This morning we hopped onto our bus and took a trip about 1 hour north of the city of Madrid to the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. It is a historical residence of the King of Spain about 28 miles northwest of the Madrid. Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II (who reigned 1556–1598), El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital. It also houses the remains of the royal families not just the king and queen.
Unfortunately, all I can show you is a couple of images from outside the building as no photographs are allowed inside.
I have a bunch to write about this UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the walk we had in the afternoon to the old town of Madrid, but, we have a very early wake-up call, so I am going to have to post more on today’s activities in a day or two. We are off to Toledo and Granada tomorrow and it will be a long day on the bus.
Later, I need to finish packing and get to bed.
Postcards from Sue and friends 