hopeful of finding new ones by shifting my focus towards art.

My aim was to find on-site inspiration for my painting in this city, famous for its modern architecture built before the Bauhaus era and untouched by WW2. Beforehand, I prepared a relatively detailed sightseeing plan by reading and selecting the most representative landmarks within walking distance of our accommodation at the Catalonia Hotel in the Cortes neighbourhood.

I am planning to write more details about our experiences at the landmarks shown on the map above. For now, though, this is the list of attractions we saw there:

• Plaza Mayor
• Retiro Park
• Prado Museum
• Royal Botanical Garden
• Cibeles Palace
• Academy of Fine Arts
• Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena
• Royal Palace
• Walking on the Gran Via

Besides that, we took an organized day tour to see the cities of Segovia, Avila, and Toledo.