The Parks of Madrid
Spain is a country that believes in having parks for its people. Every Spanish city is graced with numerous parks and public gathering areas. These are meticulously groomed and maintained by an army of dedicated, uniformed workers. Madrid is a perfect example of this. About 20% of the area of Madrid is occupied by parks. Beautifully designed, populated with sculptures and other artistic works, as well as numerous water features. It is a philosophy and way of life here. A tribute to a relaxed, balanced way of life. Below are two examples of Madrid parks.
Parque del Buen Retiro
The Parque Buen Retiro dates back to the early 1500s. It is a giant, 350-acre work of art in the very center of the city. We visited this giant park on an overcast, sprinkly Sunday. The crowd of over a thousand persons is enjoying a concert by a full orchestra. Plastic lawn chairs are provided free of charge.
The orchestra is situated on the giant "bandstand". Excellent mix of classical and popular music.
Sculptures and fountains are everywhere.
Lots of fun stuff for the kids.
A large lake in the center.
Landscaped walks spread out in all directions. Some through heavy forest.
Everything beautifully maintained.
Yoga classes are available. The instructor came running over to us to give us her business card so we could arrange to call and join her class. Really nice.
One of the many exit gateways gives access to the Metro stop.
Last look.
Parque de la Montana
This park is located on a hilltop just north of the Royal Palace gardens. It is a large park with an unusual attraction at its center.
That attraction is this very unique Egyption temple. Called the Temple of Debod, it was a gift from the Egyptian government in 1970 when it was threatened with flooding due to the Aswan Dam. It is an authentic Egyptian temple dating back to the second century BC.
Not the normal park decoration.
The western side of this Parque de la Montana looks out (on the right) over the giant Casa del Campo Park, which is Madrid's largest at a whopping 4500 acres.
The view south is of the Royal Palace with the Cathedral just behind it.