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.)
