Sunday, March 13, 2011

As A Tourist The Palace Offers Guided Tours

By Soldan Tobowski


The Spanish Palace was originally created for King Phillip V and has been occupied in one form or other since the year eight hundred fifty. The number of Spanish monarchs who have lived in here include the King Alfonso XIII up to 1932. When you travel through the capital city of Madrid, you'll encounter the Palacio Real, where you'll discover Spanish Royalty.

This regal Royal Palace has nearly three thousand rooms and two hundred and forty of those rooms have balconies. With more than forty staircases you soon gain appreciation for the immensity of the Spanish palace that rivals the Versailles in Paris. You'll be amazed at its magnitude. The Royal Palace itself is mostly private, with about ten percent open to public tours. During the tours it is possible to see that portion of the palace in service.

The holidaymakers can see an astounding attention to detail both in design and interior decoration from plush tapestries to the 'rococo' decorations including porcelain and other precious treasures. After it was destroyed by fire in the mid seventeen hundreds, the Madrid Spanish Royal Palace is designed in the French Classical style now. The history of the palace was very different. It was once a Moorish fortress (Alczar), built in the eight hundreds century. Travel there on foot and explore this interesting piece of history. Within the palace grounds you'll find some intriguing statues including Montezuma, the Aztec king, and Alahualpa (an Incan Prince).

As a tourist the palace offers guided tours through the grounds and a breathtaking ceramic walls and sparkling chandeliers in the main Saln de Gasparini and the throne room. The Spanish throne room houses historic armor and weapons and was the headquarter for the of the Spanish Inquisition. The throne room played host to the superpowers of the 18the century. You will also get a feel for what formal dinners would be like, with a tour through the banquet hall that can hold over 100 guests. The Royal Library, or Biblioteca Real houses many impressive volumes such as an original, first edition of Cervantes Don Quixote.

The once part of the palace that function day to day is the royal Pharmacy. The pharmacy ad the associated royal medical department takes care of the Royal family year round. If you have ever wondered what you might need for your human condition you'll be able to discover at the Royal Pharmacy. In the medical clinic you can witness ancient instruments treated ailments belonging to the royal family.

As you travel through the Royal Palace you'll witness numerous remaining working facilities. There is schooled changing of the guards outside the palace together with the daily workings of the Royal pharmacy. The one thing to remember, the palace is closed for official functions.




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