El Retiro Park

The park is large and shaded by trees. It feels quite nice to walk around and stop whenever you have time. The Crystal Palace and the small lake in front are pleasant, and there are swans, ducks and pigeons playing around, creating a peaceful atmosphere. There are also free art exhibitions to see, which is worth mentioning.

Originally the spiritual retreat of Spain’s ultimate power couple, Isabella and Ferdinand, Retiro evolved into a pleasure palace when the rather less devout Felipe IV wore the crown. Built by his valido (the equivalent of Prime Minister), the Conde Duque de Olivares, more than 20 buildings went up between 1630 and 1660 to please the playboy king who enjoyed balls, theater and reenactments of naval battles performed on the park’s central lake. The Palacio de Velazquez is not the only Reina Sofía gallery nearby. Venture further south and you’ll come upon the Palacio de Cristal, a huge greenhouse built in 1887 to house flora brought over from the Philippines — then a Spanish colony. Sadly, at the time, Filipino natives were also brought over and forced to live in their “natural habitat” by the side of the ornamental pond outside. The dark history of this human zoo was rightly exposed and condemned in a 2021 exhibition by Filipino artist, Kidlat Tahimik, held in the space.

Madrid’s Retiro Park occupies a very large area and is well worth a visit, but when people enter the park, they dress up as Disney dolls, such as Cardchao and Super Sonic Mouse, which are out of place!

If you like the quiet park here is a good choice, here you can see a very special crystal palace, you can visit, but to wear shoes, the location is in the main entrance to walk through a pool, there are mandarin ducks and ducks, and then walk inside, hide in the woods, self-study to see the sign has crystal late words, it is recommended that you like roses. My friend went to see it in May. It was worth seeing that there were hundreds of kinds of roses in the garden at that time.

After lunch, walking along the beautiful path and walking to the Prado Museum, I found that it was closed today. It doesn't matter. Let's go to Lichi Park opposite. Very beautiful park, symmetrical design, quiet lake, everything is as beautiful as painting! Drinking a cup of coffee in the park and playing by street bands, we had a wonderful afternoon. If you're traveling to Madrid, you might as well come here and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Lichi Park is a free park I strongly recommend. The park is not only huge but also rich in content. There is a man-made lake in the middle, which is sparkling. On the shore, you can see the 12th Century Monument MONUMENTOALFONSOXII of Alfonso on the other side. It is not a boring monument. There are many sculptures around it. The only one you want to find in Europe is Versailles of Paris. The park is divided into several sections, each with its own theme and landscape, and the Crystal Palace in Madrid is also inside.

The Retiro Park in Madrid is one of the must-see attractions. The Crystal Palace in the center of the park is the highlight. The fully transparent glass house is surrounded by towering trees. There are three sculptures inside, which is quite suitable for taking photos. The weather was too hot, and the roses in the rose garden were not blooming, so it was not very beautiful. It would be great to visit during the rose season. The park is very large and you can walk around slowly.