Half-day in Madrid

We spent a half day in Madrid yesterday before heading for Avila. We started off in the area near Plaza Mayor where we stopped in this little bar because of its unusual decor. Are you all picking up on the bullfighting theme here? Anyways, they had tons of photos lining the walls, including some really good gorings, so I snapped a few photos since we didn't get to go to a real bullfight.


Owww, look at this bull hitting the horse!


This had to hurt....


And here's a young bullfighter in the hospital with a gored leg. They had photos showing the operation...it was crazy!


Next we went in the church of San Isidro. This baroque church used to be part of a Jesuit college, and now houses the remains of San Isidro. Here's a side altar.


And here's a woodcarving of Our Lady's death, surrounded by the Apostles.


A really nice statue of the child Jesus.


And another of St. Edward the Confessor.


Here's the high altar with the relics of San Isidro.


And here's a huge Spanish crucifix.


Keeping with the theme of Spanish statues, here's a statue of Our Lady of Extramadura. The Spanish typically put vestments on their statues.


Next it was on to the church of San Miguel. Unfortunately I don't know much about this church since there weren't any materials on it in English.


One thing I was able to understand was that the doors were carved by a famous craftsman, and are made of walnut. They had a rich, almost chocolate color.


This church had some beautiful statues as well, including this infant Jesus.


Our last stop of the day was a mantilla/mantones store. The selection was amazing, so if any of you ladies out there want one, let me know, because we're going back tomorrow!


That's it for now, make sure you check out the Avila entry!