On this particular night, at medianoche, or midnight, the streets had an almost magical feel about them. We’d skipped the early evening ritual tapeo, the parade between tapa bars for sipping and sampling, opting instead to dress up and head to the elegant bar at The Westin Palace Hotel, just a couple blocks from our apartment.
Built in 1912 by King Alphonso XVIII, the building looks and feels like a palace. We’d walked across an expansive, elegant lobby to reach the cozy dark-wood paneled bar where we sipped wine and people-watched the night away.
But too soon medianoche, that magical hour (and bedtime) was calling. As we stepped out of ‘the palace’ we saw this magnificent structure – perhaps another ‘palace’ - across the street:
(Click on the photo to enlarge it.)
Love Madrid. Wonderful memories of those tapeos. Thanks for sharing. Great shot!
ReplyDeleteGreat photo :)
ReplyDeleteThat is stunning! I am thinking about going to Madrid this winter. Any advice on accommodation? I'm a little surprised at how pricey it seems to be.
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for the comments!
ReplyDeleteNancie, we had the same sticker shock when we went to Madrid (of course we had unknowingly picked the Patron Saint's Festival Week which added to the costs). We ended up renting an apartment from http://www.spain-select.com and they were great to deal with (check out our review on Trip Advisor for Moratin Apt.) Another possibility is to do a search for Hostals, some of which were very nice looking, like Hostal Cervantes which was just a few blocks from us in the Prado area. Another's that had a beautiful exterior was Hotal Casanova.
I just came back from Barcelona and can't wait to see Madrid. I love night shots too.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a beautiful place to stay
Love the shot - especially the angle of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice evening you had. Nice shot of that beautiful old building!
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