A few hours later, in brilliant sunshine we made our way through Plaza Oriente to the sound of beating drums. It soon became clear what they were in aid of - another fun run, this time along the front of the palace, blocking our way. We had to choose a gap carefully before dashing across to the palace entrance.
We first saw a temporary exhibition Crown and Archaeology, showcasing the royal family's and in particular Charles III's interest in history, archaeology and collecting. He issued several edicts promoting the preservation of antiquities and collection of history. The exhibition was at pains to make clear how the Spanish were at the forefront of the birth of archaeology, going so far as to state that this contribution by the king(s) was largely unknown both inside and outside the country. Perhaps this should be taken with a grain of salt?
We next did the normal tour of the palace, through various reception, sitting and dining rooms, and the throne room. The latter is the epitome of excess of decoration - there wasn't anywhere you could look to rest your eyes. In fact the whole palace seemed rather overdone to us. Paul Keating would have loved the extensive clock collection - dozens of them. There were quite a few paintings, with many portraits of the royals, most of them of the rather homely Charles III. On the whole, it did not make a big impression on us.
The two additional exhibitions were much more interesting. Joan went to see to Royal Pharmacy. In several rooms there were floor to ceiling shelves stacked with named porcelain jars of the pharmacopeia of the day. She recognized a few substances, including quinine, digitalis, iron, rhubarb, salvolataly, etc.
The Armoury held an impressive collection of armour for men, children and horses. Almost all of them were highly decorated and showed superb craftsmanship. Many of the helmets were made in Augsburg Germany. There were some firearms and they were beautifully crafted but looked rather heavy and unwieldy. Interestingly, all the exhibits (rampart chargers and suits of armour) were on raised platforms to make them look more imposing, and so that the people didn't look so short, I imagine.
We had lunch back at FrescCo and then decided to stroll the city to take in the Sunday ambience. Good thing we did too, as our goal, Gran Via, had been closed to traffic to celebrate 100 years of the existence of this major avenue. Pedestrians were out in full force, enjoying the experience of strolling in the middle of the street. It sort of reminded us of the 25-yearly Harbour Bridge walks (we have done two and are hoping to be around for a third).
We decided to have dinner at the Plaza Major, to enjoy the outdoor ambience. Of the eight or so restaurants we picked one of the classier ones (tablecloth) with a more expensive night menu that we hoped would improve our dining experience. Sad to say we disappointed on several fronts - the food was almost inedible, the wine wasn't good and the service was on the brusque side. The local buskers make a nuisance of them selves at each restaurant in turn. First they play from a distance of five or so metres away, and then come much closer where their playing is even more annoying, as we were in the front row. The restaurant staff are unconcerned about this affront to their customer's ears.
To top it off, on exiting the square, Joan experienced her third pickpocket attempt. This time she actually felt the hand on her bag and automatically swore at the male offender, who naturally feigned innocence. However, we were cheered up when we found a bustling food hall just outside the square with many authentic-looking tapas bars.
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