Madrid,

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• Madrid,
• Toledo and SEGOVIA

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• The Royal Palace in Madrid was built in the
  late 1700s. Its the official residence of the
  king and queen of Spain, but in reality, they
  only hold official functions there. They live in
  a smaller palace in a town called Zarzuela, which
  is just outside Madrid.

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• This is the throne room in the Royal Palace.
  Tiepolo, a famous Italian artist, painted the
  fresco, and the crystal for the chandeliers came
  from Venice. Velázquez brought the bronze lions
  that flank the thrones from Rome.

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• The Prado Museum in Madrid is arguably the
  second most famous museum in the world. It has
  not only some of the most famous works of the
  Spanish masters (El Greco, Velázquez, Goya) but
  also works by painters of other nationalities,
  such as Rubens, Rembrandt, and Raphael.

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• The Parque del Retiro is an enormous park in
  Madrid filled with trees and bushes, footpaths,
  fountains, and sculptures. In the center of the
  park is a lake and a former palace that now
  serves as the Army Museum. A large walkway
  surrounds the lake, and there on weekends you
  find entertainers and food vendors.

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• The Plaza Mayor used to be the center of
  city life. Markets, concerts, and even
  executions were held here. A stamp market is
  still held there on weekends, and the shops that
  surround the square include specialty shops,
  clothing stores, and tourist shops. There are
  also several restaurantsexpensive ones since
  this is still a center of activity. You find
  sidewalk artists here and, particularly in the
  evening, street musicians.

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Madrid has two large fountains in the center of
traffic circles, and they serve as landmarks in
the vicinity of the Prado. One is the Fountain
of Neptune.
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The other is called the Fountain of Cibeles.
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The Puerta del Sol is not only the center of the
city but also the center of the country. There
is a marker there from which distances in the
entire country are measured. The Puerta del Sol
is a big commercial zone with tourist and
specialty shops, restaurants, and a department
store called El Corte Inglés, the biggest chain
in Spain.
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• This is a monument to Cervantes at the Plaza
  de España. Cervantes is sitting in the front
  part of the monument, and Don Quixote and Sancho
  Panza are in front of it.

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Toledo

• Toledo is about 45 minutes southwest of Madrid.

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• Toledo was built on a hill for defensive
  purposes. Theres a lot of up- and-downhill
  walking, but the town is so charming that you
  wont mind. In Toledo, a medieval town, youll
  find wrought iron balconies with flowers
  overlooking narrow cobblestone streets.

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• Toledo sits on the Tagus river, and to the
  left you see one of the bridges that crosses the
  river. Toledos main attraction is its
  cathedral.

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• Toledo is known for two handicrafts swords
  and Damascene jewelry. The Moors brought the
  technique for making the jewelry from Damascus,
  and its a skill
• frequently passed from
• father to son. They take
• steel and etch a design into
• it with gold leaf. They then
• put it in an oven to refine it,
• and what isnt gold turns black.

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SEGOVIA

• Segovia is 53 miles northwest of Madrid and
  contains both a modern area and an old town.

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Segovia is famous for its aqueduct and its
castle. The aqueduct dates from the 1st centure
after Christ. The castle, built in the Middle
Ages, was gutted by a fire, and most of it was
restored in the 19th century.
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• And the best thing is that if you go to
  Barcelona, you can take a bus to Madrid and then
  to Segovia and Toledo for a total of less than
  80!