On the spur of the moment decision, we decided to use the Metro to get us to the Parque del Buen Retiro – Madrid’s most iconic green space in the heart of the city.

But, I did not do my research properly before leaving.

We only had to walk behind the Teatro Real to catch the Metro at Ópera. A transport officer tried to help us and I could understand she wanted us to buy a travel card with 10 tickets for the day, but I shook my head and said we only wanted to go to Retiro and back.

In a few seconds Mick had the card in his hand and we were on the train.

The wrong one firstly as it was going in the opposite direction to where we wanted to go – but no problem. Within a few minutes, we were on the correct train, and after five stops, exited to a bustling part of the city near the Puerta de Alcalá.

Now, this gate sits in the middle of a massive roundabout. When Mick realised that, he made the comment that he was glad I was not driving here. I must admit the Portuguese roundabouts were confusing, but I’m sure I could have managed.

Interestingly, these gates are older than the Arc de Triomphe which was completed in 1836.

We crossed the big street, which crossed that massive roundabout, and entered the park.

We decided to start our self-guided tour of the gardens with a coffee, and while we have seen these everywhere we hadn’t tried any on this trip, we also shared some churros (minus the chocolate).

As we strolled the large pathways through the gardens we were entertained, whether we liked it or not, by different performers, some of whom were very good. There were also people dressed as Minnie and Mickey Mouse, and other characters, hoping they could attract the attention of some little people who wanted photos taken with them while their parents paid a few euros.

Mick was super impressed – he and the kids really appreciated this man’s musical skills.

Mick is standing in front of the boating lake, which is just one of the many features of these massive gardens which were originally created in the 17th century as a retreat (Retiro) for King Philip IV. In 1868, the park was opened up to the locals and visitors alike.

We wanted to locate the Crystal Palace. Described in the brochures as..

” a dazzling 19th-century glass and iron structure inspired by London’s Crystal Palace. Built in 1887 to showcase flora from the Philippines.”

But, it is currently under renovations and won’t be finished until 2027. So this is what we saw.

We both giggled at the sign when we looked more closely where it said “Presupuesto de Adjudicación” (Budget) 7.140.262,52 €. We understood that to mean the price is quoted down to the last 52 cents.

We spent some time here just enjoying the beautiful day and watching people row boats on the lake. Then as we headed back towards our starting point, taking a different route, we came across a huge semicircular colonnade near the lake.

These form part of a grand Monument to King Alfonso XII, and are only relatively new, having been opened in 1922.

“At its center stands an equestrian statue of Alfonso XII atop a tall pedestal, while the frieze around the columns displays coats of arms and allegorical sculptures representing Peace, Progress, and the Army.”

The quote here interested me – the sculptures’ themes seemed at odds… Peace… Army??

As we made our way back to the Metro, this is when we found out we had bought the wrong ticket – (clearly my broken Spanish has not served me well a few hours earlier). It cost us more than double the price to get back to our stop than it did to get there. The transport officer was correct!! Never mind.

As luck would have it, there were quite a few restaurants near the Metro exit and we settled on one that sold pizza by the slice. Absolutely perfect.

As we made our way back to our apartment for a little siesta, we spotted the sign for the performance we would watch tonight.

I was really pleased I could buy these tickets before we left Australia, knowing that we were going to stay so close to the Teatro Real.

We decided to find somewhere to eat a little earlier during the late afternoon as we needed to be inside the theatre before 7.15pm. We had seen some people sitting at this table on our first night and I thought it looked very cosy.

It was a good thing we did sit here, as it rained gently for about 10 minutes and we sat, nice and dry and watched people trying to scamper from the rain.

Mick chose Norwegian Salmon and rice, whcih I thought was a weird side dish. I haven’t had nice rice in Spain or Portugal, and that includes in a paella. I ordered a salad.

Before we knew it, it was time to walk the 100m to get into the theatre. We had arrived early as suggested, but there were lots of people in the foyer sipping on champagne and eating slices of Iberian Jamon.

I was so excited – I had really been looking forward to this performance by world class dancers in a majestic theatre, complete with private boxes and smaller exclusive areas.

We were not in either of those – but we did have good seats.

I had been emailed some information about the show a few days beforehand. There would be two sessions of an hour each, with a 25 minute intermission. The first ‘half’ was made up of 5 vignonettes, with the final one before intermission including more than 30 dancers, all dressed vividly and performing a mix of flamenco and ballet. I LOVED it!

Mick fessed up that he was not enjoying the show at all – so we agreed that he would wait for me outside, at a bar of course, while I watched the rest on my own. We only had one set of keys to our apartment.

The second ‘half’ was a very intense story, told dramatically through dance, and it went for the whole hour. I was so pleased Mick was not there, as that would not have gone down well.

I had to ‘borrow’ an image of the performance – no phones were allowed of course.

When I emerged from the theatre, there was Mick, easy to spot in his best white shirt, enjoying the evening air and a glass of red wine. He was so happy.

Interestingly, who says you can’t learn something new about a person you’ve been married to for almost 50 years? Ballet is NOT for Mick!!

We fly out tomorrow for home, via Doha. I think anyone who is lucky enough to travel gets excited at the idea of returning home, and we’re no different. We have had an amazing trip.

Thank you to those of you who have joined us on this trip.