Where in the world are we?

Madrid is the center of the universe!  Ok - maybe not the universe, but it is the center of Spain.  And there is a mile marker to prove it!  The roads to ALL other cities in Spain start from this very spot! Puerta del Sol

After an amazing breakfast at the hotel, a small group walked through the Plaza de España. Our first sight of the day was the monument dedicated to Miguel de Cervantes - the writer of the famous book Don Quixote (considered the first modern novel - one of the most translated books in the world).  It even has biblical references.  Stacy says he’s going to check it out when we get home [I’ll wait for his summary; he is my favorite librarian now].

Our morning walk through the park ended with a quick detour to Egypt! It was a surprise because only a few of us had our passports with us since we were just a few meters from our hotel.  The Temple Debod was dedicated to the Supreme Egyptian god Amun Ra-and was a gift to Spain - literally disassembled, transported and reassembled in Madrid back in 1970. It would have been destroyed by water when the Aswan Dam was built so they gave it to Spain.  Now they want it back (How rude)!

We will have to come again to go inside (our friends said it was something to see). I missed my opportunity today when I got distracted by a large outdoor exercise group in progress. I actually worked up a sweat!

Maybe we’ll come one evening to enjoy a beautiful sunset in this peaceful setting!  Stay tuned for our next trip to Egypt by way of Madrid.