I took a train from Valencia to Madrid and then a taxi to my hotel located on the Puerto del Sol. The Puerto del Sol is a beautiful square in the heart of Madrid. I was too early to check into my room, so I left my luggage with the receptionist at the hotel and had lunch at the hotel restaurant. My room was upgraded to a balcony room overlooking the Puerto del Sol.

After settling into my hotel room, I was off exploring the city. The one attraction on my list for my first day in Madrid was the Almudena Cathedral. My GPS was leading the way when I came to a beautiful site – the Mercado de San Miguel. I had just finished eating lunch; however, I made a note to visit the market after touring the cathedral.

This beautiful cathedral is the seat of the archdiocese of Madrid. Its construction began in 1883 and was consecrated by Pope John Paul II in 1993.

A beautiful statue of ***Saint John Paul II*** stands in the courtyard before the entry doors of the cathedral.

To the right of the ***Saint John Paul II*** statue was another ***homeless statue of Jesus.*** I wrote extensively about this statue in my blog titled: The Gothic Quarter.

The doors of this cathedral, as in many other cathedrals and basilicas, tell a story.

When first entering the cathedral, I could see a staircase in the distance. I wasn’t sure what the stairs were leading to, but I continued my tour as I do with every cathedral. I always walk to the right to make sure I do not miss anything.

The side altars were amazing with so much art and beauty.

One of the side altars was dedicated to ***Saint John Paul II.***

Another side altar was dedicated to the ***Holy Trinity.***

The ***Stations of the Cross*** were beautifully displayed on the large columns of the cathedral.

The main altar was located in the center of the cathedral.

To the right of the main altar were stairs with people walking up and down on both sides. I was curious to know what was at the top of the stairs.

The sign at the bottom of the stairs read – Subida a la Virgen – which translated in English means – Climb to the Virgin.

At the top of the stairs was a beautiful statue of the ***Blessed Mother and the baby Jesus.*** Behind the statue were a series of paintings that told the story of Jesus and Mary from the Annunciation to the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

After descending the stairs, I noticed a beautiful chapel. This chapel was lined with gold mosaics on each wall displaying the story of Jesus, the Holy Family, and some of the miracles Jesus performed.

After exploring this beautiful cathedral, I was ready for a snack and my thoughts immediately went to the Mercado de San Miguel.

This was the best market I had seen so far. In the center of the market were high-top tables. A high-top glass bar was also located around the perimeter of the market. Most of what was displayed at the market was tapas and of course, desserts. The goal is to order what you like and then find a place at one of the high-top tables and enjoy the variety selected.

The olive bar caught my eye. As I waited for my turn, I met two young women from Missouri and Texas. This was their second time at the market and so they filled me in on what to do. It was their first time, however, at the olive bar and so we explored the options together before parting our ways. After selecting several olive options, I headed to one of the high-top tables and enjoyed my tapas snacks!

This was my first day in Madrid. I would be embarking on a special day trip from Madrid in the morning and wanted to get a good night’s sleep. This was the beautiful sight from my hotel balcony at night.

I am quite excited about exploring more of Madrid. But tomorrow, I will be on an early train to a special day trip destination near the capital.

Stay tuned for the next blog that will provide all the details of my first day trip from Madrid.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of this adventure so far.

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