Dominic+Diary+Entries

DominicsDiary Entries

Day One:

Took a Bus ride to the city of Cadiz, to get there the bus took the A4 to Jerez then a taxi ride from Jerez de la Frontera to Cadiz costs about 30 euros. When i arrived i was anxious to see the Cathedral in the old town and climb to the top of the cupula for a nice view of the entire city. The view was stunning! you could almost see the entire city in portrait of the sun covering it! After visiting the cathedral i thought i would go and relax down by one of the main beaches the "Santa Maria Del Mar" where i relaxed until the afternoon. The heat is was tempered by the Atlantic breeze, although ive been told to beware of flying sand as the wind can pick up quickly. That afternoon i thought would get some seafood as ive been told by the locals that could speak some english that "In Cadiz you will find some of the best and freshest fish and shellfish in the world." which sounded great! I went to a local restaurant called the "Sanlucar de Barrameda" where they served me some lovely shellfish.

Day Two:

Today, I thought i would spend some time in Madrid as i had been to Cadiz the previous day i thought it would be wise to stay in the main city. Off i went the plaza named "The **Plaza Mayor".** The Plaza Mayor is a central plaza in the city. The Plaza Mayor is only a few blocks away from another famous plaza, thePuerta del Sol. The Plaza Mayor is rectangular in shape. I found out alot of historical information about the plaza. The Plaza Mayor has been the scene of multitudinous events: markets, bullfights, soccer games, public executions, and, during theSpanish Inquistion, against supposed heretics and the executions of those condemned to death. The Plaza Mayor also has a ring of old and traditional shops and cafes under its porticoes. Celebrations for San Isidro, patron saint of Madrid, are also held here. The Plaza Mayor is now a major tourist attraction, visited by thousands of tourists a year.

Day Three

I'm of to the Palace! The Palacio Real de Madrid, Royal Palace of Madrid. I was really excited about this trip and thought i would take a bus ride their. The palace is one of the largest in Western Europe after theLouvre. It is richly decorated by artists such as Velazquez,Tiepolo,Mengs,Gasparini,Juan de Flandes,Caravaggio, and Goya. Several royal collections of great historical importance are kept at the palace, including the Royal Armoury and its weapons dating back to the 13th century, and the world's only complete string quintet, as well as collections of tapestry, porcelain, furniture, and other objets d'art of great historical importance.

Day Four

I've got a Soccer Game to get to! it's the home team too! Real Madrid. Theres been a taxi arranged for me from front desk tog et me to the stadium, The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with a capacity of 80,400 i was sure it was going to be a greta game as i know the spanish love their Football (soccer). It was Real Madrid Vs Valencia, the crowd and the atmosphere was something to be amzed by as i had never really seen antyhing like this back in Australia. The game turned out well for RealMadrid with them winning 2-1 by scoring the 2nd goal in extra time! After the game i was exhausted just from watching them run around so much and decided to head back to the hotel for some rest for my final day in Madrid, Spain.

Day Five

Today i enjoyed a nice relaxing Coffe in the morning and planned to hit the beach before getting ready to see the opera at the //Teatro Real// or the Royal Theatre. Tonight the Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid was playing and i am very excited. Again it seems to be easier to get around Madrid by bus so i decided to do so.



Once their i took some photos of the Theatre whihc looked amazing and proceded to enter. I found out some very interesting information about it too.

The //Teatro Real// is anopera house in Madrid It was inaugurated on 19 November 1850, with Donizetti's //La Favorite// and is one of the world's finest stage and acoustic settings for opera. It is one of the world's most famous opera houses, comparable to many in Europe and elsewhere. The construction of the //House//ordered by the Queen Isabel II, hence its name, The Teatro Real is located just in front of the Palacio Real, the official residence of the Kings of Spain. The most successful years of the opera house were from its construction in 1850 to 1925, when the theater had to be closed because of the damage that the construction of the Metro de Madrid had caused on the building.

The theater reopened in 1966 as a concert theater until the middle of the 1990s, when the theater was remodeled to host opera again. In 1969, the 14th //Eurovision Song Contest// was held at the theatre, featuring a metal sculpture on stage which was created by surrealist Spanish artist, Salvador Dalí. Since 1997, the theater has recouped the fame and the excellence that it possessed on the XIX Century. The Opera was Great! The sound seemed so clear in the theatre and i would of loved to have stayed longer but time was pressing as i need to get back and to get some sleep before the long flight home.

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