Palacio Real de Madrid

This couple of weeks is going to be crazy for me. I have a midterm this Friday and the school is still organizing trips to various places. I guess I have to sacrifice some sleep in order to full understand historical significance of the country that I am currently living in.

I am fortunate to be able to visit the Royal Palace of Madrid or Palacio Real de Madrid on Jan 19, 2011. The visit was organized by University of Nebrija. I assumed just like any other Palace around the world, security should be strict but lucky me the guards were not that strict.

A fun fact about Palacio Real de Madrid:

The Palacio Real de Madrid (The Royal Palace of Madrid), also known as the Palacio de Oriente (The Orient Palace, or Far East Palace), is the official residence of the King of Spain in the city of Madrid, but it is only used for state ceremonies. King Juan Carlos and the Royal Family do not reside in the palace, choosing instead the more modest Palacio de la Zarzuela on the outskirts of Madrid. The palace is owned by the Spanish State and administered by the Patrimonio Nacional, a public agency of the Ministry of the Presidency. The palace is located on Bailén Street, in the Western part of downtown Madrid, East of the Manzanares River, and is accessible from the Ópera metro station. The palace is partially open to public, except when it is being used for official business.

The wedding banquet of Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz took place on 22 May 2004 at the central courtyard of the Palace.

The palace is open to the public and it is closed when used by the king for state functions like state banquets for visiting heads of state, official government receptions and the presentation of new ambassadors to the king.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Palace_of_Madrid

The palace is huge and beautiful on the outside. But as I entered the palace, a sense of gloominess loomed over me. It could be me or it could be due to the entire setting of the palace. I felt that more lighting could help lighten the entire atmosphere in the palace.

It is nice when the interior is exquisite but if it is overly done which in most cases do happen with Palaces around the world, it becomes very uncomfortable. Being an avid photographer, I am fortunate to have captured some pictures in the Palace. Please enjoy.

This is the King's dressing room.The patterns on the wall are not painted onto the wall but is made out of silk and were sewn on to the wall of the room. The entire wall and ceiling of the room is covered with silk except for the floors. In the same room hangs a 800kgs chandelier

You might be wondering to yourself what so special about this room. Well, this is the room where King Carlos III took his last breath. After his passing, the room was redecorated with blue walls and portrait of him in the room as a way to honor the former emperor.

Can you imagine sitting across this table from your other half? This is the actual dining table where the King and Queen sat across one another.



This is the center of Palacio Real de Madrid. Just look how small the car is compared to the entire space.

This is the corridor of the Palace.



China has a lot of influence on the Spanish empire. This is room is one of the 3 smoking rooms in the Palace. In some parts of the palace, Chinese furniture and designs were display in the palace.