Thursday July 6 - Madrid

The weather was hot.  The main stop today was the Palacio Real de Madrid (Palace of the King).  

Postcard of the palace from the air

We enjoyed the armory and the great ceilings in the palace.  

Afterwards we strolled through the gardens, which were only opened to the public about 13 years ago.  We wanted to see the Egyptian temple, but it was not open.  We did see lots of stray cats and kittens in the garden.  Views of the palace from the gardens. 

A tiny gas station we saw on our walks around Madrid.

The Temple of De Debod.  This is an Egyptian temple that was transported to Madrid in the 1960's.  When Egypt built the Aswan Dam many historical sites would be flooded by the rising waters.  So Egypt asked for international help in saving some of the sites.  In thanks for Spain's generous help the Egyptians gifted the Temple to Spain.  

Other sites from today's walks around Madrid.

Pantheon of the Kings