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On Monday, we went to one of the main sights in Madrid - the Royal Palace. It is known as the official residence of the Spanish King and Queen, but they actually live in a different palace on the outskirts of the city. Nowadays, the Royal Palace is mainly used for state occasions. This palace is the largest royal palace in Western Europe in size, and it has more than 2,800 rooms!
After our tour around the palace, we stopped at a cafe for churros con chocolate. which are strips of fried dough that you dip in thick, hot chocolate with a pudding-like consistency. Supposedly the name churro comes from its shape, which resembles the horns of the Churro breed of sheep from the Spanish grasslands of Huarocho.
Next we went for a relaxing walk in El Parque del Buen Retiro, and even had a bit of a nap out in the sun. We topped off the day with a typical Spanish lunch of mixed paella and other tapas. Paella is a typical Valencian rice dish made with saffron, tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. The origin of the name paella comes from the frying pan that it is traditionally cooked in. My parents and their friends also tried croquetas (deep-fried mixture of ham and mashed potatoes) and tortilla espanola (potato omlette).
