I began my tour of Madrid in Puerto del Sol looking for a statue of a bear.  My son told me about this and said it had an interesting story to it. 

The statue was constructed in 1967 and features a female bear and a strawberry tree.  The statue is a tribute to a brown bear that King Alfonso XI hunted on the hills around Madrid.  The female bear also symbolizes the fertile soil of Madrid, and the tree symbolizes the aristocracy.  The statue also represents the coat of arms of Madrid.

Once the bear statue was checked off my list of things to see, I headed toward the palace of Madrid. 

Plaza Mayor was next on my list.  This plaza dates to the 15th century and was originally called Plaza del Arrabal. 

As I was planning my trip to Spain, I purchased a National Geographic map of Madrid and circled all the sites I wanted to see.  One of these sites was the Temple de Debod. 

The next stop on my list was the Campo del Moro Gardens. These beautiful gardens were designed in the 19th century under the rule of Queen Maria Cristina.

This park is one of the largest in Madrid and belonged to the Spanish monarchy until 1868 when it became a public park. 

The last thing on my list to see in Spain came from a travel book by Rick Steves.  The Gran Via walk is noted by Rick Steve’s as Spain’s version of 5th Avenue.  This avenue in Madrid was built between 1910 and 1930. 

Here are some beautiful views on the Gran Via walk!

I spent five beautiful days in Madrid.  One of those days I spent in Toledo.  I spent another day on a day trip outside of Madrid.  It was a very special place steeped in Spanish history and beautiful architecture. 

The next blog will reveal it all. 

Stay tuned – the adventure continues!

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