Madrid digs

We planned to leave La Zenia a few days before heading home,  to spend  some time in Madrid. As we had done very little planning for this trip outside of getting our plane tickets, we were a little nervous about what we'd find for a hotel room.

But as luck would have it, we found Hotel Plaza Mayor. Located in the heart of the Old Town, this place was comfortable, affordable, and very unusual. Our room was basically an attic space that had been spruced up. It made a nice little suite with a super deck. You just needed to remember not to bump your head!

The walls on the lower two stories were huge slabs of granite.

The building was quite old with interesting architectural details. When I asked the desk clerk what it had been before it was a hotel, he said it was a convent attached to the church next door. I had heard about converted convents and wasn't too keen on the thought of staying in one, until we found this place. Apparently, back in the day, the nobility would need to get their illegitimate (and other potentially embarrasing) offspring out of view, and this is where the girls ended up. I imagine the  accomodations were  a bit more luxurious than a convent of today.

The hotel opened out on a little square and just next door was a massive structure that apparently served as a prison for the affluent. Currently it is an administrative building, and a grand one at that. Our deck looked out over its roof and mighty towers. We felt that we could just reach out and touch them.

enjoying a warm afternoon on the deck

Immediately beyond the square is Plaza Mayor, one of the big gathering places in Madrid and the former site of some horrendous doings during the Inquisition. It was the beacon that kept us from getting lost on our many walks and a great place to sip cerveza and people-watch.

Our stay in Madrid was much too short, but an enjoyable end to our trip. The last two posts will cover our adventures in Madrid and Toledo. Stay tuned!