I left Newark December 16, 2015 at 8:40 PM Eastern time and arrived in Madrid at 9:40 AM local time. It was a beautiful winter day with clear skies and the temperature in the mid-50s.I knew I was going to hit the ground running, so after arriving at the hotel I changed clothes, stuffed my camera gear in my backpack and headed downstairs to talk with the concierge. I explained I was only in Madrid for a day and asked for recommendations on what I should see. He recommended I take the train to the Plaza Mayor and then walk to El Retiro Park.  Along the way he said I would pass the Circulo de Bello Artes. He explained this building has a rooftop café providing an excellent view of Madrid.

Armed with a plan and a map, I left the hotel and walked about 3 blocks to the Ruben Dario subway station where I boarded the train heading to the Opera station.  Five stops later I arrived at my destination and walked the remaining few blocks to the Plaza Mayor.

Approaching Plaza Mayor

Panoramic view of the Plaza Mayor

Plaza Mayor

I spent about two hours in the Plaza, had lunch and then proceeded to walk towards the Circulo de Bellas Artes.

As I passed through the Puerta del Sol I came across this statue of the bear and strawberry tree.

According to the website http://www.madridtourist.info/puerta_del_sol.html,
“ The Puerta del Sol is also the location of the most famous symbol of Madrid: a 20 ton statue of a bear eating fruits from a tree. The official name of the statue is ‘El Oso y El Madroño’. According to legend the original name of the city was “Ursaria” (“land of bears” in Latin), due to the high number of these animals that were found in the adjacent forests, which, together with the arbutus (“madroño” in Spanish), have been the emblem or symbol (The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) of the city from the Middle Ages.”

I continued my walk towards the Circulo de Bello Artes, however as I arrived I discovered the building was closed until 5 PM, so I continued towards the Cybelle Palace (also known as thePalacio de Comunicaciones).

From there I walked to El Retiro Park.

King Alfonso XII monument in Buen Retiro Park

Wikipedia article describing the Park

This is the Paseo de la Argentina in Buen Retiro Park.

I spent about an hour and a half in the park then walked back to the hotel where I had dinner. As soon as the sun went down, I retraced my steps back to the Plaza Mayor.

Madrid as viewed from the Circulo de Bellas Artes

Street artist in the Puerta del Sol

Plaza Mayor

Christmas tree in the Plaza Mayor

It was getting late, so I took a cab back to the hotel completing an excellent visit of Madrid.