20261022 Thursday, October 22, 2026. Panoramic Madrid Tour

20261022 Thursday, October 22, 2026. Panoramic Madrid Tour

Still adjusting to jet lag, we found ourselves awake at 5am so getting up for the 7 a.m. breakfast was not an issue.  The Hyatt Regency Hespira breakfast buffet was pretty basic for a business class hotel, offering a full selection of breads, pastries, cereals, fruit, and basic hot entrees (scrambled eggs, finger potatoes, tomatoes, beans, fried rice, and English bacon) but no custom egg/omelette station or other exotic hot entrees.  

The coffee offered at the tables was terrible, tasting like poorly made Folgers instant coffee, but there was an automated espresso drink maker to save the day.  They also had high-tech KitchenAid toasters that baffled a lot of guests because they had a button you had to push to have the toaster automatically lower the slices into the slots and a sliding lever that adjusted to browning.  Most people tried to use the lever to lower the slices and gave up, assuming the toasters were broken.

We discovered that the window in our room opens into an airshaft courtyard with no view of the city.

We got to meet up with the full Viking Hemming Pre-cruise Madrid extension group.  There are a total of 12 travelers, all from the US, and most are Viking veterans like ourselves.  We were loaded up into a large Sprinter-based mini bus with about 0 seats, so there was room to spread out, and it was comfortable.  

Our tour took us around the major tourist places of interest, and our guide, David, was very informative.  The driver even took to driving us around some of the traffic circles so we could see all sides of the monuments at the center and buildings around the major traffic circles.  Among these is one dedicated to Christopher Columbus. 

Several others have monumental fountains depicting various Roman gods and goddesses.  We also drove past many key museums, including the National Archaeological Museum and Prado National Art Gallery.  Madrid is full of museums. 
The bus then took us into the oldest part of Madrid, where we transitioned into a walking tour starting at Mayor Square.  Here, we had a cappucino and Coke Zero while relaxing and people-watching on the square under a café’s sidewalk umbrellas and had a bathroom break.  

From Mayor’s Square, we walked to the Mercado de San Miguel, a major tourist market featuring all sorts of food and local goods vendors.  David pointed out Madrid’s Calamari sandwiches, which are a local specialty.  

The final stop on our walking tour was the Royal Palace of Madrid and the Almudena Cathedral complex.  

We reboarded our bus and then had a guided tour of the Prado National Art Gallery.  We learned that Prado is Spanish for Meadow, and that it was named that because at the time it was established, it was simply a meadow.  It was here that we discovered David was quite an art historian and fluent in the history of Spain and the arts.  He took us on a journey of discovery of Spanish art as it evolved from the personal collection of Spanish monarchs of the 16th and 17th centuries, through the Renaissance, Baroque, and Romantic periods.  The Prado is dedicated to these eras, while paintings of the Impressionists and beyond are at the Reina Sofia National Museum of Modern Art.  

David gave us hidden insights into the technology and symbolism embedded within Tintoretto’s The Washing of the Feet (the introduction of perspective yields a picture that literally changes depending on where you view the painting).

In Velázquez’s Las Meninas, what appears at first to be a portrait of young Princess Margarita is actually a self-portrait that turns the subject into the viewer through the lens of a hidden mirror.  

David’s passion for art and depth of knowledge were quite evident, but most of it was way over our heads.  But it gave us a new appreciation for the importance of these works and this collection.  

The tour officially ended as we exited the Prado with the option of further self-exploration in the neighborhood of the Prado or taking the bus back to the hotel.  We opted to head back on the bus for a desperately needed nap, lest we find ourselves collapsed on a museum gallery bench after closing hours. 

After our naps, we wandered about on the streets and found ourselves people-watching in Plaza de Olavide, which was full of young families and children at play.  It does not appear that Spain is suffering from the same population contraction that many other countries like the USA and Japan are experiencing.  While we were hoping to find a tapas restaurant there, almost all did not open for food service until after 8:30 p.m.  

We did find a place very close to the hotel called El Yate that was open and serving food.  We chose to sit inside as it was getting a bit cool outside with temperatures in the 50s as the sun’s rays were lowering in the sky.  We had an excellent selection of tapas starting with deep-fried Portobello mushroom wedges with garlic mayonnaise and grilled octopus served with grilled zucchini topped with foie gras.  The restaurant also provided complimentary bread and olives.  We also had a local lager beer which was refreshing and light.  We made the mistake of ordering too much food because we had to struggle to make a dent in the last two courses, which were Spanish broken eggs and Iberian ham served on French fries, and chopped sirloin meat balls called Chuppa Chups, served with shoestring potatoes and a sweet mustard sauce.  The food was all excellent and at 66 Euros including two beers, was an excellent value for being right next to the hotel.  

We retired to our beds nearly in food comas to prepare for an early and long day of activities tomorrow.