Matadero Madrid Cultural Center, Manzanares River and Madrid Rio Park.
In my last post, I shared my feelings about a day full of firsts—the day I discovered the city of Madrid, which was also my first time traveling outside of Venezuela. You can read it by visiting this link, and I’ll give you a sneak peek: it focuses on that long walk through the city, which lasted until midnight and took me to the most iconic spots in downtown Madrid. Today I want to share a bit about my modest second day in the city, a time to focus more on rest and exploring nearby areas; and boy, was there a lot to appreciate in the vicinity of the Hotel Praga.
Praga Hotel, Madrid:
Yes, we stayed at the Hotel Praga, located on Antonio López Street. This popular four-star hotel is right across from a public transit stop, and the Plaza Río Shopping Center is just a couple of blocks away. The best part of my experience here was discovering the Madrid Río Park area during my morning walks, right behind the hotel. I didn’t get up early that day; I had breakfast and went back to sleep, since my wife had to go to work, but after my nap I remembered I was in Madrid 😅 and I made the most of the rest of the day until close to midnight, but the hotel’s prime location near bustling areas was enough to have a good time. Before saying goodbye to the girls, we took the shortcut to the mall, but my plan was to take the long way back through Madrid Río Park.
Plaza Rio 2 Shopping Center:
Once the girls selected for that Tuesday’s event had left, I spent the rest of the afternoon with my friend Kimberly, the girl in the middle of the photo above. We enjoyed the mall, had coffee, and bought a few things, but then I told her to get ready, since I wanted to walk as much of Rio Madrid Park as possible. It was early spring, and I was amazed by the weather—so dry and cool. But also, not all the trees were green; it was as if winter’s lingering presence refused to leave the city. This walk was very special, even though I didn’t do it with my wife, and it was mainly due to the beauty and the silence that brought such peace to this place. Just take a look at the following photos:
Matadero Brigde
As a typical tourist with a somewhat tight schedule, I just walked around the area, and even then I didn’t manage to see it all. This park is like a green lung for the neighborhood—a vast space filled with vegetation that surrounds the Manzanares River and offers areas for sports and recreation. As I walked through it, people passed by me jogging or walking, children played in the playgrounds, and other tourists simply took pictures like I did. There was an area I saw in the distance where people seemed to be interacting with some water fountains and jets, but I wasn’t about to get wet 😅—I was just marveling at the beauty, especially the bridges and the diverse vegetation.
Bridge Over Dam 8:
There was much more to see on Antonio López Street; in fact, at night I was able to explore more areas and some restaurants, but in the afternoon, after visiting the shopping center, I focused solely on Rio Madrid Park. The place is big and beautiful enough to walk around for hours without getting bored. Plus, as I mentioned before, I was looking for some rest—the tour of Spain had just begun—and this park was one of those few places where I actually sat down to have a hot drink while just watching people pass by and the bushes swaying in the breeze. On this second day in Spain, my wife was free only in the evening, but the next day, very early before leaving for Badajoz, I made sure to take her there so she could get a taste of that magical place that had captivated me.
Of course, walking here is completely free. It’s not a fenced-off park; it’s simply a city that has put a lot of heart into the area along the river for the enjoyment of its residents and visitors. There are many special places to visit in Madrid, and while this might not be the first choice given all the other sights to see, I do recommend visiting it if you get the chance; in fact, the Hotel Praga is a great option—a very luxurious place that doesn’t come with the price tag of a large five-star hotel. Although it has a gym, you have this large park right behind it where you can work out, especially if you’re on a business trip.
Thank you so much for reading my post and enjoying the photos; I took them with great care, and these are the last ones I had left from that beautiful walk through Parque Río Madrid. It was an important day for me—traveling brings such an incredible sense of joy. I’d done it before within my own country, but doing it in another nation was much more special. Perhaps I felt that way because we were about to showcase the fruits of our hard work in music. This visit to Madrid was the first of several that life has granted me since then. I feel so much love for that place in the world—it feels like a home and a safe haven to me, both because of the venues and the people waiting for us there. I’ll sign off by sharing some photos from the following morning, when I took my now-wife there so she could see for herself the beauty of what I’d told her about the night before. We were only there for about thirty minutes, near the bridge, but it was enough to create special memories of Parque Rio Madrid together ❤️
The Next Day:
Tuesday
Wednesday
