Wednesday 29 April 2015

Parque del Retiro, Madrid

I was lucky enough to visit this lively, interesting and colourful park in Madrid recently. The park has many interesting features at every turn from sculptures, statues, decorative gardens, follies, lakes and ponds. 

Adding to all these is the lively and ambient atmosphere - street entertainers and buskers performing for the crowds with a whole assortment of music, magic, puppets, fortune telling and circus acts. You can feel the atmosphere of a carnival as you wander around.

The boating lake is busy with tourists and locals enjoying themselves with a leisurely row around the lake against the stunning backdrop of the Monument to Alfonso X11 - its colonnade scattered with sun worshippers just watching the world go by in Madrid's own relaxed pace. 

The Palacio de Crystal is another stunning feature: framed with trees and its lake mirroring its grand structure. The lake is teaming with terrapins, which elegantly swim and duck and dive and give more entertainment for the crowds. 

There are plenty of cafes, shady trees and grassed areas - it is a huge park with big open spaces to wander around or just sit and picnic and enjoy a mixture of hustle, bustle, yet tranquility at the same time. 

Somehow it manages that perfect balance of both as you step in and out of the liveliness and go back and forth into pockets of calm and greenery. 


Colourful flower displays, monuments and statues are scattered around, as you wander the large pathways.




Freshly flowering lilac trees mix with exotic palms evoke calm and tranquility.




The boating lake is a lively area, lots to stop and see besides the stunning scenery.





Fountains, water and greenery surround the Palacio de Cristal and terrapins swim calmy and serenely oblivious to all the hustle and bustle. 






Cherry blossoms in full bloom spill over the waterways. 





The Fuente de la Alcachofa makes a stunning sight, further down the pathway is another stunning view across a formal garden area of pools and box plants. 




Ancient trees add to the magnificent vista. 


For more about my journey to Madrid and why I wanted to travel there click on the link below to my Transplant Blog:











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