Sarah Johnson is a student at the University of Denver and an ISA Featured Photo Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Madrid, Spain.
I had the wonderful opportunity to take a tour of the Royal Palace. It was funny because at the beginning of the tour we were not allowed to take pictures, but midway through the tour the policy changed and we were allowed! Needless to say, it was interesting and absolutely breathtaking.
This is a picture of the front of the palace from the immense courtyard and the beautiful light posts. It was a gloomy day, but the palace was still breathtaking. According to history, when the kingdom switched from the Austrians to the Bourbons the fortress castle “burned” down so the new king from France could build beautiful palace in the French style.
There were so many amazing chandeliers throughout the palace from places around the world like France and Italy. Some even had a fountain in them. They added so much character to each room!
The royal dining room was by far my favorite spot in the entire palace. It was so interesting to learn about all of the dishes used for each dinner here including FIVE different types of glasses. They still use the room for big events with different countries – maybe one day I will get to dine there.
Although the glare is pretty bad in the picture, what would a visit be without the royal crown!? Apparently they don’t even use it anymore – it’s just for show to sit next to the king.
The thrown room was also like from a movie. The furniture is from the 21st century – could have fooled me! I kept thinking of Game of Thrones throughout this visit, this palace and kingdom is definitely very different!
Finally, the Cathedral of Almudena. It looked incredible with the clouds and light! I wish I could abracadabra all of the people away to capture the true ambiance of the moment.
It was an interesting experience, so much beauty and lavishness all around. It was a true taste of the royal life!
Want to see more photos of Madrid? Check out “A Wonderful Welcome to Spain”