Over our long Easter vacation, we decided to take a day trip to explore another little city called El Escorial, about an hour outside of Madrid. We got off the bus and started wandering, and we soon found ourselves in a park on the grounds of the Casita Del Principe estate, just south of a famous Monastery.
It certainly smelled like spring!
Next to the park was an ancient stone wall dividing pastures and we just had to climb it...
Moooooooo, said the cow. Mooooooo said the mattyP.
Can't miss a good tree-climbing opportunity!
From the park, we walked into town for some lunch, but not before passing by the enormous monastery for a closer look...
Some fun shots from walking around the city...
Although its only about 45km outside of the relatively flat Madrid, the small city is situated at the base of Mt. Abantos in the Sierra mountain range. Most of the city is built on steep hillsides, which made for quite a hike!
And finally, we have the monastery! El Escorial is a historical residence of the King of Spain. The grounds function as a monastery, royal palace, museum and school. It's been the burial site for most of the the Spanish kings over the last 5 centuries, including the Bourbons and Habsburgs. (Note the rather amazing statues of the kings.) The tour was too pricey, but here are a few shots we could get for free (including a sneak peek inside the Basilica).
