Madrid on Foot and by Bike

On our second full day in Madrid we set out to see the National Library. 

On our way, we found a monument dedicated to the Spanish Armada and one of the biggest flags I've ever seen. 

La Puerta de Alcalá

We also saw some amazing statues and fountains along the way. The National Library has a museum that talks about the history of the printed word. 

However, only students or other government officials have access to the actual library. I was kind of looking forward to comparing Spain's library with our Library of Congress.

Next, we set off on bikes to explore another nearby park. This park is the second largest park which includes a small botanical garden (home of some peacocks) and a gorgeous rose garden.

Bree loves the bike riding 

Dana really enjoyed the park 

It was different riding bikes in Madrid in comparison to Amsterdam. There weren't as many bike lanes and some areas were tight. However, in the park it felt just right. 

Super Nel attached the Gopro to the bike 

Not my sexiest outfit but at least nothing ripped while riding. 

This looks like I'm wearing a pirate hat. 

A huge beautiful rose garden with a fountain inside. 

The park has huge pond inside and people were out enjoying the sunshine while rowing boats in the pond. 

We loved riding bikes in this park. There were areas with sidewalks and other areas that were dirt roads. Every path had additional paths to take and different areas to explore. 

Super Nel got this shot of me. He made me ride around this fountain in circles many times while he played with the functions on my camera.

We found this botanical garden in the park and it was a peacock sanctuary. There were female and male peacocks and they were everywhere!! Some were even hiding in the bushes. 

Can you spot them? 

They are so beautiful. 

When peacocks squawk, they sound like the bird Kevin from the movie Up. That's how I knew they were at this gatden. I could hear them! 

We played "who can get a better peacock selfie." Here's Dana trying to get her photo. 

Here's mine

Couldn't help but get a few with these guys. 

This one loved to follow Super Nel. 

A female peacock-no bright blue feathers

Some of us were lazzzzzy and took a siesta on the grass. 

This peacock watched the siesta crew.

The view from one of the paths. 

We tried to see as much as we possibly could in three hours. After three hours our bums were getting sore so we went back to walking.

Later that evening we joined a walking tour called "The Secrets of Madrid." It was advertised as a tour that takes you through the back alleys of Madrid and shares some of the scary tales that are a part of the history of this city.

The beginning of the tour started at 7:30pm and most of the stories were related to history of the city. However, as the sun set the stories got darker and darker and you started to get chills up and down your body.

I loved walking around the city at night. 

One of the most interesting stories we heard on the tour was about the Monestary of the Barefoot Nuns. These nuns don't allow themselves to be seen by anyone as part of their religion. They live in a monestary that allows visitors but closes down at 1pm to allow the nuns to shower, do daily chores, eat, etc. 

It was a busy and fun filled day in Madrid and it ended with a delicious dinner. We happened to find a place with a two for one deal on sangria the day before. The pitchers were much bigger than in Barcelona, so we had everyone grab a glass and help us drink up the good stuff-including the Little Superheroes.

Read about our last day in Madrid next.